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Two days later, Harper was back in Blitzø's office. Blitzø sat bolt upright in his seat, a wide grin on his face as he watched the Overlord inspect the stack of gruesome photographs in his lap. Harper's face was unreadable, and he made no comment as he flipped through each one in turn.

Finally, he shuffled the stack neat and placed them in the open folder on Blitzø's desk. "Excellent work," he said, "Your team has a talent for disguising a murder scene as one of an animal attack."

"Do ho ho ho, shucks," Blitzø bashfully laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I hope that this sends those pricks the message you want."

"I'm confident it will," said Harper with a cold smile. "Your team has great potential, and you can be sure I will be back with more work for you. Keep up the exceptional work, and the jobs will become bigger, as will the pay."

"Fan-fucking-tastic, Mr. Harper," Blitzø chirped in earnest, "You are an absolute gentleman, and we are hyped to kill for you again." He got up and rounded his desk to shake Harper's hand perhaps a little too vigorously.

"Likewise, Mr. Blitzø," said Harper. Their eyes locked as they shook hands. Once again, the dragon analyzed the imp. The unrestrained joy on his face suggested that he'd never had a client as important or well-paying as Harper. His crude conversational skills further suggested that Blitzø was becoming more at ease in this business relationship. That was good. Fear and intimidation were potent tools, but could adversely impact the quality of a minion's work. That was something else Harper had learned through many years of experience in life and afterwards.

Harper got up and released Blitzø's hand, then took a moment to smooth out the front of his suit. "Now, if there is nothing further for us to discuss at this time, I will take my leave. Drek has your cell number, and will arrange further appointments with you moving forward."

"Wait wait wait!" Blitzø exclaimed, "The team's gonna have a little celebration on another job well done. Millie and Moxxie baked a cake. Ya wanna join us?"

Harper regarded the cheerful imp for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Very well. I can afford to stay a few minutes to enjoy some refreshment."

Blitzø clapped his hands then went to open the office door for Harper. The dragon demon strode through and approached his valet, who had taken up his usual post at the front door.

"Just a few more minutes, Drek," he said, "Our hired help has invited us to have cake."

"A kind offer, sir," said Drek, "But I will wait here. My diet doesn't allow for sweets."

Harper nodded, then turned to follow Blitzø down the hall to the company's conference room. True to Blitzø's word, Millie and Moxxie had brought a colorful sheetcake, which now took up the center of the table. A few streamers had been hung from the ceilings, and paper party hats nestled between both Millie and Moxxie's horns.

"Mr. Harper!" Millie exclaimed, "Glad you could join us." She hopped down from her chair and ran up to shake his hand. Harper took her hand in his and gave it a modest squeeze. Her husband remained at the table, giving a wary side eye to the Overlord.

"Wouldn't be right if our latest client missed out on the cake. We can cut it now that everyone's here! Well, almost everyone." Millie directed her attention to the door on the opposite side of the room. Something furry and gray disappeared behind the frame.

"Hmm, perhaps Miss Loona does not care for cake?" Harper offered.

"Naw, she loves cake. It's just, you know..." Millie gestured vaguely at the dragon.

Harper chuckled. "Ah yes, I imagine I gave all of you a fright with my little 'demonstration' earlier in the week. You were not in the room, but before that I gave her a stern talking to about her phone etiquette."

Millie looked thoughtful as she put her hands on her hips. "Well golly! That explains a lot. Loona's been awful subdued lately. And she's been super polite when taking calls. I don't think she's hung up on or swore at anyone who's called all week."

The Overlord grinned. "That's fantastic news! I'm confident she will keep it up." He looked up and called out to the hallway "Keep up the great work, Miss Loona. You will be Employee of the Month before you know it!"

Millie only chuckled, then led Harper over to the cake. "Here, would you like to do the honors, sir?" Both Harper and Blitzø reached for the cake knife, then exchanged an awkward glance as their fingers grazed each other's. "I meant Mr. Harper," Millie quickly added. Blitzø was quick to step back while the dragon demon took the knife.

In less than a minute, imps and Overlord were savoring a small paper plate with a neat square of marble cake. The tiny plastic spork looked and felt rather silly between Harper's large fingers, but he made do. In the meantime, he didn't participate much in the small talk. Instead, he observed how the three imps interacted with each other. For all the barbs that Blitzø and Moxxie exchanged, there was still a tight-knit feeling among the three assassins. Whether that left Loona as the odd dog out remained to be seen.

---

Though Harper declined a second slice, he did offer his compliments to the bakers. Once he and Drek were back in the limo and on their way back to his estate, he allowed himself to relax. "They certainly are a lively bunch, aren't they?" he said.

"Indeed," Drek replied, "and that's what concerns me about them." The imp looked up at his employer. "I fear that you might be too trusting. You've seen for yourself what they are. Four outcasts operating out of a seedy rented office. Your payment to them is likely the most money they've ever earned at once, and if they aren't out of business in the next month, it will be an unholy miracle."

Harper leaned forward, his fingers steepled in his lap. "That is a valid concern, and just about any casual observer would come to the same conclusion as you. But if there is one thing I learned in my centuries of business, it's that you cannot overlook piles of coal lest you miss the diamond buried within.

"I looked closer, Drek, as I always do. Do you know what I see? I see a man with a passion for what he does, even if he has no sense of business. I also see a tight-knit family with a talent for killing, as well as access to the Living World." Harper took the photographs out of his jacket and handed them to Drek. "Can you name any other firm in Hell that offers a service like theirs? This is an exclusive find, and one that will be a boon to Hellfire Industries. More dead mortals means more Sinners in Hell, and more Sinners means we will be able to replace those lost in the annual exterminations."

Drek glanced through the photos of I.M.P.'s work as Harper continued. "The time and place I entered business was a time when ambitious men took great risks. Some lost everything in the process. Others - such as myself - reaped a fortune and built empires that spanned the mortal Earth.

"We gain nothing for ourselves if we do not take risks, Drek. I have confidence that we have found a diamond among coals. Of course, I am no fool; I will continue to test them through the work I offer. If I am correct, then I.M.P. will become a valuable asset in the coming years, provided they and their owner are given proper guidance." Harper concluded by leaning back in his seat.

His valet slouched and sighed. "You may be correct, sir. I will withhold further judgement until they have completed more contracts from us."

"Splendid!" Harper rumbled happily, "Even if I.M.P. fails in the next few months, the risk we are taking is low. The money I am paying them is but a tiny fraction of my personal wealth. The serious spending will begin only once I am satisfied that my optimism in these imps is well-placed."

The limo pulled up underneath the porte-cochère of Harper's mansion, and Harper wasted no time in getting out and heading upstairs to his office. "Is my schedule clear this evening?" he asked Drek.

"For the next two hours, sir," replied the valet.

"Good. I will use this time to draft some additional contracts for our new 'friends,' to be issued as I see fit. Please hold my calls until I am finished." With that, the Overlord swept into his office and shut the door.