“Anything that would point to info on the Demon. Anything that he might have left for this guy,” Remus answered, probably for the fourth or fifth time. “Start checking the desk. I’ll look over here.”

“Yeah, whatever. I swear, what’s so important to that guy that he’d pay this much just to get his hands on some pieces of paper?” his partner grumbled. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Don’t mind taking some rich fool’s coin, but isn’t this a little high profile? Ain’t this place famous? They even sent guys after that one lady, the famous blonde?”

Remus shuddered at the thought. The team sent to take her down was armed to the teeth, and if the rumors were true, it was for good reason. He’d been in this business long enough to recognize when someone was a true, merciless killing machine. Every one of those masked bastards had fit the bill perfectly. The further away he stayed from that bloodbath, the better.

“Damn, what I wouldn’t give to be on that team,” his inept partner prattled on. “I only got a glimpse of her, and I’m already in love. Just because we have to kill her doesn’t mean we can’t play with her first, right?”

If this idiot couldn’t recognize death when he was looking right at it, he’d be dead within the week in this line of work. That was fine by Remus. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore.

“I’m not paid enough to worry about that, and neither are you,” Remus answered shortly. “And watch the casual comments about our employer. You never know who’s listening.”

“What? You worried our friend here might tell on me?” His partner smacked the corpse on the back jovially, making its head roll back and forth on the desk. “Pretty sure his lips are sealed, friend. Just because we’re on some shady businesses doesn’t mean we have to be so jumpy all the time. Besides, all that Empress’ Demon stuff is just bullshit, anyway. This is just another eccentric man with more money than sense in search of things that don’t exist.”

Based on the grunts and thuds coming from behind him, Remus assumed his partner was trying to break into the desk drawers. The idiot had clearly never dealt with mages before. If they weren’t booby trapped, then they were enchanted to only open when the owner wished it. Torn between letting the idiot be and not wanting to get blown up by a mage’s trap, he sighed dramatically as he turned back around.

“Hey, dumbass. If you want to get yourself killed, leave me out—”

Remus was left staring at nothing. His partner was nowhere to be seen. Had he just wandered off? If he was dumb enough to go after that devil woman by himself, Remus was just going to leave the fool to die.