Demontouched: The Demontouched Saga (Book 1) Read Free Page A

of time so you know who gets to play and when.” Sadly, I did want that journal. If there was even a sliver of truth behind it I might not have to clean up many more of Eunie’s messes. “What’s the job?”
    “I want you to take out Duncan Stansbery.”
    “The guy who runs Memphis? He is well out of your territory, isn’t he?”
    He walks up and pulls out his phone. He shows me a dozen or so text messages from his people on the east side all complaining about some new guys coming in, demanding taxes. Considering the nature of the businesses on the east side, the tax could be ass or grass. It would take some enormous balls to tax Nal’s gas, but something tells me Duncan has some big ones.
    “He has been sending his people this way for a while now. For the most part they have just hit us on the outskirts, nothing that really hurts us here.”
    “Then why send me down to Memphis? Just have me hit his lackeys.” Unless he has some massive intelligence network, there wouldn’t be a reason to head down there. His guys could be dead for months before he even caught wind of it.
    “You aren’t going to Memphis,” he says. “I think he has set up somewhere on the north side.” He shows me more messages from the guys he has in charge up north. They normally check in twice a week, every Wednesday and Saturday. They have done it for months without fail. “Two weeks ago, things up north went black. It’s not like the boys to not send word after this long.”
    “Perhaps they went rogue.” Doubtful, they know that Nal would call me. He makes a habit of showing off my handiwork when he can.
    “I considered it. That is why I want to send you. You come back with Duncan’s head, or with the heads of Jason and Mark, and the journal is yours.”
    “One of these days, you’re going to have to clean up your own shit storms,” I say walking towards the door. “As long as you keep getting some nice shiny toys I guess I’ll keep being your maid. Just don’t expect me to wear one of those short, sexy skirts.”
    “Bad visual man,” Nal winced. He definitely got the visual.
    “Tell your guys in the kitchen I’m heading down to get a case of Diet Coke and a bag of salt.”
    “Why the hell do you need salt?” He asks giving me one hell of a look.
    “Don’t ask.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
    -3-
     
     
     
     
     
     
    My first order of business is to check in with Sara, my tech girl.
    She is hot. Not hot in a Gisele sort of way, but hot in a sexy librarian right down the the nerdy glasses and pony-tail kind of way. If I need information on anything, she can find it in about as much time as it takes me to piss. The best part is that she only accepts two forms of payment. Sex and Diet Coke. Too bad for me her sex machine is closed.
    Guess that is what I get for walking home drunk wearing some stripper’s panties around my neck.
    “Why hello there, beautiful.” I place the case of soda at her feet.
    “What do you want now, asshole?”
    Ouch. Guess it is going to take a lot more than some Diet Coke to fix this one.
    “Nal has another job for me. Some dude named Duncan Stansbery has been harassing some of the border ops for the last few weeks. He wants me to go all Kane from Mortal Kombat on his ass and bring him his head.” Part of me wants to do the move, but the humor would probably be lost on her.
    “What’s in it for me?”
    “Let’s see. We start with the soda that I had to give Nal entirely too much for and I’ll throw in dinner at that fancy steak place you like.” I can remember the days when the dinner would have been enough to persuade my wife to do something for me. Considering they haven’t reopened the Coke plant, the soda is the deal maker here.
    “I think we are on two different pages here, Mitch.” It’s a cold day in hell when the soda doesn’t seal the deal.
    “Name your price, then.”
    “I want in. I’m tired of sitting here in the house while you get to have all of the