Page 95 of The Sinner and the Gunslinger
Fuck. I don’t have time to deal with this now.
“But where is he?”
He searches behind him, down the hill, and points. “There.”
For some reason, Flauros also takes his time walking up the path. Why are they so confident?
A sharp, whistled tune catches on the wind. Asmodeus is in the graveyard, kicking over headstones, having the time of his life.
The crypt isn’t there, dickhead.It’s in the church.
“Did you know,” Asmodeus shouts at me, “that he’s been lying to you from the start?”
I glance over my shoulder, wondering who he’s talking about. I feel sick when my eyes land on Zeke’s pale face. That guilt flashes again in his eyes.
Not now.
I start walking toward the church, refusing to acknowledge Asmodeus’s words. One purpose fills my brain.Get the gun. But Asmodeus teleports to block me. He slides his hands into his suit pockets and looks down his nose at me with black eyes. His slicked black hair barely moves in the breeze. A slow smile curves up his handsome face.
“Did you know?” he repeats.
“You’ll have to be more specific.” I sidestep.
He blocks. “Oh, darling. That can be arranged.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to control my temper. Letting it out now will only cause trouble. Asmodeus gestures at Flauros. The fire demon tosses something Asmodeus plucks out of the air with finesse. When he turns it to his face and stares, I realize he’s holding Zeke’s phone.
“Do I need to embarrass you with the proof, Gunslinger?” Asmodeus squints as he taps the screen. His forked tongue pokes from his lip as he concentrates on making the phone bend to his will. “I must admit, these little shiny bricks are clever. Just need to remember how to get to the—oh yes. There it is.”
“Leila, it’s not what you think.” Zeke stalks toward me in my periphery. He should be shooting these demons between the eyes, but he’s looking at me with barely veiled fear.
His expression tips me over the edge of paranoia. “What’s he talking about, Zeke?”
He tries to answer, but Flauros covers Zeke’s mouth with his big, meaty paw.
“Aw, come on.” Asmodeus scowls at Flauros. “Let the man speak.”
Flauros resists complying. Asmodeus’s black eyes narrow to slits. Tension thickens the atmosphere. I was right. Flauros is under Lilith’s orders. Asmodeus senses something off but impatiently shows me the cell phone.
“He’s lying about why he’s with you. You see, the prophecy not only needs Sinners toworkwith Saints, but for members of each team to fall in love. Well, that’s the inference your friends have made. See for yourself.”
My gaze dips to the text message conversation between Wes and Zeke. It’s dated from last night... before we made love. Every word I read stabs a knife into my heart and then repeats it in my back.
Wes asks:
Has everything gone according to plan? Have you kissed and made up? Give me the details.
Sorry, mate. Thea stole my phone. I don’t need details. But if the cracks are bigger, we need to know. It’s imperative you take advantage of this situation with Leila.
“Gotta love that word choice.” Asmodeus points to the message. “Situation. They think you’re asituationthat needs to be taken advantage of.”
I’m cold. Numb. My brain isn’t working. Nothing flows but Asmodeus’s words. Is it true? I’m right about Lilith and Flauros... was I right about Zeke abandoning me because he was annoyed to have a little girl hanging off his every word? Am I a situation to be taken advantage of? Or is this all wrong?
“Is this fake?”
“Oh, it’s not fake. Believe me.” Asmodeus is smug as he tosses the phone to Zeke.
Flauros lets go. Zeke catches the phone but doesn’t look at it. His hazel eyes plead with me. Guilty.
