“You are what humans call hangry, yes?” he asked.
“Yes, and it isn’t pleasant for anyone when I get to this stage. Just ask my friend, Katie.”
“Good. We shall dig deep and use your rage.”
“Well, it’s built on more than just hanger, I can tell you that,” she retorted.
Nadia was about to put serious hurt on him when her phone rang. The screen showed Raphael’s number and smiling image. For a heartbeat, she froze, unsure if she should answer it.
Gabriel nodded.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Hello, beautiful. How are you today?”
Not in the mood to be charmed, she scoffed. “Cut the crap. What do you want, Raphael?”
“A truce.”
Gabriel’s hawk-like gaze locked with hers.
Switching it to speakerphone, she placed it on the table.
“A truce,” she scoffed. “Right, and I’m the Pope.”
“The Vatican could use a woman’s touch,” Raphael replied with a warm chuckle.
Across from her, her father rolled his eyes, and Nadia couldn’t keep from grinning. He wasn’t buying what the asshole was selling either.
“What does this truce entail?” she asked. Sure, she could’ve hung up, but she was curious about this new tactic to get to her.
“How about we meet for dinner, and I’ll tell you all about it?”
“Look, buddy. I may not be as old as you, but I wasn’t born yesterday. And hearing your voice through the speaker makes one thing crystal clear. You were the one who set me up by using the job interview.”
He didn’t bother to deny he’d conned her into meeting at the coffee shop.
“What can I say? I was curious about you.”
“Then maybe you should’ve spoken to me instead of stalking me in the deserted part of town.”
“Yes, it was my mistake,” Raphael agreed. “It allowed Lucifer access to you first. But I’d like to pitch a counterargument and explain why you should be an ally of the Creator instead.”
“I’m not working for anyone’s interests but my own. I just want to be left alone to live my life in peace. Also, if you believe I’m going to leave the only protection I have to walk into a trap, you’re cracked in the head.”
“It’s a temporary truce, Nadia,” he said. The earnestness in his voice had her checking Gabriel’s reaction. His frown told her nothing.
“I’ll need to think about it,” she hedged, only to have her father wave her off.
“I will lower the wards for you alone, Raphael. But we will have daemon guards present. If you betray us during the parley, you will be cut down without mercy,” Gabriel said.
“How am I supposed to influence her with you standing over my shoulder?”
“I am familiar with your brand of influence,” he said coolly. “And trust me when I say, you won’t be using it to seduce my daughter.”
“So you do know,” Raphael responded, almost to himself. “I’ll be there in forty minutes.”
“You have ten. Come alone. I mean it.”
