Amber fell asleep on the couch at about two in the morning, while the rest of us hammered out the details of my plan. Uncle Bob would need some time to get a team together for the big showdown, so we couldn’t implement it for another day, at least.
Cookie wanted to keep Amber home from school, but I convinced her we needed everything to look completely normal if we were going to lure this guy into a trap. That was when my IQ level, based on the elements of my plan, went from everyday smarty-pants to stone genius.
Of course, convincing a slave demon to go to a human high school, even for one day, could be difficult, but we only had six hours to find someone who could pass as a high school student and have the ability to protect Amber from pretty much any kind of attack. Too much red tape in getting an actual undercover cop, so a former slave demon it was.
And, after a careful examination of all the texts, the stalker didn’t seem to have any inherent celestial abilities, so he wouldn’t be able to detect that Amber’s new BFF was a supernatural entity.
Now to convince said supernatural entity.
After Uncle Bob scooped Amber into his arms and carried her back to their apartment as though she were as fragile as butterfly wings, Reyes and I threw on some clothes and headed over to Osh’s. Together. Like in the same vehicle.
I was a little surprised he was joining me. I should have been less surprised and more suspicious, however. He was a little too enthusiastic. A little too eager.
Thankfully, Osh was home. Always hoping for another meal, his front door wasn’t locked. Reyes didn’t knock. He walked in and went straight back to what I assumed was Osh’s bedroom.
I hurried after him.
Reyes opened the door to Osh’s room and turned on the light.
“Damn,” Osh said, covering his sleep-swollen eyes from the overhead light. “Could you take the brightness down a notch, love? You’ll wake the dead.”
“It doesn’t have a dimmer,” I said, looking for one on the light switch.
“I meant yours.”
“Oh.” I pulled my jacket tighter. “Sorry. I can’t really control that.”
I could tell Osh was on the defensive the minute we walked in. Could he sense Reyes’s mood, too?
Wearing only a pair of plaid pajama bottoms to bed, much like another supernatural being I knew, he kicked off a dark blue comforter and scooted up until he was using the headboard as a backrest.
Reyes was busy snooping. Like literally. Opening drawers and peeking inside. Lifting items off a dresser and examining them. Checking the closet and filtering through Osh’s clothes. It was all terribly rude.
“Mind telling me what Sherlock is up to?” Osh asked.
“Oh.” I waved the spousal unit off. “He’s just snooping. We’re here because we need you to go to high school tomorrow. As a student. To watch Amber.”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No. And really? High school? I’d have no idea how to act.”
“Please. You know more about humans than they know about themselves. But no snacking on any souls. They’re just kids.”
Osh let out a long sigh and scrubbed his face with his hands.
Reyes lifted a pair of pants that were crumpled on the floor, took out a wallet, and started going through it.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, mortified.
“Are you kidding me?” he said, looking at Reyes, who continued going through the contents of Osh’s wallet.
“Uncle Bob is getting it cleared with his captain as we speak, so it will kind of be an official APD operation. Just without the warrants and stuff. Hopefully, the school won’t make a fuss.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Go to her classes with her. Watch her back. Keep her safe. She’s being stalked.”
His gaze snapped from Reyes back to me. “Stalked? By whom?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out. But tomorrow’s Friday, and we need one more day to get a team prepped. Which means one more day everything has to appear normal. If she misses school, the stalker may know something is up.”
“Fine. I’ll do it, but I’m not doing homework.”
I laughed until Reyes opened up Osh’s nightstand and brought out a Playboy.
“The articles,” Osh said.
I rolled my eyes, then grew serious. “Did you see her again?”
He didn’t have to ask whom I meant. “I was on duty all day yesterday.”
I nodded, ignoring the cavernous ache in my heart.
“She’s amazing,” he added. “She’s smiling now. It’s lopsided, just like yours.”
I beamed at him.
Reyes did not.
“So, you’re better now?” Reyes asked.
Osh eyed him. “Right as rain.”
Reyes nodded and walked over to stare down at him. They’d been getting along so famously, until I told Reyes that Osh was destined to be in Beep’s life. That she would love him. That he would love her.
“Just remember,” Reyes said, “anything you do to my daughter, I do to you.”
“What?” Osh stared, aghast. “What the fuck are you talking about? I’m out there risking my life for her, and you—”
Reyes leaned closer, shutting Osh up, and whispered, “Anything.”