Read The Devil You Need for Free Online Page B

desk and started toward me. “What?
Oh, I don’t know that yet. But it’s time for lunch and Tuesdays are meatloaf
day.”
    He grasped my arm and spun me toward the door, pulling my
arm through his. Speechless, I stumbled with him through the waiting room,
blinking stupidly as he turned to the woman behind the desk. “See you in an
hour, Mx. Pickles.”
    The woman gave him her insincere smile. “Meatloaf and
Jell-O?”
    Gus opened the outer door and ushered me through. “Lime
Jell-O, Mx. Pickles. Better than sex.”
    The woman made a high-pitched choking sound that I assumed
was laughter, cut off when Gus closed the door.
    “Mx. Pickles? Is that some kind of joke?”
    Gus pulled my arm through his again and started off. “Not at
all. Last names don’t mean anything in Heaven so we make them up.”
    I snorted. “Are you telling me that sour-faced woman in
there chose the name Pickles?”
    Gus frowned down at me. “Mx. Pickles has a wonderful sense
of humor. You must have just gotten on her bad side.”
    “Is she a double-sided coin?”
    Gus grinned, squeezing my arm under his. “It’s a beautiful
day.”
    I looked away from Gus for the first time since exiting the
therapy building and sucked in a surprised breath. The area we walked through
looked like Earth, with green trees and shrubs and flowers overflowing
vibrantly colored beds lining both sides of the red-brick sidewalk. “Wow,
color.”
    “Of course, why wouldn’t there be?”
    “Because everything is always white.”
    Gus’ eyebrows lifted. “Is it?”
    “Are you screwing with me?”
    “I don’t think so. But let me think about that.”
    I laughed. “I’m starting to think you’re crazier than I am.”
    Rather than being offended, Gus chuckled. “You could be
right.”
    We walked in companionable silence for a few minutes and I
started to relax, putting the tension-filled morning behind me. Birds sang high
in the deep-green trees, a soft breeze wafted warmly past, and enormous,
intricately marked butterflies danced from flower to flower around us. For the
first time since I’d been coming there, it actually did feel like Heaven.
    A woman was walking toward us on the sidewalk and, as she
reached us, she put her hand on my arm and smiled. Bright power jolted from her
to me, silvery and light. “How are you today, dear?”
    I gasped as the power touched me and jerked my hand away.
Gus’ face turned thoughtful but he said nothing. The woman walked on and I
rubbed the spot where she’d touched me, frowning over my shoulder at her. “Did
you see that?”
    “Hmm.”
    Seeing that Gus was buried in his thoughts, I shook my head
and let it go. A moment later we stopped, allowing an elderly man to scurry
across the sidewalk in front of us. The man stopped and reached a hand toward
Gus. “Hello, Doc.”
    Gus clasped the man’s hand. “Barnabus. Are you enjoying this
gorgeous day?”
    “I certainly am.” He glanced at me.
    “Oh, I’m sorry. This is Astra. Astra, this is Barnabus. He
used to be one of my clients.”
    Barnabus reached a gnarled hand in my direction and I
clasped it. “Hello.” Silvery power shot out of his hand into mine. I jumped and
made a surprised sound. “What the…”
    Gus pulled me on down the sidewalk. “See you later,
Barnabus.”
    “Why is everybody zapping me?”
    Gus shrugged. “Static electricity?”
    “He didn’t zap you when you touched him.”
    Gus just shrugged again.
    “Astra.”
    I turned at the sound of a familiar voice and smiled when I
saw Flick walking hand in hand with a large, black-haired woman who was dressed
head-to-toe in black leather. My old guardian angel had grown his stringy brown
hair out into a ponytail, which he wore in a single braid, plaited through with
colorful beads. The goatee that had been a pitiful shadow on his chin the last
time I’d seen him had grown into a moderately respectable facial ornament, with
the side benefit that it strengthened his not-so-manly chin. Flick