Chapter 33

"So, I'm uncontrollable," Sam mumbled, lowering his head, deep in thought about what he had just heard.

He seemed to be beyond the control of the Control Devil.

Some might consider this good news.

Indeed, it was. However, she knew it, and that was a problem.

She could see him as a potential threat and eliminate him.

Don't get him wrong; he might not be afraid of confronting strong devils, but dealing with Makima was utter foolishness.

"Damn, man. And here my mood was good," he looked at her.

He wouldn't be able to kill her no matter what. She was strong enough to take on primal devils from hell. She could attack from a distance without being present, and her attacks were exceptionally potent.

Thanks to spoilers from Reddit, he knew all of this.

She was impossible to kill. But he wasn't. You could kill her, do whatever you wanted, and she'd revive every time. But the moment you turned your back... boom, you were dead.

"You heard me right," she confirmed.

"Are you not testing me?" Sam asked once more.

"No," she replied with a stoic expression. "Answer my question."

"I don't have anything to do with that information," Sam replied. "The question is, what would you do?"

"What do you think I would do?" she asked. "The problem is that you know I can't control you."

Right. She didn't know that Sam knew she was undead, at least not yet.

Maybe it would be better to convince her that he was on her side willingly.

"Whatever you want," Sam smiled.

"You know I'm the devil playing things in the background, yet I can't control you. You're strong enough to be considered a danger, an uncontrollable one," she said.

"I'll show you," Sam continued to smile. He stood up, walked over to her, and said, "Stand up."

"Are you ordering me?" Makima questioned, her gaze filled with doubt that seemed to pierce through him. She didn't appear happy at all.

Sam sighed. "Could you please do as I say?"

"I'll play along," she stood up.

Sam's next action shocked him more than it did her. He opened his arms wide and hugged her tightly, arms crossed on her back, head on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Makima asked, calm yet genuinely unable to understand his actions.

"It's okay," Sam said softly. "Danger, not danger. Control, not control. Let's forget about that." Sam patted her back repeatedly. "Relationships don't have to be about control and who is in a position of power. At work, you may be my boss, but to me, our relationship is more than that. I'll never let anyone hurt you; let me do that."

'First time an employee tells the employer that we're family.'

"What are you talking about?" Makima inquired.

"I don't know how you feel, but you are like my family," Sam pulled away from the hug, looked at Makima, and placed a finger on her cheek. "I know you are a devil, but I still consider you as my big sis.

"You are family. And if there is one thing I know for real, you don't turn your back on family."

For some unknown reason, Sam could hear Bandolero in his head.

'Man, I'm Van Dieseling it,' he thought, remembering Fast And Furious's main character.

"Family?" Makima looked at him. Despite her calm expression, he didn't miss that her pupils dilated.

"Remember, I'm saying this of my own will. If you ever doubt me, family is always the answer," Sam said.

"You surprise me yet again. Unlike a dog that can be trained, you're like a playful kitten," she sighed and shook her head. She then chuckled slightly. "It has been a long time since I've been entertained."

Sam noticed a slight reddening of her cheeks. Bandolero stopped playing in his head, and his brain was threatening to play boss music.

He pointed to himself, as if offended. "A kitten."

"Forget it," she said. "Guess I'll keep you alive for now."

Sam smiled back. "I'll keep you alive, forever."

Her cheeks grew even redder. Hold on, she seemed to be in heat, and her gaze appeared gentler.

She took a deep breath. "You can go home. I'll call you later."

"No report?" he asked.

"Take a break first," she gestured towards the door. "I need some time alone."

"As you say." Sam left through the door. Then he stopped and turned his head. "Boss."

"What?" She asked.

"Can we make a deal where you control the digits in my bank account? Like, I only need you to add three zeros."

Makima's lips briefly curled upward before returning to a stoic expression. Staring at him, she said, "Close the door behind."

Sam began closing the door, feeling disappointed. 'Guess I need to go with my plan B. Scam someone else. It's the 2000s. Onlyfans wouldn't work.'

'But I'm certain being a motivational speaker is the deal these days. All I have to do is bring a microphone, tell a fake story, and say "shoot for the Moon, and you'll get the stars" and other cliches. If they fail, they'll believe it's on them.'

'Seriously, the only thing these motivational speakers succeed at is motivational speaking. Other than that, they are failures, like me. I can make more money than them. I can claim that some words I repeated before going to bed were the reason I became a successful devil hunter. Of course, I'd say it took me a year to repeat them without missing a day. Smart people won't fall for that, but the stupid would.'

"What are you up to?" Makima asked before he could close the door. "Your heart beating rate. I heard it before when I was watching over you. What's the trick." 

"I'll expand my bank account my own way," Sam said firmly. "Believe it." Then he closed the door and left. 'Hold the fuck up. How many times did she spy on me?'