I shrugged. “We cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Pandora’s perfectly plucked brow arched and a devious smile pulled at her lips. “I’d be delighted to end Tom Hanks if he’s still around. It would bring me great pleasure.”
“Get in line,” I told her. “And just so you know, the line is long.”
“As it should be,” she answered curtly. “It lost Its mind millions of years ago. The end is long past due.”
No one disagreed.
My brother Gabe approached the group and stood next to Gideon. His white downy wings were on display and a golden glow surrounded him. He was breathtaking.
“Any communication or information goes through the Archangel Gabriel. He will be our touchstone,” Gideon announced. “He’s staying here and has the ability to reach out to all of us.”
“As you wish,” Goddess Cecily said, bowing her head in respect to Gabe. “We will start in the Darkness and move wider from there.”
Charlie stepped forward with Heather by his side and the Demons surrounding him. “We shall pay visits to all the Immortal strongholds on this plane. If the abomination is hiding on this plane, we’ll know quickly.”
“And we’re goin’ to the Higher Power’s fuckin’ plane,” Candy Vargo grunted, sliding a few daggers into the back of her gauchos. “Let’s get this party started!”
“Agreed,” Gideon said.
Charlie, Heather and the Demons disappeared in a blast of icy blue magic. Cecily, Pandora and Abaddon vanished in a glittering red mist. That left Tim, Candy Vargo, Gideon and me.
“How do we get to the Higher Power’s plane?” I asked. I’d been there before, but all the rules had changed. At least, it felt like they had. Part of me wondered if the plane still existed now the Higher Power was technically gone.
Candy Vargo smiled. It was slightly terrifying. “We’re gonna have us a little chat, then you’re gonna take us there, Daisy.”
Crap. I was hoping it would be a group effort. Whatever. I could do it. I wasn’t sure how, but I was sure I would figure it out. I had to. With my daughter, my friend, and Shitty Ritchie’s lives on the line, there was no other choice.
CHAPTER THREE
Tim took notes.Gideon paced. I jogged in place to relieve some of the tension that was doing its best to overwhelm me. Candy Vargo talked.
A lot.
“Listen close, motherfuckers,” she announced. “Imagine a field of wild flowers. Not too big. Not too small. About the size of a football field. Lots of little birdies and bunny rabbits. This fuckin’ field is only inhabited by nice folks—like the seven Dwarfs from Snow White. Only monsters you’ll see there are sweet like Sully and Mike Wazowski.” She paused and smiled. “I love me some Mike Wazowski. Anyhoo, maybe there’s a few people, but I say we stick with people like Richie Cunningham and Fonzie.”
Gideon stopped pacing and side eyed her. “Are you drunk?”
“Are you?” she shot back.
Both of them looked ready to have a go at each other. That would not help anything. Fighting amongst ourselves was not on the agenda. I knew exactly what Candy was doing.
I jogged between them and held up my hands. “Nope. No one is drunk. Candy’s painting a visual picture of what we’ll see when we get to the plane. It usually looks like what wasdiscussed before going in. Not sure the same will apply since the Higher Power is gone.”
“Possibly not gone,” Tim reminded us.
“Right,” I conceded, rubbing my temples. “But it will be great if we all see the same thing.”
“Exactly, jackass,” Candy Vargo said, staring daggers at Gideon.
The Grim Reaper shrugged. “Who is Richie Cunningham? And what in the hell is a Fonzie?”
I smiled. It was hard to believe that I found humor in anything right now, but I did. My other half had lived for millions of years, but the man wasn’t hip on pop culture. The fact that he knew the dwarfs fromSnow Whitewasn’t surprising. The story had been around a long time. However, I was surprised he didn’t ask about Sully and Mike Wazowski fromMonsters, Inc.
Tim was all over Gideon’s query. “Richie Cunningham and Fonzie are characters from a television program calledHappy Days. Fabulous show!” he gushed. “It was set in the 1950s in the town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Happy Daystold the story of the Cunningham family, the mother and father—Marion and Howard, and their son, Richie and daughter, Joanie. Very lovely family. Tons of wonderful life lessons mixed with innocent humor. Howard ran a hardware store and Marion was a stay-at-home mom. Now, of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Richie’s best friends—Potsie and Ralph. They were lovable dunces—not suave with the ladies at all. But… the best character, in my humble opinion, was Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli. He was the local, motorcycle-riding bad boy with a heart of gold. He even jumped the shark!”
Candy Vargo put up her hand to stop her buddy. He either didn’t see her or ignored her. There was no stopping Tim when he got going on bizarre trivia. He and Jennifer shared that trait—like father, like daughter. Gideon was trying to follow Tim’s word vomit, but was having a hard time.
