Wanted Angel - Sadie Moss Page 0,20

was pushing for in the living room. But I don’t think I was prepared for what it would mean. What it would feel like when he did.

Not that I want to take it back.

Nothing like that, not at all.

But just as one thing is going well, of course something else is about to fall apart. Anderson’s poking around, which is literally the last thing I need right now.

I haven’t communicated with my angelic superior since I was attacked outside of Beckett’s place and we learned about the bounty on my head. How could I? How could I possibly explain that there was a demon bounty on my head and how it ended up there?

Especially when I still don’t know who did it. Who wants me dead? It’s easy enough to make a connection between the demon-mark and the network of portals to Below, but that still doesn’t give us a lot of insight into who put the bounty on me.

He’s going to ask a million questions I don’t know how to answer, and I don’t want to come to him with another problem. He’s my point person for this mission, but if I have to get his help at every single turn, there’s no way that won’t count against me.

I’m lucky Nix didn’t push harder to know why another angel was poking around his complex. If it’d been any of the other sins, I’m sure they would’ve demanded more answers, but I can’t keep my mission under wraps forever.

Ugh. This is all such a mess.

The bottom line is, I can’t possibly deal with Anderson and whatever lecture I’m sure he wants to give me until after I’ve dealt with being demon-marked. If he decides to discipline me or pull me off this assignment before I deal with the bounty, I’m not sure I’ll ever get it lifted.

Not to mention the fact that I… I don’t want to leave the sins. The idea of Anderson reassigning me and sending some other angel to try to redeem these men makes my chest physically ache. If he decides I’m not doing a good job or producing results fast enough, Anderson will want me to leave them. And I can’t do that.

I don’t want to.

I don’t want this to end.

Yes, okay, these men are frustrating as all get out. And yes, I’m still not sure about Ryland, and he’s definitely not sure about me. But the others—despite how much I want to strangle some of them half the time, I also care about them. And they clearly care about me, even if they don’t want to say it out loud either.

None of them are very good with openly expressing their feelings.

But they wouldn’t go out of their way to protect me if they didn’t care about me. I suspect that if they were really as awful as Anderson thinks they are, Beckett would’ve kicked me to the curb the first day he met me, demon portals or no. But he let himself be persuaded by me, and he and the others have been tagging along with me ever since, helping me destroy the portals even when all it did was earn them more trouble.

I can’t leave these men.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

Nix leads me into the living room, where Ryland and Beck have apparently found something out. They’re talking back and forth quietly among themselves, neither one having to interrupt, like they’re just constantly completing one another’s thoughts. I think it’s so odd how much they seem to hate each other, since they’re both the leaders and that means they end up pairing together the most often.

If only they would talk about whatever it is between them, I’m sure they could work it out. If they would just put aside their pride for a moment and listen to one another. They were close once. They must’ve been, to work together so well like this even as they also glare at each other.

Knight signs something, and Sawyer translates for my benefit. “What’s the news?”

Beck and Ryland look at each other, neither of them apparently all that pleased. Ryland’s dark, chiseled features look especially harsh as he frowns.

“We think Valentina’s right,” he says at last, his voice cutting and contained. “The only place to remove the demon-mark is Below.”

I try to speak, but only a croaking sound comes out of my suddenly dry throat.

Downstairs? Hell?

Angels don’t go down there. And for a very good reason. I’d be eaten alive the second I got in. Nobody likes my