Finale

control.
    I opened my mouth to tell him the truth, when icy hands seemed to slide up my neck and clench it. I couldn’t speak. I could barely breathe. My throat filled with thick matter, like when
I’d first taken devilcraft. A foreign voice crept into my mind and reasoned with me.
    If I told Patch, he’d never trust me again. He’d never forgive me. I’d only cause him more pain if I told him. I just had to get through Cheshvan, and then I’d stop
taking devilcraft. Just a little longer. Just a few more lies.
    The cold hands relaxed. I drew a rocky breath.
    “Busy night?” I asked Patch, wanting to move forward in our conversation—anything to forget my lies.
    He sighed. “And no closer to pinning down Pepper’s blackmailer. I keep thinking it’s got to be someone I’ve looked into, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s
someone else. Someone off my radar. I’ve chased down every lead, even those that seemed like a stretch. Far as I can tell, everyone’s clean.”
    “Is there a chance Pepper is making it up? Maybe he isn’t really being blackmailed.” It was the first time I’d considered it. All along I’d trusted his story, when
he’d proven to be anything but trustworthy.
    Patch frowned. “It’s possible, but I don’t think so. Why go to the trouble of making up such an elaborate story?”
    “Because he needs an excuse to chain you in hell,” I suggested quietly, just now thinking of it. “What if the archangels put him up to this? He said he’s down here on
Earth on an assignment from them. I didn’t believe him at first, but what if he really is? What if the archangels gave him the task of chaining you in hell? It’s no secret they want
to.”
    “Legally, they’d need a reason to chain me in hell.” Patch stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Unless they’ve gone so far off the deep end, they’re not bothering
to stay within the law anymore. I definitely think there are a few rotten eggs in the bunch, but I don’t think the entire archangel population has been corrupted.”
    “If Pepper is on an errand from a small faction of archangels, and the others find out or suspect foul play, Pepper’s employers have the perfect cover: They can claim he’d gone
rogue. They’d rip his wings out before he could testify, and they’d be off the hook. It doesn’t seem so far-fetched to me. In fact, it seems like the perfect crime.”
    Patch stared at me. The plausibility of my theory seemed to settle over us like a cold fog.
    “You think Pepper is on assignment from a group of crooked archangels to get rid of me for good,” he said slowly at last.
    “Did you know Pepper before you fell? What was he like?”
    Patch shook his head. “I knew him, but not well. More like I knew of him. He had a reputation as a hard-boiled liberal, especially loose on social issues. I’m not surprised he fell
hard into gambling, but if I remember right, he was involved in my trial. He must have voted to banish me; strange, since it’s at odds with his reputation.”
    “Do you think we can get Pepper to turn on the archangels? His double life might be part of his cover . . . then again, he might be enjoying his time down here just a little too much. If
we apply the right kind of pressure, he might talk. If he tells us that a secret faction of archangels sent him here to chain you in hell, at least we’d know what we’re up
against.”
    A dangerous little smile tightened Patch’s mouth. “I think it’s time to find Pepper.”
    I nodded. “Fine. But you’re going to play this one from the sidelines. I don’t want you going anywhere near Pepper. For now, we have to assume he’d do anything to chain
you in hell.”
    Patch’s eyebrows drew together. “What are you proposing, Angel?”
    “I’m meeting Pepper. And I’m taking Scott with me. Don’t even think about arguing with me,” I said warningly before he could veto the idea. “You’ve
taken Dabria as backup on more occasions than I want to think about. You swore to me it was a tactical move and nothing more. Well, now it’s my turn. I’m taking Scott, and that’s
final. As far as I know, Pepper isn’t holding any one-way tickets to hell with Scott’s name on them.”
    Patch’s mouth thinned and his eyes darkened; I could practically feel his objection radiating off him. Patch held no warmth for Scott, but he knew he couldn’t play that card; it
would make him a hypocrite.
    “You’re going to need an airtight plan,”