Angel of Chaos (Imp Book 6) by Debra Dunbar

someone followed him to my house, or noticed him slipping out of Aaru.”
    “Would he have told anyone?” I was grasping at straws. “He wanted you to give the child up. What better way than having an angel show up with abortion on his mind to convince you that the baby needed to be elsewhere for its safety?”
    She shook her head. “I can’t see that. He wouldn’t risk the child to scare me into compliance. And I doubt he’d trust any angel with his secret.”
    So that left some mysterious angel that followed him, suspected him. Or Gregory.
    “There’s always the possibility that someone saw Harper and told.” Nyalla wrinkled her nose in thought. “I don’t think any of my friends who’ve seen Harper, or the delivery guys, would have connections in Aaru. Were there any demon or angel messengers that have been by in the last week? Would they perhaps have sensed Harper’s pregnancy somehow?”
    I shook my head. There hadn’t been a demon over from Hel since before Harper arrived, and the only angelic visitors I’d had were Gregory and Raphael. Rafi hadn’t even entered the house. There’s no way he could have sensed Harper.
    “We’ll just need to be on guard. I don’t know if our captive angel told anyone else about Harper’s location. I don’t know who he works for. I don’t even know which choir he’s with.”
    “Are we going to interrogate him?” Nyalla looked uneasy at the prospect.
    “ I’m going to interrogate him. You’re both going to stay here in the house with Boomer by your side.”
    As stinky as my hellhound was, I knew he’d defend both girls to the death — especially Nyalla. There were going to be times when I would need to be away, and I hated leaving them vulnerable. I’d need to make some sort of arrangements for their protection for those occasions when I was locked up in Aaru, or in a Ruling Council meeting, or at the gym.
    I made one quick detour to call Dar before heading out to chat with the suspended angel. The elven net with its contents still swung side–to–side, with more movement than the slight breeze would warrant.
    “I’m back,” I announced.
    “Oh, my heart sings with joy.”
    Dude had a sense of humor. I stared up at him, wondering what to do. I couldn’t risk cutting him down and releasing him from the net, but up there I couldn’t see his expression or his reactions to my questions.
    “I’m a bit insulted you came alone. I’d always assumed if angels were going to attack the Iblis, they’d raise an army. Instead they send one of you? Shit, I need to step up my game a bit.”
    He didn’t rise to the bait. “Why won’t you just hand her over? Let me down and give me the human. I assure you, no harm will come to her. She won’t even remember any of this. It’s the kindest thing to do — to leave no trace, no memory of our interference in her life.”
    Kind? He was appealing to my kindness? “No way, Jack. I’m hanging onto her until she has this baby. A half–angel in my household? Totally rocking. Plus I can blackmail the father, and rub the noses of all those Ruling Council assholes in it every meeting. I may just take to hauling the kid around with me to piss them off.”
    I heard him sigh. “Right. You’re seriously going to raise a baby. It’ll be dead in two days with you as a foster parent.”
    He had a point. I had no fucking idea how to raise a child — human or otherwise.
    “If it’s blackmail and proof of hypocrisy you want, you’ve got it. Let me down. Let me do my job, and I’ll give you the Nephilim’s body. It would be far easier to carry around a corpse, and you could still shock everyone at the next Ruling Council meeting.”
    “Nah. A live baby would create so much more of a ruckus than a dead one. And you look very nice hanging outside my barn door.”
    The bag jerked and danced. I eyed the rope, wondering if I should reinforce it.
    “I’m not the only Hunter,” he thundered. “There will be another on the