Free Good Side of Sin by K. S. Haigwood Page B

men. “I’ll be back—”
    “Yeah, and I’ll be waiting for ya! Go on! Get your ass outta here!” Granny said, and then pulled the trigger of the double-barrel shotgun, sending a round of buckshot right above their heads, into the wall and ceiling.
    The Marshal and his men turned and ran out the front door without looking back.
    Ethan took in a deep breath and turned to look at Cross. “I hope you have a plan, because I don’t think he will be so friendly when he comes back.”
    Cross raised the hem of her skirt and tucked away a small pistol in the thigh holster on her left leg. “I do have a plan: to not be here when he returns.”
    Ethan observed the rest of the men in the room as they put away weapons he hadn’t even realized had been exposed. He felt a gentle tug on his arm and looked down to the little old woman that had scared the Marshal away.
    “C’mon over here and finish your meal, hun. Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you while you’re here at Granny’s house. It’s gonna take that ole boon a while yet to talk anybody into coming back out here with him anyway.” She sniggered a little, and then gave him a subtle wink. “Let’s just say the rest of the Marshals like me a bit more than they like him,” Granny said, and then gave him a warm smile.
    Ethan returned the gesture easily. “Thanks, Granny.”

Chapter 10
Josselyn
    I looked from the sheet-covered bodies to Troy and Baddon’s patient eyes, and then nodded. Baddon took a corner of the sheet and removed it in one swift motion.
    I quickly brought my hand up to cover my mouth and nose, and turned away from the sight with a quick jerk that almost brought me to my knees. They were dead all right, some a little more so than the rest. I don’t know what I thought I might find: the humans asleep, resting peacefully in a demon-induced coma and waiting for an angel to revive them back to their normal, boring selves? Nope. No such luck for me. The decaying process was running wide open with no sign of slowing down, much less reversing.
    Heaven had no classes for bringing people back from the dead. That was God’s job to do if he wanted it done, and since five pair of eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, I could only assume they were going to stay the way they were now—dead.
    I sucked in a shuddering breath as my mouth watered. The need to vomit crashed down on me like a ton of bricks. The air-conditioning unit kicked on at that exact moment, circulating more of the foul fragrance around the room and up my sinus cavity. Through my blurred vision, I spotted a toilet just on the other side of an open door in the far corner of the room.
Restroom!
I made a run for it and slid to my knees as this morning’s breakfast erupted into the porcelain bowl.
    After a few moments—and a lot of deep breaths—I felt a cool cloth blot my forehead and neck. I sighed and reached for Troy’s other hand. “What’s going on? What is happening to Heaven, Troy? Angels can lie, feel physical pain, and now this. What is this and what is next? Heaven crumbles at Lucifer’s feet?” I said, but could say no more as the sobs took control and closed my throat up tight with emotion.
    I heard the toilet flush, and then Troy took my hands and helped me stand.
    “Ye kin dae this, ma wee lamb. I’m here wi’ ye,” Troy said, and I nodded, but I honestly didn’t feel any better about the whole situation. He had been there with me only a moment ago when I’d nearly thrown up on the smelly corpses, but I couldn’t imagine doing this without him. That thought alone made me feel jittery with the early signs of a panic attack.
    Pushing what couldn’t be helped right now to the very back of my mind, I huffed and turned to the restroom door that Troy had graciously closed for the sake of my gag reflex. I could do this. I didn’t have another choice.
    “I’m ready.”
    Troy smiled, and then reached for the knob and pushed the door open. “That’s a lassie.”
    We walked into a