I will hit you so hard you’ll end up on your ass in the corner. You’re not welcome in our lives, you have no place in our lives, and you can just go scam off somebody else who doesn’t know what kind of a leech you are.” She hung up, staring at the phone as it rang again. She turned it off and tossed it on the coffee table.
We were all staring at her, but I was the first to speak. “Is that true, Angel?”
She frowned, shrugging. “Who cares? Maybe it will shake him off. He’s just so sure that Mama J. left money for DJ and he wants to get his hands on it. I will never let him near my brother. He doesn’t give a flying fuck about his kid—he only wants to steal any inheritance that might have been left.”
Herne cleared his throat. “Would you like me to look into DeWayne’s background and see if I can find some way to put a stop to him bothering you?”
Angel frowned. I knew that she hated to ask for help, but DeWayne had been a thorn in her side for far too long now. “Yeah, could you? I’ll email you all the info I know about him.”
“Fine. We’ll make sure he can’t ever bother DJ…but…do you think DJ might ever want to know his father?” Herne asked the question slowly.
But Angel just shook her head. “No. DeWayne was trouble when he was with Mama J. and he’s trouble now. He’s a lone wolf—rogue from his pack, I believe. I think they excommunicated him and that usually means a criminal record or something equally as bad.”
“All right. I’ll get on to it as soon as you send me his info.” He glanced at the clock. “We’d better get Ember to bed. Tomorrow’s a full day, but the two of you don’t have to come in until noon, given what you’ve been through. Ember, if you are still feeling queasy or sick, just call and we’ll bring Ashera over here.”
He stood. “I’ll get you some blankets.”
“Thank you. And another pillow?” I paused, then added, “Do you think you could stay the night and sleep on the sofa? I’m feeling so…vulnerable.”
Angel glanced over at Herne. “I wouldn’t mind if you stayed, either. The Reaver really threw me. I’ve never…been possessed…before.”
“Of course I’ll stay.” He turned to Yutani and Viktor. “Vik, could you drop Yutani off at home? Thank you both for your help.”
Yutani slid off of the sofa from behind Angel. “Better?” he asked her.
She nodded. “Yeah, thank you so much. You really are good with your hands.” She laughed. “I’d better not let Rafé hear me say that. He might not understand.”
Yutani smirked. “Never hurts to give them something to think about. Anyway, come on, Viktor. Let’s head out. I have a program I’m working on that I need to check. I left it running to test it and I want to see what’s happened, if anything. I’m working on a way to penetrate the Dark Web with absolutely no trace-back. I have the feeling we may need more access to it as the months go by, and I want to put as many layers between it and my computer as possible.”
They headed toward the door. Herne followed them, locking it behind them.
Angel groaned as she forced herself to stand. “I’m going to bed. I need a shower, but I’m too exhausted to stand up.”
“Use my bathroom. I’ve got the walk-in shower with a bench. You can sit down and just let the water stream over you.” It sounded good to me, too, but I was too sore and the stitches too fresh to subject myself to a stream of water.
Angel waved, hauling herself up the stairs, holding onto the railing like a lifeline. Mr. Rumblebutt looked confused but decided that my lap would make the perfect bed, so he jumped up onto the arm of the recliner.
“I’ll get you a sleep shirt and some pajama shorts,” Herne said.
As he vanished up the stairs toward my room, I struggled to sit up and gingerly eased my shirt over my head. My side screamed as I raised my arms, but I managed to undress. By the time Herne returned with my nightclothes, I was sitting in my underwear on the ottoman near the recliner. He rubbed my back with a liniment I had gotten from Ferosyn for aching and bruised muscles, scrupulously avoiding the gash. As he helped me dress, he kissed