“Erm, right.” I shifted on my feet, eyeing the dark interior of the car. “It’s just…you can’t protect me twenty-four seven for an entire month. Can’t you tear up the contract?”

His lips curled into a wicked smile. “I could. If I wanted to. But I don’t. Now, get inside.”

“You know, some people might wonder why you’re so insistent on getting me into that car.”

“No, they wouldn’t.” His grip tightened on the door. “Because it makes perfect fucking sense, Mia. I know you don’t like me very much, and I don’t like you very much either. But while you are in my employ, it is my responsibility to keep you safe. You’re out this late because you were dancing in my club. I’m not going to let something happen to you when I should have been driving you home. Got it?”

I wet my lips, thinking back to the moments before Asmodeus had arrived. It pained me to admit he had a point. Someone had been following me. It might not have been anything at all. Just some weirdo. New York had a lot of them.

But I might very well have been in danger. A serial killer stalked these streets. He could have had his sights set on me tonight. Hell, he might still be watching me even now, waiting to see if Asmodeus would go away, leaving me out here alone again. As strange as it seemed, a demon was the better option.

Looked like I was going to become a spy after all.

9

“Good morning.” Asmodeus leaned back in one of the sleek black dining chairs. Dark, wet hair clumped on his forehead, and his soft heather grey t-shirt clung to his sculpted pecs. I slowed to a stop and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

My god.

Suddenly, I was very conscious of my mussed hair and wrinkled sweatpants. Why did he always manage to catch sight of me when I looked my worst? Not that it mattered. I didn’t care about impressing this guy.

He’s a demon.

“Morning.” I trailed over to the table and plopped down into a chair. “You look very alert and cheerful for someone who was up at the butt crack of dawn.”

I’d heard him rustling around at six. I, on the other hand, had slept until noon.

“I have a couple of things for you.” Winking, he leaned forward and lifted a gleaming sconce off a massive stack of pancakes. My stomach grumbled at the sight of the fluffy circles. “You also have a visitor out on the balcony.”

Frowning, I glanced over to the open sliding doors. A black-and-white pigeon perched on the back of one of the wrought-iron chairs. I sucked in a whistling breath and stood.

“Don’t tell me that’s Hendrix.”

“The one and only.”