Demon King Series Books II & III

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ian Crawford watched Holly leave the McDonalds. She reminded him of an old tabby cat he used to own named Bootsie. Bootsie was skittish around people and always hid under the family's sofa. Ian had watched Vincent McDaniels push Holly around and he wondered if she had ever stood up for herself...or to anyone. Ian grimaced as he thought of his old cat. Bootsie had been mauled by some stray dogs after she ran out of Ian's house one day. He hoped Holly had a better future than his cat.

Thinking back to Vincent, he could understand why the author was considered intimidating. He oozed an irresistible charm but he also had this condescending attitude which had the propensity to make everyone around him feel inferior. Initially, Ian had refused to sign on to Raising the Demon King because he was wanted to sign up for a movie where he would be the sole starring force.

Vincent McDaniels was fast becoming a household name again due to the popularity of his book and the upcoming film. All of the scandal that was surrounding the film was also making him more popular. At times Ian felt as though Vincent was the real star of the film and this bothered him.

Ian thought of Eva Lewis, the reporter from the press conference. She was the only person that didn't seem concerned about how Vincent saw her. She pressed forward with her questions, despite igniting Vincent's ire. Ian smiled. Eva may prove to be useful in the future.

Vincent's Apartment

He was about to take a shower when his doorbell rang. Vincent sighed as he looked through the peephole.

"Damn," he cursed as he ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't the type to pretend he wasn't home just to avoid seeing someone he didn't want to see. He opened the door to Samantha Landers, the widow of Kevin Landers. Kevin had been a good friend to Vincent's son Tom. He was now known to have been a supposed accomplice to the Demon King and took his own life before the police found out.

She was holding a large box with the word, "Vincent," written on it.

"Samantha, what brings you here?" Vincent asked the woman who had bags under her eyes and a scowl on her face.

"I'm sorry to bother you Vincent. I was finally cleaning out Kevin's things and some of them had to do with you. I didn't want to throw them out but I can't keep them...so here I am."

Vincent nodded, "I understand. Come in."

She came in and he noticed immediately that she had lost weight since he had last seen her at her husband's funeral. He couldn't understand why she was still grieving.

"So how are you holding up Samantha?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm coping. I see a therapist."

"That's good," Vincent said absently at the freely given information that most people wouldn't share.

"Anyway, the box just has a bunch of pictures of Kevin, Tom, and you. A couple of books that you autographed to him. I thought you would want the photos. Especially the ones that had your son Tom."

Vincent nodded, "Thank you Samantha. That's very sweet of you."

She was like a lifeless zombie to Vincent. She gave a half-smile and said, "He would've liked you to have them."

"Are you sure you're okay Samantha?"

"I'm fine. I guess it's still a shock to me that Kevin took his own life and that he was helping the Demon King. I still can't believe it."

"Yes, I'm still shocked by everything that's happened," Vincent looked at the clock on the wall and wondered where Holly was at with his coffee.

"Thank you Vincent. I really appreciate everything you've done. Helping with the funeral costs and all that. It was a big help."