Ashes(82)

"I'm fine, in case you were wondering," she said dryly.



"I don't need to wonder. I can see that you're fine." Lou turned to Knox. "What I don't see is how the attack could have had anything to do with Jonas. It's highly unlikely that he knows she has wings."



Knox narrowed his eyes. "How do you know?"



"I know lots of things." Lou poked his temple. "I'm a well of information."



Knowing from past experience how tight-lipped the devil could be, Knox didn't bother pushing for an answer. "Jonas is upset with Jolene right now. The person who sent the hunters after Harper also hired someone to kidnap Harper's cousin."



Lou's mouth fell open. "Risking Jolene's wrath? Oh, well, then they really are stupid. Or suicidal. Both works. That woman is mean. Giving me packets of chips that open upside down and putting her T.V. volume on an uneven number just to see me cry. How can someone be that cruel?"



Yeah, her grandmother really did love to poke at his OCD streak. Still, Harper frowned. "Do you really feel that you, the devil, are in a position to judge people? You know what, don't answer that. Look, I get that ‘helping' people isn't really your thing. But if Jonas wants to make a deal with you, it can't be good. Even if he has nothing to do with the attack on me or the attempt to kidnap my cousin, it's still important to know what he wants. It could be something really bad. You could stop it from happening." 



Head tilted, Lou looked at her curiously. "Are you …  are you trying to appeal to my conscience?" He snorted. "That inner voice gave up on me a long time ago. Honestly, trying to make me feel bad is more pointless than the ‘ay' in ‘okay'. If self-centeredness could bounce, I'd be in orbit. And wouldn't that be fun?"



Harper sighed. "At least you're honest about it."



"My shrink says I shouldn't hold things in or pretend to be what I'm not. He says I should just be myself."



"Yeah, that was bad advice."



"And yet, I have a fan club," Lou said smugly. "Several."



"You mean you have Satanic cults that worship you."



"Yeah," he muttered, seemingly unimpressed by them. "Most of the weirdos are like diapers – self-absorbed, full of shit, and need to be disposed of. But I do appreciate that they use symmetrical symbols. Not crazy about their obsession with six-six-six, though. The number six is founded on odd numbers. My favorite number is eight – perfectly symmetrical. They should try eight-eight-eight."



The guy truly was out of his mind. Harper simply said, "Well, if I meet any Satanic people, I'll let them know."



"That's sweet of you." His head tilted and his gaze turned inward. "Hmm. I'm needed elsewhere. Must go. Harper, you take care of our little munchkin. Knox, no, before you ask again, I'm not meeting with Jonas. Even if I tried to help, I'd somehow make it all worse. Tell me I'm wrong."



The thing was …  Knox couldn't.



"Besides, you don't need my help. You have this. You can manage just fine." He saluted Knox. "Carpe diem!" And then, in a blink, he was gone.



Harper exhaled heavily. "Was it just me or was he stoned?"



"He was stoned." Knox frowned at the candy wrappers and empty chip packets on the table. "I think he had a case of the munchies." Knox crossed to her and softly stroked her stomach. "I was looking for you when I heard him down here."



"I was looking for you, too. I want your advice on something." She led him up the stairs and into the bedroom next to theirs, which she'd decided would be the nursery. She gestured to the wall, where she'd brushed three different stripes of paint along the white wall. "Which shade do you prefer?" She'd ordered three samples online and had been delighted to get back from the island and find them waiting.



Knox looked around the spacious room. "You cleared this room out all by yourself?"



"Hell, no. I roped Tanner and Levi into helping me."



"I'm assuming you're going to elect them to paint the walls, too."



"They agreed to help me with the painting."



The word "help" had him frowning. "I'm not sure if I like the idea of you -"



"I'll be painting walls, not knocking them down," she said as patiently as possible, reminding herself just how hard it was for him while his protective instincts were riding him hard. "I promise you that if at any point I need to rest, I will stop – for the baby's sake, if nothing else. Trust me."


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