“Alright, but we’re coming with you,” Phenex said with a nod. “We’re not letting you out of our sight when there’s someone out there intent on killing you.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. I should have known I wouldn’t get some privacy as easily as that. “I’m going into the ladies’ room. You can’t come in there with me.”
Stolas frowned. “What if he climbs through the window and steals you that way?”
“Or does the whole teleporting thing,” Caim added.
“Look, you guys. I appreciate your concern, but you can’t go into the bathroom with me. If there’s a problem, I’ll just bang on the door. Alright?”
They cast each other uneasy glances until Stolas finally nodded. “Alright, but only if you keep the door unlocked.”
“Sure.” With a shake of my head, I led the charge down the hallway, flanked by five massive demon guards. I would have laughed about the whole thing if my nerves weren’t frayed down to their nubbins. The kiss had unmoored me, as much as I hated to admit it.
And I needed more than a breath of fresh air and a bathroom break.
The card from the angels still burned a hole in my pocket. The last thing I wanted was for Az to find it, and I needed to get these angels off his back. He and his Legion were trying to do a good thing here, but the angels could never know the full truth of it. If they didn’t stop looking into things, they’d find out. And the news would reach Lucifer. The Legion would be forced back into Hell.
I couldn’t let that happen to them.
After I ducked into the bathroom, I leaned against the wall and loosed a long, laborous breath that shook my whole body. The stench of the city streets wafted in through the cracked window, but with it came a soothing, cooling breeze. I really needed to get a grip. So what if the most gorgeous asshole demon I’d ever seen had kissed me tonight? It hadn’t meant anything. We’d both only been pretending.
There was zero reason for me to feel so worked up by it all.
Shaking my head at myself, I pulled my cell from my purse and punched in a text to the angels.
This is Mia. I’ve done what you asked, and you’re wrong about them. You can stop looking into Infernal now. There’s nothing to find. The Legion isn’t up to anything bad at all.
There. I nodded to myself and headed into the bathroom stall. When I was done, I had a text message waiting for me.
That’s impossible. You must not have looked hard enough. We need you to keep spying.
I rolled my eyes.
Absolutely not. And I don’t want you to text me anymore. This whole thing is creepy. Please. Delete my number and never contact me again.
With that, I deleted the entire conversation, erased their number from my phone, and threw the business card into the trash. My heart hammered hard as I stared into the mirror. Had I just made a terrible mistake? Probably not. Az was definitely hiding something from me, but it wasn’t dead bodies. I was in way over my head with this entire thing, and I didn’t want a couple of pesky angels to complicate my life any more. Besides, I was now bait. I didn’t want to be a spy on top of that.
A heavy fist banged against the door. “You alright in there, Mia?”
Shaking my head, I yanked open the door. Caim and Stolas both stumbled inside the bathroom, tripping over their feet. I grinned.
“Serves you right,” I said. “For not giving me a little privacy.”
“You were taking forever,” Caim said, trailing after me as I left the bathroom. “What the hell do you girls do in there anyway?”
I shot him a conspiratorial smile. “You’ll never know.”
“Stop flirting,” Az growled as he stepped up behind his Legion. He gave Caim a warning glare before whirling on his feet and striding down the hallway toward their meeting office or whatever it was.
We followed. Caim fell into step beside me and dropped his voice low enough that none of the other demons could hear. At least, I hoped they couldn’t. “He gets very jealous when you talk to me.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s not jealousy,” I muttered back.
Caim’s brows winged upward. “What else would it be?”
I pressed my lips together. “I don’t know, but it’s definitely not that. He doesn’t like me very much. Living under the same roof is getting a little dicey.”
I didn’t mention the fact we’d shared a bed last night. There was no telling what Caim would think.
