Gathering of Angels(40)

“Not necessary,” Claire whispered. Every inch ached for the promised rest, even for five minutes. “But if you try to plan something that does not include me, I will come after you.”

“Threat so noted.” Annie covered her with a warm, soft wool blanket, leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Just take a little time, while we regroup.” She brushed stray hair off Claire’s cheek. “I wasn’t sure I’d recognize you without all that hair, but it suits you. Close your eyes, honey. I promise, we won’t go anywhere without you.”

She stood, turned off the bedside lamp. Claire never heard her leave.



*



Annie dropped into the chair next to Eric, rubbed her eyes. “She’s out cold. Now—how are we going to end this bitch?”

Simon laughed, then let out a groan. His uniform shirt was unbuttoned, revealing the bandage wrapped around his ribs. Another bandage was taped over his heart. Annie had a feeling Jane was aiming for a death blow, but got distracted, or didn’t have the mojo she thought she had. Annie was counting on the latter.

“There is something tying her here,” he said, flinching when he shifted in the chair. Annie tried not to stare at the sculpted muscles that flexed with every movement. No priest she ever met looked like that. “A personal item, some of her DNA—something with her on it. We find that, and burn it—”

“Why the hell didn’t you bring this up before? Or try it?”

Simon looked at her. “Until now, she has been inside someone. And I didn’t want to take the chance of harming that someone. Did I make the wrong choice—not sacrificing one person to take her out sooner? I don’t know, and I will be the one to live with the guilt of that choice if more people die because I did not act.”

“Holy hell,” Annie said, completely in awe. “You really are a priest.”

A smile flashed across his face. “Last I checked.”

Eric leaned forward. “Whatever we do, it has to be soon, and fast. I need to get Marcus to something resembling a hospital, whether he agrees to it or not.”

“I doubt he’ll agree,” Mindy Kay said. She set a plate of ham subs in the middle of the table. “But you’re right. We have to end this, before anyone else gets hurt. I’m already worried about the aftermath, with the people she did possess.” She shook her head, red hair brushing her shoulders. “I see a whole lot of lying and memory tampering in my future.”

“I want to do this without Claire,” Annie said. “She’s been through enough.”

Simon raised his eyebrows. “And you really think she’ll agree to step aside?”

“We don’t give her a choice, she doesn’t have to—”

“You will not speak for me, Annie.”

Shit.

She stood, turned to find Claire leaning against the bedroom doorway, arms crossed, that look on her face. The look that told Annie she’d heard enough, and was not the least bit happy.

Annie knew she had a stubborn streak—one that had been cultivated over lifetimes.

“Claire—”

“Not now.” Barefoot, the oversized sweats making her look even more fragile, she limped to the kitchen table, took one of the bottles of water Mindy Kay had provided, along with a portion of the ham sub before settling in the chair Annie had vacated. “So, we find this bit of Jane, burn it, and we’ll be rid of her?”

Simon looked from Claire, to Annie, then back to Claire, a smile tugging at his mouth. Annie wanted to smack him for being so amused. “According to my research, yes. She was cremated after her death, which means there are no bones, and no grave. Thank Heaven for small favors.”

Claire smiled, took a bite of her sandwich. “You may want to take that back, when you realize a grave would have been infinitely easier. And yes, I know she died back east. Still—a grave doesn’t get up and walk around.”

“Smartass.” Annie muttered it under her breath, sure Claire would hear anyway. When her smile widened, Annie crossed her arms and hunched against the wall.

Simon reached across the table, took Claire’s free hand. “Are you up for this? She knows it will be her last stand.”

“Trust me, I’ve faced worse.” Annie snorted, and Claire let out a sigh. “Can you excuse us for a moment?” Standing, she caught Annie by the wrist and marched into the empty bedroom. She closed the door, leaned against it. “Spill.”

“You had no right—” Annie clenched her jaw, spun away from Claire, fighting to rein in her temper. “I can actually make a plan and execute it without you. I’ve been doing it on my own now, for months.”