Page 28 of Cheater Slicks

The only way to avoid a total disaster when we arrived home in Thunderbolt was to get ahead of this mess now.

“Sure thing.” Jean-Claude gestured her into the kitchen. “You like raw or waved over the flames?”

Hoping they meant steak and not people, I left him to handle that problem while I dialed Carter.

“You must be psychic.” She picked up on the first ring. “I was about to text you.”

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with your missing partner, would it?”

“Fucking hell, Frankie.” Carter growled a string of choice words. “What do you know about it?”

“Uh, well, you see…” I twirled my wrist, searching for the right combination of words to make Harrow’s situation sound better, but I came up empty. “He’s here. Anunit showed up, um, wearing him. But he’s fine. Totally fine. As soon as I figure out where to put her, I’ll get her out of him.”

“Is this a Matty-type situation?” She strove for calm. “Explain it to me.”

“A dead goddess took over his body, so that makes it a possession? I think? I’m not really sure.”

“Of course she did.” Her sigh whistled in my ear. “Update me when you get it sorted.”

Optimistic of her to assume I could sort it, but that was a problem for tomorrow’s Frankie.

“That went about as well as could be expected,” I reported to Kierce, who had probably overheard the highlights. “I don’t think she realized exactly how missing Harrow was until I told her he was here.”

“Poor guy.” Pascal snickered as he glanced toward the kitchen. “Karma is kicking his ass.”

“Josiedidpromise to make him regret ever meeting me, but that was years ago.” I drew a check mark in the air. “Still. Mission accomplished, I guess?”

Glee bright in his eyes, Pascal sneaked away to update Josie on the latest catastrophe to befall Harrow.

“Any idea who or what we can stick Anunit in for the time being?” I pivoted toward Kierce. “Do you think I can put her in an animal? That’s much less invasive than the alternative.” I dropped my arm. “But then it sounds like I’m okay with the loss of free will for nonhuman hosts, which I’m not, but?—”

Before I could get even more tongue-tied, Kierce pulled me against him. “I understand.”

“I’m glad one of us does.” I mashed my face into his shirt. “Nothing makes sense anymore.”

“I’m sorry.” He stroked down my spine, his gentle touch surer than it once was. “Gods thrive in chaos.”

“I’m starting to see that.” I let him hold me for a minute longer. “Even if they can’t feed on it like Ankou, I…” I let the thought drift, unfinished, wheels in my head turning. “Do you think he could be involved?”

Everywhere I turned lately, there was Ankou. Even banished from this realm, he crept into my dreams.

“The fear and grief from you and Josie alone would make a tempting meal for him.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“Bacchus, if that’s who we’re dealing with, has a long history of animosity with Ankou’s god. Ankou had a hand in killing one of Bacchus’s favorite lovers a few decades ago. As far as I know, Ankou hasn’t been to New Orleans since. He’s too afraid the god will kill him or that someone will cash in on the bounty on his head. He’s worth his weight in gold bars.”

If a god was responsible for the parade, hope for a quick resolution fizzled. “I’ll add that to my mental list of reasons why moving to New Orleans isn’t a terrible idea.”

To be free of Ankou? That would be worth starting over from scratch.

But I had a funny feeling he would find workarounds to get to me.

Kierce withdrew to stare down at me, his eyes the soft gray of rolling fog. “Is that a possibility?”

Drawn from my thoughts, I admitted, “It’s always been my contingency plan.”

That didn’t mean I wanted to leave Thunderbolt. I would miss Bonaventure like a phantom limb. Plus, the loss of the business, particularly theotherfamily business, and our home. No. I didn’t want to leave Georgia. But I had to keep my options open in order to protect my family. Not that I was doing a great job of it lately.

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