5

  Only a small reading light, that illuminated the spot above Nadia’s book as she sat in bed reading, broke the darkness of the bedroom. Nadia was focused on the novel in her left hand and the warm tea in the other. She’d been unable to sleep even after several drinks at the bar. Jake had been holed up in his own penthouse all day reading about demons and how to avoid them and the infamous story of the devil at the crossroad. Nadia wasn’t offended by his absence but the distraction would be nice, she thought.

   A hollow knock on the door drew her attention. Half expecting Jake or Alan, she stood, pulling her silk kimono robe tighter around her body. The man on the other side was tall, intimidatingly so. His hair was slicked back, and he was wearing an immaculate suit. 

  He inclined his head slightly at Nadia, playing