She and Candy Vargo had a special relationship. Candy, as the Keeper of Fate, had been aware of Cecily from the moment she’d been born and had watched over her from that day forward.
“Alrighty,” Candy said, rubbing her hands together. “Once it was revealed that Jennifer was the third of the Trinity, the Higher Power tried to off her. Almost fuckin’ succeeded.” Candy shook her head and adjusted her gauchos. “More shit happened in between that don’t really pertain, but so we don’t get busted for omittin’ I’m just gonna lay it all out.”
Cecily nodded at her to go on.
“Right. Tim happens to be Jennifer’s pappy. Wild because I thought it might be Elvis. Whatever. Old Timmy had donated some swimmers back in the day that resulted in Jennifer. Now that might not seem like a big hoodoo, but that’s why Jennifer didn’t die when Tom Hanks tried to off her.”
“Tom Hanks? The actor?” Cecily asked, confused.
“Nope. Fake Tom Hanks. We knew dang well we couldn’t off the Higher Power when the trinity wasn’t completely in place, so we picked a person for the Higher Fuckin’ Jackass to look like that would be real hard to decapitate.”
“Got it,” Cecily said. “I worked with the real Tom Hanks once, and he was genuinely the nicest guy.”
I’d forgotten Cecily was an actor. Still, it was nuts how quickly she got on board that there was a powerful being disguised as Tom Hanks to avoid decapitation. Immortals were open to stuff that would send a human to the loony house.
“Anyhoo,” Candy Vargo continued. “Jennifer lived and we were here protectin’ the Trinity until we could off Tom Hanks. Gram and Gramps got hitched which is why I’m dressed up then then Tom Hanks crashed the wedding.”
“When did this happen?” Abaddon asked.
“Last night,” I chimed in.
“Please tell me that you ended Tom Hanks,” Pandora said.
“Shitty Ritchie did,” Gideon confirmed. “He ate him.”
That caused a moment of silence.
Pandora was the first to recover. “Did he chew?”
I almost laughed. It would have come out like a scream, so I tamped it back. Of course, Pandora knew about the chewing as opposed to swallowing.
“Unclear,” Candy Vargo said.
Cecily looked a bit pale. She could join the party on that one. “So, if Shitty Ritchie ate Tom Hanks, what’s the issue? And where is the Trinity?”
“Bingo, motherfucker,” Candy said, giving Cecily a thumbs up. “Always said you were a smart badass.”
I stepped in and shared the rest of the ugly story. The Goddesses were not pleased. Neither Pandora nor Abaddon had ever heard that the Higher Power had originally been more than one being. The question was… had it? Was the abominationwho had shown up and taken Alana Catherine, Jennifer and Shitty Ritchie really part of the original Higher Power? Was the thing lying? Had it simply conjured itself to look like the Higher Power? Was the thing some kind of fail-safe that Tom Hanks had put in place if he was ever ended? Questions only brought up more questions. It was endless.
Then the most awful thought floated through my mind. Part of me hoped that Shitty Ritchie hadn’t chewed Tom Hanks into a gelatinous pulp. Tom Hanks might be the only one who knew the truth. Not that It would be willing to come clean, but…
I pushed that thought away. What ifs weren’t going to help us find my daughter, Jennifer and Shitty Ritchie.
“Plan?” Cecily asked, all business.
“We’re splitting up and searching,” Gideon told her. “Daisy, Tim, Candy Vargo and I are starting with the Higher Power’s plane. Charlie, Heather and the Demons are going to search elsewhere and suss out information.”
“We shall help,” Cecily said. “Abaddon, Pandora and I will amass an army and search as well.”
“What the end game?” Pandora asked.
It was odd to have her ask. She was used to making the rules, not being a team player.
I eyed her. Trusting her was iffy for me, but I did trust Cecily and Abaddon. If they trusted her, I had to take their lead. “Getting Alana Catherine, Jennifer and Shitty Ritchie back safely. I’d like to destroy the abomination who took them, but that’s secondary to getting the true Higher Power back.”
“And what if Tom Hanks didn’t get chewed properly?” Pandora inquired.
The thought was repulsive, but it was legit.
