“I was just going to sit quietly and listen,” said Andy.
“No, go ahead. I want to hear this first.”
Andy inhaled a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “What do you want to know?”
“Surprise me.”
“I’m sorry I upset you.”
Erin waved the apology away. “It’s fine. You meant well. Which is kind of surprising, considering you’re a demon and all.”
“I was just trying to do my job.”
“Your job.” Erin looked at him skeptically.
“I don’t get work often,” he said.
“What are you, some sort of freelance demon? How are you not busy all the time?”
“Demons have always been obsolete, Erin. Humans don’t need demons for inspiration. They never did. You manage to do horrible things all on your own. I’ve spent ages just—I don’t know—mucking about. Waiting for the call.”
“And I called.”
“And you called. So here I am. Trying to do a bad day’s work in a world that doesn’t need me anymore.”
“If you don’t have anything to do anymore, couldn’t you”—Erin paused, searching for the most delicate way to phrase it—“go back?”
Andy snorted. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not?”
“Well, first of all, from what I’ve heard about Hell, it doesn’t sound like a great place to be. Secondly, I’ve never been there and wouldn’t even know how to get there.”
Erin looked at him with undisguised surprise. “You’ve never been there? But you’re a demon.”
“I’m almost as tethered to Earth as you are. I don’t remember anything else, no matter how far back I go.”
Would it be rude to ask his age? Instead, she settled for a less pointed question. “If you’re stuck here, what do you do with your time?”
“Wander around. Learn things. I took a massage class last year.” He perked up. “Do you know what trigger points are?”
“Yes. No. Not really. Don’t change the subject.”
“Come on, I’ll show you. Unbuckle yourself.” He turned in his seat to face her.
“How did you get the money to take a class?”
“I’m the Finder of Lost Things, remember? Money turns up all the time.” He reached under the car seat and pulled out a quarter. “See?”
“Convenient.” Erin’s hand drifted to her seat belt buckle. What was she thinking? You can’t accept a massage from a demon you’ve just met.
Right?
“Look, Andy, I’m sure you meant well. But I don’t need your help to get back at Mark.” She stole at glance at Andy.
A small smile played around his lips.
She hadn’t noticed that his lips were so finely shaped.
