There’d been another little scuffle between Patti and John Gray when she came out to make dinner. She’d been upset when he insisted we order pizza rather than making her cook. The kitchen was a disaster. But pizza was a luxury we never splurged on. When he pointed out that she was being proud, she crossed her arms and pouted, telling him to go ahead and order the “stinkin’ pizza” then.
I had a good buzz going at that point, but when I started giggling at their silly spat, Patti’s narrowed glare cleared my head pretty fast.
Throughout the night my dad asked a lot of questions about my life. He wanted to know every detail about Jay and the four Neph I’d met. He was especially interested in Kopano’s story.
“I never would’ve guessed Alocer had a soft spot. Makes you wonder...”
“Kind of funny, huh?” I’d said in a slur. “Most people try to hide bad stuff they do, but the Dukes have to try to hide good stuff.”
During my last bathroom break of the night, he brought in a purple-and-black book bag from the trunk of the rental car. It still had the tags on it.
“For you girls.” He set the bag on the couch between Patti and me. “Please take it with no arguing. And listen up. Anna, you need a watch, and you need to change your look. I expect you to get on that right away.”
I nodded, barely able to keep my eyes open.
“One last thing. I don’t think you gals should go to church anymore.”
I’d never thought about that. There was so much about my normal, daily life that reeked of nondemon.
“We can just do our own little thing here together,” Patti assured me, rubbing my back. The whole night had been an eye-opener for the two of us. We needed to make changes in order to keep up my facade and fly under the demons’ radar.
“Open it.” He crossed his arms and assumed the bouncer pose, nodding down to the book bag.
I unzipped it and Patti and I bonked heads trying to see what was inside. Then we stared up at each other, our faces inches apart. It was filled with stacks of cash. I knew Patti’s thoughts when her aura grayed. This was drug money. Dirty money. Blood money. My father knew our thoughts, too.
“Regardless of where it came from, that money’s in your possession now, and all you can do is be good stewards with what you’ve been given. For starters, I recommend getting a fireproof safe. You’ll find a new cell phone in the side pouch. It’s got my number in it. Call me if you need me. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer, but if I don’t, and it’s an emergency, just text me A-nine-one-one. It means ‘Anna emergency.’ Don’t leave a voice message or any detailed texts.”
I stood up and hugged his solid body, resting my cheek on the soft leather of his jacket. He ran his hand down my hair like he had the night before.
“When will I see you again?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll be on the go. Do me another favor?”
I pulled away and looked up at him.
“Check out the other side pouch of your bag,” he said.
I dug my hand into the small spot and pulled out a key attached to a big black key chain with buttons for locking and unlocking doors. My head jerked up to see his serious expression. Patti covered her mouth, saying nothing.
“No more boys taking you on trips, you hear?” His voice was gravelly. “You can take your own self from now on. Last thing you need is some boy distracting you and making this whole situation even more complicated. Promise me you’ll stay away from that son of Pharzuph.”
I opened my mouth but the words stuck in my dry throat. Hot sweat beaded up on my forehead.
“I tried that once, John,” Patti warned him. “It didn’t work out so well for me.”
“Have you seen the way he looks at her?” He focused on Patti, but pointed at me.
“Yes, and I’ve seen the way she looks at him. Truthfully, I think they need each other.”
“Those two need each other like a bullet needs a target. Trust me. I’ve seen Nephilim kids killed for falling in love and letting it get in the way of their work.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry, because we’re not in love,” I chimed in. “He doesn’t like me like that.”
Dad puffed out a breath of air. “Well, he must feel something, ’cause he sure doesn’t want that other kid near you.”
“Is there someone else you’re interested in?” Patti asked.
I rolled my colors back up, tucked them inside, and yanked the barrier back into place. Then I entertained the image of Kopano’s sweet dimple for a brief second before pushing it away.
“I’m not ready to think about that,” I answered.
My father tilted his head up to the ceiling and pressed his giant hands to his face, muffling his speech. “I’m way too old for this.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BACK TO SCHOOL
When school started a week later, I knew it was going to be bad. Jay warned me that there’d been a lot of speculation and gossip over the summer about what happened between Scott and me at the party. But I had expected everyone to whisper behind my back at school. Not so much.