breath. “What are gee-gnomes?”
“Dante knows,” I told her. “And that’s all that’s important right now.” Turning back to Dante, I pleaded, “Don’t do this to her. I’ll stay here with Shannon. Please?”
Dante gave me a look that was hard to interpret, but I don’t think he was pleased. He tended to be a very by-the-book guy most of the time. His honesty and trustworthiness were two of his many good points. A tiny voice at the back of my mind wanted to know how I could be jealous of someone I trusted. I stomped it down; I was busy.
“Remember what you said to me, Dante. The thing with Hell is you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.”
Dante’s stern look grew fuzzy around the edges just as his whole body had when he’d become corporeal. He couldn’t hold it any longer and he started to laugh. “Okay, Kirsty. We’ll see this through. But only another forty-eight hours.” He lowered his voice. “She’s starting to fade.” He gestured toward Shannon. “And so are we.” He held out his hand like you do when you want to see if you’ve got the shakes, but it didn’t look much different than usual.
I held out my own, squinting at it. Had it always been a little blurry around the cuticles or did I need glasses? Or a manicure. I thrust my hand in my robe pocket and decided not to think about it. A lot could happen in forty-eight hours.
Suddenly the lights came on. Wake-up call in cell block B.
Conrad mumbled something about rising and shining.
The upper bunk creaked and Maddy landed on the cell floor with a thunk.
Chapter 11
Deus Ex-Girlfriend
“THAT’S IT. I can’t stand it anymore!” Maddy grabbed Conrad by his long brown hair, hauling him out of bed. She loomed over him, her free hand clenched. She shook with fury. “I’m closing your fuckin’ trap forever!”
Either Maddy telegraphed her punch or Shannon’s self-defense class kicked at her muscle memory, but no matter why, Conrad ducked. The momentum of Maddy’s onslaught threw her off balance. She released Shannon’s hair and grabbed the bedpost to steady herself.
“Ha!” Conrad taunted.
God, what an idiot.
Maddy recovered her balance, madder than ever, and tackled Conrad. He fell heavily to the floor, Maddy on top of him. Now she raised her fist again. He had no way of avoiding this blow.
But it never landed.
“Stop! Maddy! Shannon!” Theresa charged down the hall, radio already in hand. “Fight in cell block B. Need immediate assistance.”
Maddy lowered her fist, instead locking her hands around Conrad’s stolen throat.
Theresa panted to a halt at the cell door, swapping out the radio for the keycard. “Break it up, you two!”
Conrad tried to speak. Was he trying to beg for his life or to taunt Maddy again? He grated out nothing resembling words, scrabbling at Maddy’s hands ineffectively. Maddy’s grip tightened, her face twisted with as much evil as any demon I’d ever met.
Conrad’s face quickly turned bloated and red, a lot like his demonic form.
Shannon threw herself at her father’s attacker, but sailed through her harmlessly, bouncing along the cell floor, ending up with her head and shoulders thrust into the wall. Unlike Dante, she didn’t know the trick of becoming corporeal. I wasn’t sure she could even do it with her body still alive.
Theresa finally got the cell door open and dove into the fray, trying to yank Maddy off Conrad.
Maddy elbowed Theresa hard, sending her flying back toward the bunks. With a soft Oof , Theresa hit her head on the edge of the bunk and she flopped on the cold floor, unmoving.
Maddy flung herself on top of Theresa now, wrapping her big paws around the guard’s throat and squeezing hard enough to turn her own knuckles white. “I’ll kill you all!” she yelled, her face a sick mask of rage.
To my utter shock and amazement, Conrad recovered enough to leap onto Maddy’s back, trying to pull the blood-crazed inmate off her new victim.
“Dante knows,” I told her. “And that’s all that’s important right now.” Turning back to Dante, I pleaded, “Don’t do this to her. I’ll stay here with Shannon. Please?”
Dante gave me a look that was hard to interpret, but I don’t think he was pleased. He tended to be a very by-the-book guy most of the time. His honesty and trustworthiness were two of his many good points. A tiny voice at the back of my mind wanted to know how I could be jealous of someone I trusted. I stomped it down; I was busy.
“Remember what you said to me, Dante. The thing with Hell is you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.”
Dante’s stern look grew fuzzy around the edges just as his whole body had when he’d become corporeal. He couldn’t hold it any longer and he started to laugh. “Okay, Kirsty. We’ll see this through. But only another forty-eight hours.” He lowered his voice. “She’s starting to fade.” He gestured toward Shannon. “And so are we.” He held out his hand like you do when you want to see if you’ve got the shakes, but it didn’t look much different than usual.
I held out my own, squinting at it. Had it always been a little blurry around the cuticles or did I need glasses? Or a manicure. I thrust my hand in my robe pocket and decided not to think about it. A lot could happen in forty-eight hours.
Suddenly the lights came on. Wake-up call in cell block B.
Conrad mumbled something about rising and shining.
The upper bunk creaked and Maddy landed on the cell floor with a thunk.
Chapter 11
Deus Ex-Girlfriend
“THAT’S IT. I can’t stand it anymore!” Maddy grabbed Conrad by his long brown hair, hauling him out of bed. She loomed over him, her free hand clenched. She shook with fury. “I’m closing your fuckin’ trap forever!”
Either Maddy telegraphed her punch or Shannon’s self-defense class kicked at her muscle memory, but no matter why, Conrad ducked. The momentum of Maddy’s onslaught threw her off balance. She released Shannon’s hair and grabbed the bedpost to steady herself.
“Ha!” Conrad taunted.
God, what an idiot.
Maddy recovered her balance, madder than ever, and tackled Conrad. He fell heavily to the floor, Maddy on top of him. Now she raised her fist again. He had no way of avoiding this blow.
But it never landed.
“Stop! Maddy! Shannon!” Theresa charged down the hall, radio already in hand. “Fight in cell block B. Need immediate assistance.”
Maddy lowered her fist, instead locking her hands around Conrad’s stolen throat.
Theresa panted to a halt at the cell door, swapping out the radio for the keycard. “Break it up, you two!”
Conrad tried to speak. Was he trying to beg for his life or to taunt Maddy again? He grated out nothing resembling words, scrabbling at Maddy’s hands ineffectively. Maddy’s grip tightened, her face twisted with as much evil as any demon I’d ever met.
Conrad’s face quickly turned bloated and red, a lot like his demonic form.
Shannon threw herself at her father’s attacker, but sailed through her harmlessly, bouncing along the cell floor, ending up with her head and shoulders thrust into the wall. Unlike Dante, she didn’t know the trick of becoming corporeal. I wasn’t sure she could even do it with her body still alive.
Theresa finally got the cell door open and dove into the fray, trying to yank Maddy off Conrad.
Maddy elbowed Theresa hard, sending her flying back toward the bunks. With a soft Oof , Theresa hit her head on the edge of the bunk and she flopped on the cold floor, unmoving.
Maddy flung herself on top of Theresa now, wrapping her big paws around the guard’s throat and squeezing hard enough to turn her own knuckles white. “I’ll kill you all!” she yelled, her face a sick mask of rage.
To my utter shock and amazement, Conrad recovered enough to leap onto Maddy’s back, trying to pull the blood-crazed inmate off her new victim.
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