Free Mercy for the Wicked by Lisa Olsen

moment to get indignant, which was the wrong move to make.
    “We here at Eden respectfully reserve the right to tell you to go fuck yourself,” Parker waved him off.  “So go be a paying customer somewhere else.”
    Grateful for the vote of support, I let out a sigh of relief, noticing my hands were not only shaking, but emitting a faint glow.  Catching up a dishtowel, I covered them as best I could. 
    “Come on, babe, let’s get out of this dump.” Mitch grabbed Daphne’s arm, but she shrugged out of his hold, her eyes cold.
    “I don’t think so.  Find your own way home.”
    “Fine, I don’t need this,” he spat out, stalking towards the door.
    “Mercy, are you alright?”  Daphne’s concern was warming, but I was still shaky.
    “I need a five minute break, Parker.”  I didn’t wait for an answer, I was out from behind the bar like a shot. Daphne nearly crashed into the back of me when I stopped suddenly, realizing I couldn’t go out into the alley for a breath of fresh air, it wasn’t safe.  “I’m gonna use your office, okay?” I asked Parker on the way back.
    “Yeah, I’ll just do your job then, huh?” he muttered from behind the bar, but I wasn’t too worried about his nose being out of joint, he’d get over it.  Once I was back in his office, I let go of the dishtowel, glad to see my hands had stopped glowing, though they were still a little shaky. 
    “What was all that about?” Daphne asked, perching on the side of Parker’s desk while I paced back and forth. 
    “Where did you meet that guy?”
    “I met him at the Peet’s Coffee, he seemed sweet.  What did he do to you?”
    “You’ve never seen him before today?”  That fit with my theory that it could be Azazael looking for an in to my life. 
    “No, why?  What has you so freaked out?  Will you stop moving?  You’re making me dizzy.”  She grabbed me by the arms and I did as she asked, rolling my shoulders to try and let go of some of the tension. 
    “I think that might have been Azazael.”
    Daphne’s jaw dropped open, but God love her, she didn’t question my theory to start with.  “Holy cow, really?  What makes you think so?”
    “The second you left he started hitting on me,” I replied, quick to continue when her eyes started to roll. “No, I mean really obnoxious stuff, not the normal lines I get at work.  When he started talking about my thighs that’s when it hit me…  What if Azazael possessed that guy to try to get to me?  It sounds exactly like what Sam said he would try if the dreamland thing didn’t work.  What… do you think I’m overreacting?”
    “Maybe he was just a pig?  It does happen you know.”
    “But some of the things he said, they were just like the stuff Azazael was saying to me, that’s what made me think of him.  Either way, you definitely don’t want to see that guy again.  You didn’t give him your phone number, did you?”
    “No, he didn’t ask for my number.  He asked me out for a drink, so we came here.”
    Yet another reason in my favor, by my way of thinking.  The guy asked for my number inside of thirty seconds, why not ask for Daphne’s?  I know I have the angelic allure going on, but Daphne is really pretty on her own, with long blonde hair and a perpetual tan, she’s never been short on dates, no matter what she says.  “Promise me you won’t go picking up guys in coffee shops any time soon, okay?”
    “I don’t see why my dating life has to suck just because you’re demon bait,” she grumbled.
    “Be careful, that’s all I’m asking.”
    “You sound like my mother.” Her nose wrinkled with distaste and we shared a laugh.  I was feeling a lot better about the whole thing.  If that was Azazael’s best shot, he’d have to try a lot harder to get to me. 
    “I should get back before Parker gets into one of his moods.  Are you gonna stick around for a while or are you going home?” 
    “My night just opened up, so I’m