“Agreed,” Catriona said, joining the conversation. “I say we go with the plan as it stands. If Jennifer wants to peek out of the window and assess the situation from inside the house with guards on her, then I say that’s acceptable.”
“It’s a fine compromise,” Tim added. “Personally, I don’t want her anywhere near the zombies, but I also trust my child’s gift.”
“Thanks, Pappy,” she said.
“Welcome, daughter,” he replied.
“I’m feelin’ gassy,” Candy Vargo said, slapping her ass. “The explosions have stopped. It’s time for part two of this shitshow.”
“Part two?” one of the Demons asked.
“Yeppers,” Tim said. “This is the part where we stand on the porch, they tell us to hand over Alana Catherine, Shitty Ritchie and Jennifer, we say no, and then the bloodbath begins.”
“Got it,” the Demon said with a curt nod.
“Excellent.” Gideon was all business. “Daisy, Candy Vargo, Charlie, and I will go to the porch and converse with the abominations. Tim and Zander, along with seven of the Demon army, go out to the back door, and position yourselves on the right side of the house. Be ready to attack on my command. Heather, Catriona and the remaining Demons will make the same moves, but from the back left side of the house. Are we clear?”
A chorus of yesses answered back.
“On three,” he said. “One, two…”
The frantic knocking at the door stopped us all in our tracks.
“Umm… this ain’t the way it went last time,” Candy Vargo said with the machine gun aimed at the door.
“Jennifer!” a familiar voice shouted from out of the porch. “Baby, are you in there? Open up. Somethin’ bad is happening. Explosions and some real bad people are here. They don’t look human. Open up.”
“It’s Dip,” Jennifer cried out.
“FUCK,” Candy shouted. “Is it Dip? Are we sure about that? Or is it the Higher Fucker disguised as Dip?”
“Change of plans,” Gideon snapped, ready to blow. He ran his hands through his hair. Fury and frustration written all over his face. “Jennifer, tell me something about Dip that no one else could possibly know.”
“A physical marking or a secret?” she asked, starting to cry.
“Either,” Gideon barked. “No, both. This is life or death, so be very specific.”
“He has three nipples. Two on the left, and one on the right. The third nipple is tiny, but it’s there. And umm… he secretlywatches reruns ofLittle House on the Prairie. I caught him once, and now we watch it together. He made me swear on my wine that I would never tell.”
Gideon inhaled, then blew it out. “I’m bringing him in. If it’s Dip, then we’ll wipe his mind when this is over. If it’s not, we kill him. Let him in,” Gideon told me flatly. “And he better have three fucking nipples.”
I could barely breathe. The luck I’d hoped was on our side was wavering. Hell, I was wavering. This day was going south fast, and I worried that we wouldn’t be able to keep all our people safe. I couldn’t afford to think that way.
Instead, I pushed aside my fear and reached for the handle.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
My fingers were sparking dangerously,and I was fully aware that my eyes were blazing Angel gold. The entire area was awash in the color. My gut told me it was the real Dip Doody behind the door, and I was about to freak him the hell out. I wasn’t sure what Gideon had in mind, but it wasn’t going to be good for Dip’s mental state or self-esteem.
The sheriff would be armed. As a cop, he always carried his weapon, but his bullets wouldn’t kill us. The only person who was at risk of dying from a gunshot wound was June, and she was covered like white on rice.
Jegguthiz had stepped up beside Jennifer. Earlier, I thought he was slightly cute when he smiled. He wasn’t smiling now. And he wasn’t cute. He was freaking terrifying. With his eyes narrowed to slits and his hulking body ready to attack, he was scary personified.
“I’ll know. I’ll know if it’s him,” Jennifer said as I wrapped my hand around the knob. “I’ll be able to see.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Charlie told her. “Give it a shot, but we’re not going on just that.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked in a shaky voice.
