Forgiven by Jana Oliver

about the scam.
    ‘One last thing –’ In a heartbeat Roscoe was off his feet and rammed up against the door. The jarring impact set off the security alarm and drenched them in floodlights.
    ‘If ya ever try to roll Paul Blackthorne’s daughter again,’ Beck bellowed inches from the man’s ear, ‘I will feed ya to a Three, a chunk at a time. Ya got that?’
    Roscoe wilted. ‘No, no, I won’t do it again. I promise.’
    The moment Beck released him, the loser went into a heap on the ground, quivering in terror.
    Beck methodically wiped his hands on his jeans, like he’d touched something toxic. ‘Thanks, Roscoe. The Guild appreciates yer help.’
    ‘You’ll square it with the hunters?’ the man whined.
    ‘Sure.’
    If I remember to talk to ’em.
    When voices woke Riley out of a tormented sleep, she pulled herself up in the bed, disorientated. The room was dark except for a glowing red light on the ceiling. For an instant she thought it was a demon preparing to attack and eep ed in startled surprise. Then felt foolish.
    You dork. It’s a smoke detector.
    The mental fog parted like a stage curtain: she was still at the Westin with the demon hunters. A glance at the digital clock on the nightstand told her that it was nearly ten in the evening. She’d been their ‘guest’ for over twelve hours.
    After a knock on the door, a young hunter stuck his head in, his form outlined by the light from the hallway.
    Riley clicked the lamp on next to the bed. ‘What?’ she mumbled.
    ‘Come with me,’ he said in a noticeable German accent. ‘Now, please.’
    The urgency in his voice made Riley scurry to lace up her shoes, then collect her coat and backpack. ‘What’s happening?’ she asked, trying to finger comb her hair.
    In lieu of a response the hunter herded her down the hall towards the fire exit. Another hunter followed behind them, moving with military precision. Voices crackled on their radio, echoing as they entered the stairwell.
    ‘Where am I going?’ No reply. What if they snuck her out of town without telling Stewart? Was this a one-way trip to Rome or somewhere else?
    After a quick march down countless storeys, they exited on to the street behind the hotel. One of the hunters sheared off, leaving her alone with the German dude. His dark hair was cut short and his nose had a slight bump in it like it’d been broken and reset.
    ‘Please, tell me what is going on.’
    His attention never left the street as he answered. ‘Near here there has been a report of an Archfiend.’
    That explained why the hunter was so wired. Riley had never seen one, but from what she’d heard from Beck they were only a step below a fallen angel when it came to power. An Archfiend had cost her father his soul. It’d been that or his life.
    That didn’t explain why she was outside the hotel. As Riley was about to ask that question, Captain Salvatore exited the building, talking into his radio. When he reached their position, he gave a nod to the young hunter who promptly backed off.
    ‘Is it really an Archfiend?’ she asked.
    Salvatore shook his head. ‘Someone with a macabre sense of humour. The fool dressed up in a devil’s costume and ran through the market in Centennial Park, setting off firecrackers and smoke bombs. People panicked. He’s in custody now.’
    ‘Wow. Fives are scary enough. I can’t imagine an Archdemon.’
    ‘Yet you stood up to a Fallen,’ Salvatore replied.
    ‘Ori didn’t seem so scary, at least until I told him he wasn’t getting my soul. He seemed . . . human, except for being too perfect, if you know what I mean.’
    A nod. ‘A decision has been made about your situation.’
    Riley searched the captain’s face for clues as to how this was going to go. He looked way grim. Not good.
    ‘They don’t believe me, do they?’
    ‘Not completely, but the inscriptions on your palms pleaded your case to Rome more effectively than your testimony. We have received permission to release you