Free Give Me Love by Zoey Derrick Page B

destroyed, Link has no choice but to send him into hell.”  
    Vivienne recalls the stories of Dante and the circles of hell and wonders idly which circle Riley will fall into once he is destroyed.  
    “We destroy Riley,” Red says, “and Riley is no longer a threat to either one of you, and the devil goes about his task of finding an heir.”  
    “I’m willing to do anything if it means that Riley never bothers me again and I know that my daughter is safe,” Vivienne says with more confidence in her voice than what she’s had since Red knocked on the bedroom door.
    “That, my dear, is why you are an angel,” Red says.
    “When do we start?” Mikah asks.  
    “Tomorrow morning around nine. We will have Vivienne go for a walk, and we’ll drop her shields, putting her on the radar. My guess is that it will take at least three or four days before the watchers report back to Link. They will be certain that this is a daily thing before they report. If there is anyone they don’t want to piss off, it’s the devil.”
    Mikah and Vivienne nod as Red, and the guardians turn to leave. Neither one of them says anything for some time as they consider what comes next.

TWENTY-FOUR
    The next morning the guardians arrive around 8:30. All three men are wearing black cargo pants and black hooded pullover sweatshirts. But what catches Vivienne’s attention the most is what’s attached to their legs. Strapped to Red’s and Andrew’s right thighs, and Connor’s left, are black guns.  
    Mikah notices Vivienne’s unease. “Are those necessary?” he asks them.  
    “They are.” Andrew steps forward and hands Mikah a bag. “Inside you will find pants, a sweatshirt and a pair of boots.”  
    Mikah takes the bag from him. It weighs more than what pants, boots and a sweatshirt should weigh, and Mikah knows that there is a holster and gun inside for him. The gun doesn’t bother Mikah – he knows how to shoot; it’s just been a long time.
    “Why don’t you go change? We’re going to explain some things to Vivienne.”
    “I’d like to be here for that.”
    “No need, lad,” interjects Red. “We’re just going to discuss what she’s going to do and how she’s going to do it. Go change.”  
    Mikah nods hesitantly, then looks to Vivienne and smiles. He heads into the bedroom just as Andrew starts talking to Viv.  
    “Okay, we’re all going to walk out the front door toward the river. Once you’re on the riverside path we will lower your shields.”  
    “Will I be able to notice the difference?”
    “Not likely, but you might. Here,” he says as he hands her a tiny black sphere that’s about the size of a blueberry. “That goes into your ear. You will be able to hear us, and we will be able to hear you if you talk. We will be walking with you, but you won’t be able to see us. You may, depending on your skills, be able to sense us with you.”
    “I’m pretty good at sensing Mikah,” she says, thinking about how sometimes she knows he’s there even when she can’t actually see him.  
    “That should be enough then. Today we’re going to have Celeste walk with you.”  
    Vivienne nods her understanding and looks at Celeste, who smiles back at her.  
    As if to prove what she said about sensing Mikah, Vivienne turns to Andrew. “He’s behind me, isn’t he?”  
    Andrew laughs. “Well done. Yes he is.”  
    Vivienne turns to look. The sight of Mikah in the black pants and sweatshirt send her heart fluttering like crazy. He looks tough yet so normal. Then she notices that he, too, has a gun strapped to his thigh, and her excitement over seeing him turns to anxiety.  
    “Are those really necessary? Will they even work against anything that might be coming after us?”
    “Actually, yes. They’re gold-tipped bullets. Though we’re not sure how effective they’ll be against the likes of Riley, they should be enough to at least slow him down.”  
    Andrew’s confidence is comforting to