Page 82 of Stitches

“What if you had a girl?”

I wrinkled my nose at that. “No thanks.”

“You don’t want to have a daughter?”

“Imagine being fucking worried all the time. I’d have more bodies in my backyard than Church’s old man. Speaking of the devil…” I cocked my head and smiled. “We have company.”

A knock on the door proved me right.

Sin raised a brow at me as he sat up on his bed, and I winked back at him.

“Fucking circus freak,” he muttered while I got up and pulled the door open to find Church standing there with Ashes and Stitches flanking him.

“I thought I saw you coming,” I said, tapping my head.

“Can we talk?” Church asked.

“Of course.” I stepped aside, allowing them to come into my room.

Sin immediately got to his feet.

Church cast him a hard look before sitting in the chair I’d been in while Ashes took a seat on the sofa we had in the room, Stitches sitting beside him.

“This is a nice place,” Ashes commented, looking around. “It’s huge.”

“It’s a good thing because Sin and his ego take up a lot of space,” I said, winking at Sin who gave me the finger before sitting on his bed again.

“So what brings you to my slice of hell?” I went to my bed and sat down on it, surveying each of the watchers.

“You mean you don’t know?” Church asked.

“You’ll have to excuse me. I’m high as fuck right now and on a bit of a vacation from the shit in my head. It’s all very dull to me at the moment. Feel free to clue me in, boss.”

Church scowled at me. “I’m here because I need to know what you know.”

“What I know? It encompasses all things living and dead… but everything has a price, Dante. What are you willing to pay for such luxuries?”

“Enough with the shit. I’ve had a bad night, and I really don’t want to take it out on you,” he said.

I cocked my head at him. “How thoughtful of you to consider my night and feelings. OK. What I know. You’re going to have to help me a little bit here. Give me something to go on. A subject. What do you want to know? Be specific because I am high as fuck right now.”

“My father.”

“Is a dick,” I finished with a laugh.

My answer wasn’t received with the humor I’d intended, but fuck was I high.

“I spoke with him. Sirena isn’t safe. He owns a deed on her soul,” Dante’s voice was low and filled with worry and sorrow.

His words hit me like a ton of bricks though.

“What?” I demanded, twisting my hands so tightly into a fist that my nails cut my palms.

“You didn’t know this?” Ashes asked, his forehead wrinkled in worry. “I thought you were clued into this stuff.”

I exhaled, trying to gather my thoughts.

When I spoke, my voice was clipped and filled with venom. “This one seems to have slipped past me it would seem. Naughty, fucking naughty.”

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