“Do what ya have to do to pay off yer debt with Heaven,’ he said, his concern for proper speech abandoned. ‘But ya do not die on me, ya understand? I can’t live without ya. Yer all I got, woman.’ Her breath caught in her lungs. ‘I don’t want to be here if you’re not.”
“Beck must have seen how frightened she was because his expression softened. He leaned close, and whispered, “Do ya trust me, Riley?”
Tears built in her eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered, trembling in fear. Always.
“Then it'll be all right,” he replied. Beck gently placed a kiss on her forehead.”
“Were ya really tryin' to stab that demon in the ass?”
Riley groaned. “No, I was aiming for its leg, and it moved. I looked like a total dork.”
Not to me.”
“Peter pushed off from the roof and stalked a few feet away, his back to her. “Please tell me this is all some kind of a sick joke.”
“It’s the truth. All of it. That’s why hunters are after me.”
“How did they find out?” Peter asked, swiveling toward her now.
“I think Beck ratted me out. I went to his house this morning and told him what had happened. He was furious, Peter. I’ve never seen anyone that angry.”
“Duh! Now there’s a surprise,” her friend replied sarcastically. “I saw the way he looked at you at your dad’s funeral. Of course he’d be mad. You’re about the only one on the planet who doesn’t realize how he feels about you.”
“He never said anything,” she retorted.
“Hey, we guys don’t blurt out that kind of stuff,” he replied. “It’s against the man code. Beck may never have said how he felt, but everything he did for you should have been a big clue. I mean, come on, how slow are you?”
She glowered at her friend. “I figured he was doing it because of my father.”
“Maybe, but the guy is really into you, Riley.”
“No way. If he’d liked me, he wouldn’t have blown me off and—”
“Ancient history, girl!” he countered. “You were, what, fifteen? Your dad would have torn him apart if he’d touched you. Beck had no other choice.”
“He didn’t have to be so mean.”
“God, will you listen to yourself?” Peter retorted.
“You have no idea how much he hurt me,” she shot back.
“Give it up, will you? You’re my best friend, but you can be a real self-centered asshat sometimes.”
“Paul sold his soul for you, didn’t he?’ Riley turned towards him, astonished, ‘How did you know?’ Beck adjusted the blanket again. ‘I just figured it out. That’s what a man should do for his daughter. Or his woman.’ He looked her straight in the eyes. ‘I’d do it for you if it kept ya safe,’ he said tenderly. He’d go to Hell for me. In that instant, Riley knew she’d do the same for him.”
“Don't start,” he warned.
“What?” she said, grinning. “I'm sure all the big, bad trappers have a bun-bun in their houses.”
“I’m not going to faint at the sight of your butt,’ she said. ‘Ya might, and I don’t want that on my conscience,’ he said, tossing the jeans aside.”
“Do not get yourself arrested, you hear?” she urged. “I am not going to bail your butt out of jail, mister.”
“Now who's goin' all old geezer, huh?” He snorted. “I'm gonna get drunk and pass out on my bed at home. Haven't done that for so long I can't remember.”
“Probably a reason for that, Beck. You're killing brain cells, and you don't have that many to spare.”
“Beck finished his call. Once he was paying attention again, she pointed downward with the pipe. Peering over the edge of the building, he blinked at the sight, then grinned.
“Good job. Remind me not to piss ya off. Ya might think of usin' that on me sometime.”
“So tempting,” she said. Except I'd aim for your knees. Your head's too hard.”
“I’m home. Ya happy now?’ Beck’s gravelly voice demanded. ‘Yes, I am.’ ‘Yer’ treatin’ me like i’m some idiot kid,’ he complained. ‘Gee, I wonder where I learned that?’ He hung up on her.”
“Yes!’ Beck crowed, pumping his fist into the air. ‘That rocks!’ Then he charged off in search of another Three to decapitate. Riley sighed to herself. ‘I’ve created a monster.”
“A soul is forged in the fires of adversity, not comfort.”
“I should go. Stewart’s waitin’ for me. Says he wants to teach me how to use a sword properly.’ Riley hooted. ‘Can I watch? This should be totally hilarious.’ ‘Ya’ve got no respect woman.’ Beck retorted. After the door closed behind him she realized what he’d said. ‘Woman?’ He wasn’t calling her girl any longer.”
“It was the kiss of a man who had waited years for the moment, and feared that it would never come again.”
“No more messing around with Hell. They play for keeps.’ ‘So does Heaven.”
“So what did you bring? Lip gloss and a hairbrush?”
Smirking, she unpacked the sandwiches Mort's cook had made for her, along with an ample slice of chocolate cake. “You owe me an apology.”
“Omigod, it's a feast! Okay, you're forgiven.”
“What would you pack for Armageddon? Sunscreen and shades? Flame-proof underwear? Maybe a travel guide to the Underworld?”
“Ya've got no respect, woman," Beck retorted. After the door closed behind him she realized what he'd said.
"Woman?" He wasn't calling her girl any longer.
If that wasn't a sign the world was ending, what other proof did she need?”
“That was a kiss for the record books.”
“What was the point of a sacrifice if it wasn't meant for the ones you loved?”
“I thought he worked for Heaven.' I thought I was in love.”
“It wasn't a good sign when a dead guy said you looked bad.”
“Though she really wanted to do a fist pump, Riley forced herself to behave.”
“When she reached the last step, Beck glowered at her like a constipated gargoyle. The”
“He’d always said that a life was like a book, line by line written as each day passed. Once those lines were on the page, they couldn’t be changed. So”
“Destroying hope is a critically important project. And when it is achieved, formal democracy is allowed—even preferred, if only for public relation purposes. In more honest circles, much of this is conceded. Of course, it is understood much more profoundly by beasts in men's shapes who endure the consequences of challenging the imperatives of stability and order.”
“He was holding his breath so as not to inhale the odor of democracy.”
“I went to the door, and Gary tried hard not to notice I was blue. He looked at his feet, and he looked above my head, and he cleared his throat.
It's okay,' I said. 'I know I'm blue.'
It caught me by surprise,' he said. 'I didn't want to seem rude.”
“There are some things that are neither right nor wrong. You can’t have rules laid down for. Would you understand that?” “Yes,” Clare said immediately, “I would. Like the Holy Ghost.” “Like what?” “Like the Holy Ghost. We have to believe in Him without understanding Him. He’s not a bird and He’s not a great wind. He’s something though, and that should be enough without understanding it.” “I don’t think that’s the same at all,” said Agnes, troubled. “But if it helps you to understand the problems of trade in a small town, then for heaven’s sake, use”
“Perhaps it is the setting; rules tend to reduce their grip when you cross borders.”
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