Dealing with Devils (Book 2 in the Road to Salvation Series)

CHAPTER 7

Deb and Katie hung out at Katie's house, watching TV with her mom. The conversation from the car drifted back into her mind. Her feelings for Josh had always been complicated. There were so many things she knew she should do—one of which was to get away from him—but she couldn't do them. She believed she could change him. She had believed that from the moment in the warehouse when he asked her to kill Wes. There was something about him that didn't seem evil. She saw it in the way he looked at her, the way he protected her. She truly believed he had genuine feelings for her; maybe he just needed help developing them. Maybe he just needed someone to show him how to be good, and then he'd have faith he could accomplish that goal.

The thought crossed her mind that she might not actually be the person capable of doing that. Her thoughts drifted to the encounter with Lucifer and what she saw and experienced while gazing into his eyes. Lucifer seemed so sure they were connected. And as much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't. There was something too real, too familiar, being in his presence. He made her feel safe and appreciated. She wanted to know why. In truth, she also didn't want the sensation to end. She was well aware of how others—particularly Deb—viewed her decision. She wasn't supposed to choose evil. It went against everything society was taught. Yet, what they were told about evil wasn't reality. The lines between light and dark weren't as clear-cut as they made it seem. And Katie had witnessed that first-hand with Josh and Wes.

Her gaze drifted out the front window to Wes's house, like it had countless times before. The place still looked abandoned. Were they ever going to come back? Did Katie really want them to? Wes had made her life miserable for so long. He claimed to love her, but all he'd ever done was abandon her. That wasn't the way she was taught "good" was supposed to act. And Wes killed, just like Josh. They both justified it in their own way, but death was death. Katie didn't care anymore what people thought about her decisions. It was her life; she was going to do what she wanted to do. Her choices and the consequences from those choices were hers to make and deal with. Still, she was curious to know what happened to them. Where did they go?

Someone bumped Katie's leg, and she came back to reality and looked at Deb.

"I need to head home," Deb said.

Katie nodded and pushed herself from the couch. She walked her friend to the door.

"It was great to see you, Deb," Mom called from the living room. "I'm here any time you need me."

Deb stopped at the door and called back into the house. "Thanks, Mom."

Deb never called Katie's mom by her first name, it was always "Mom," and Katie did the same to Deb's mom. It started in junior high as a joke, but as their friendship grew and they thought of each other as sisters from different families, it became a term of endearment.

Deb hugged Katie tightly. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Katie pulled away and nodded. "Thanks. But things will be fine."

"I hope so," Deb whispered before walking out the front door. She waved without turning around. "See you tomorrow."

Katie waved briefly, then closed the door and headed back to the couch. She placed her head on her mom's shoulder and stared at the TV. It seemed like everything was all right between the two of them and that their differences had been resolved, but they hadn't. She knew Deb was still thinking about Josh and wanted to get him out of their lives. If she wasn't, she would have just said goodbye. Deb wasn't going to let this go. Katie just wondered what her next tactic would be. She never gave up easily. Katie hoped she didn't try to confront Josh again. Unfortunately, she hadn't had the chance yet to get Josh to promise that he wouldn't hurt her friend.