I don’t have to look up, I can feel Simon’s glare. With another angry curse, he snatches his phone off of the desk and types something in quickly one-handed.
There must be little or no delay with the live feed because once Simon stops typing the man in the car glances to the side, towards his phone on the middle console.
I watch him mouth Simon’s name, scowl, and turn his attention back to the windshield.
“Looks like he’s ignoring you…” I can’t stop myself from chuckling.
“Yes, I can see that, princess,” Simon hisses.
Oh, he called me princess again. He must really be pissed.
“Just call him.”
“No,” Simon growls, but he dials a number and presses his phone to his ear.
I hear a deep, rumbling voice bark something on the other line.
“Johnathan,” Simon says with undisguised annoyance. “James is about to do something stupid. I need you to get over to GCC’s campus and—”
The deep rumbling voice cuts Simon off before he can finish. Simon sucks in a harsh breath and his entire body tenses beneath me.
“Look, you knuckle-dragging Neanderthal,” Simon seethes from between his teeth. “I don’t care about some stupid curse—”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Simon pull his phone away from his ear and glare down at it.
“He hung up on you?” I guess.
“Yes,” Simon snaps.
“I don’t think the men respect you, Simon,” I snicker.
Simon growls and movement on the screen draws my attention. James is unbuckling his seatbelt.
“Oh, I think he’s going to get out of the car!” I say cheerfully.
“Goddammit,” Simon curses. “I don’t need this shit right now. With everything else going on…”
I don’t know why I feel bad for Simon, but I do, and I feel the need to help. “Dial him and give me the phone.”
Simon snorts.
James starts to pull open the door of his car.
“Okay. Don’t do it. Do you have any popcorn around here? This should be interesting…”
“Fuck,” Simon grumbles, and his thumb dances across the phone before he shoves it in my face.
I accept the phone happily and watch as James freezes with one leg out of his car and glances towards his phone.
He scowls again, and I’m afraid he’s going to ignore my call, but he must think better of it. Snatching his phone off the console, he jerks it up to his ear as he exits his car.
“What the fuck do you want, Simon?”
“Hello, James…” I smile and purr out in my most seductive tone.
Simon’s arm tightens around my midsection. He definitely didn’t like that, but this is all about diplomacy. Something he clearly lacks and doesn’t understand.
James’s brows furrow together in confusion and he pulls the phone away from his ear, double-checking the screen, before he asks. “Who’s this?”
“Meredith, Lucifer’s sister,” I say, my smile sharpening into a smirk.
It’s been years since I’ve thrown Matthew’s name around, and yet I still experience that old, familiar satisfaction over how just invoking it and my connection to it causes the recipient to react.
James’s eyes widen and his entire body stiffens.
Splendid, I’ve got him exactly where I want him.
“It looks like you’re having a rough day…”
James’s snorts. “You can say that again.”
“And you’re about to make a very poor decision. A decision you will regret.”
James’s eyes dart around and he turns in a small circle. “How do you know?”
“Simon has eyes everywhere,” I say elusively. No point giving away the secret. In fact, it’s best he believes the worst.
“Fucking Spider,” he mutters.
“You can say that again,” I sigh heavily, hoping to evoke feelings of camaraderie.
James grins. I guess it worked.
He leans against the side of his car. “You know, when I stopped by his place this morning to drop off your boxes, he was wearing dress shoes without socks. I’ve never seen the uptight fucker with a hair out of place, let alone missing a piece of his wardrobe. Your doing?”
“Oh, yes,” I confirm almost gleefully.
He laughs. “I hope you’re giving him hell.”
“Oh, I am,” I chuckle back.
James’s shoulders start to relax and I pounce. “Listen, James, things are very… chaotic right now for the family.”
Referring to Lucifer’s little criminal gang as a ‘family’ makes me want to puke a little in my mouth, but I know it’s one of the tactics he uses to ensure his minions are loyal and feel like they belong.
James sighs and nods his head. A good sign, so I go on.
“Now is the time for all of us to come together. To support each other. Whatever decision you’re about to make, whatever thing you’re about to do, will affect all of us.”
James takes a deep breath and pushes away from his car. I watch him glance towards the group of people who had crossed the intersection and now stand together, chatting on the curb of the sidewalk.
If I had to guess, I’d say he’s looking directly at the pretty, young blonde.