Chapter 5

An empty gray plain, so featureless, it was difficult to tell where the ground ended and the sky began. A strong wind, neither hot nor cold, blew from an indeterminate direction, and smelled of sulfur and ash. Nothing grew. Nothing changed. Beelzebub fought the urge to look at his watch. What was the point, in a place that had no notion of time?

But then Asmodeus was there, his dark suit and perfectly groomed hair incongruous notes in that soulless place. Well, Asmodeus always was a bit of a peacock.

"I've been hearing things," Beelzebub said.

"Maybe you should get that checked."

Beelzebub chose to ignore his compatriot's snarky

comment and went on, "He has been indulging in some questionable behavior."

Asmodeus stopped fiddling with his cufflinks. "Questionable?"

"I'm fairly certain he's trying to make an end run." "How do you mean?"

Sometimes Asmodeus' obtuseness could be downright annoying. On the other hand, at least he was trustworthy. Most of the time. "He's gone off and done some independent negotiations with Him." Beelzebub cast a significant glance upward.

After a second or two, Asmodeus nodded, then frowned. "You think he's trying to make a break for it?"

"Yes."

"Without us?"

"Yes."

Asmodeus appeared to digest that information for a

moment. "Well, that's not very...sporting, is it?" "No."

A small silence fell. Beelzebub held his tongue, knowing the best thing to do was simply wait until the other demon came to the same conclusion Beelzebub already had formulated some time before.

"So, what are we going to do about it?"

Beelzebub would not allow himself to smile at the use of the word "we." He replied, "Put a stop to it, of course."

"How?"

"He has been spending time in the company of a mortal woman. She must be part of the deal, whatever the details of that deal may be. So, the most reasonable thing to do is to somehow keep the two of them apart."

Asmodeus tapped a finger against his chin. "Possession?" he asked.

Beelzebub shook his head. "No. At least, not of her. It's too risky — he would probably be able to tell right away, and then we'd have a lot of explaining to do, wouldn't we?"

"I suppose so. Then who?"

Luckily, Beelzebub had had some time to figure this out. Once he'd zeroed in on Christa Simms as the unlikely target of his attentions, it had taken little effort to make a quick study of her acquaintances, of those who could do the most good or ill, depending on how one looked at it in foiling this underhanded plan. "She has a boyfriend," he said.

"Which one of us gets to possess the boyfriend?" "Neither."

Asmodeus frowned. "Excuse me?"

Allowing himself a small smile, Beelzebub replied, "Too risky. The woman involved might notice something odd about his behavior, and might say something to him. We can't risk that. However, the boyfriend has two roommates."

This time it only took an instant for comprehension to flare in Asmodeus' eyes. "So we possess the roommates and use them to manipulate the situation."

"It might work."

"Oh, it will work. The boyfriend is very close to these

two, and tends to take their advice. It shouldn't be difficult at all to get him to do whatever we say."

"So who are these two?"

"A couple of computer geeks."

Asmodeus looked pained. "Geeks with substandard

wardrobes, no doubt."

"Is there any other kind?"

"I suppose not. If there is no other way — " "There isn't."

Asmodeus muttered something that sounded like, The things I do for you, but since it was obvious the words weren't meant to be heard, Beelzebub chose to ignore them.

"Very well, then," he said briskly. "I'll contact you when it's time to go."

"And he won't notice that we're gone?"

"I think he's sufficiently distracted by this woman that we have some room in which to maneuver."

With a nod, Asmodeus said, "I'll be hearing from you," and then disappeared as precipitously as he had arrived.

Excellent. Just a few more things to set in place, and then it would be off to Los Angeles to take over the hearts and minds of his intended victims. Beelzebub hoped the endeavor wouldn't require more than a few days; lengthy possessions tended to be an exhausting proposition at best. Still, he was willing to make the sacrifice.

Because he was damned if he was going to allow Lucifer to regain the Kingdom of Heaven if the rest of the angels who'd suffered the Fall had to stay down here in Hell....