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

CHAPTER 12

After Katie cleaned the kitchen, she sat and watched TV with her mom for a while. Everything seemed like it was going to be all right now that her mom appeared to be more accepting of her relationship, even though nothing would have changed if her mom hadn't approved. Still, it lessened some of Katie's stress. Around seven thirty, she said she had some homework to do and headed up to her room.

Katie checked her phone to see if Josh had texted her again, but he hadn't. That wasn't really surprising. It was a pretty pointless endeavor. Especially when he just showed up whenever he wanted. She glanced down at the jeans and t-shirt she had worn to school and wondered briefly if it was suitable for going out. She shrugged and plopped onto her bed. There was no doubt they were going somewhere to harvest a soul, so it really didn't matter what she had on. Besides, she didn't want to change anyway. She pulled on her tennis shoes and lay back on her bed, eyes closed, as she waited for Josh. The events of the day had worn her down, and she had no idea how long she'd be out that night, so a quick nap would probably do her some good.

He arrived promptly at eight o'clock and woke her up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned before taking him in. He was dressed in a pair of tight, dark blue Wranglers with a large gold belt buckle, a light orange button-up shirt, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. Shock ran through her, causing her mouth to fall open. Normally if someone she knew had shown up dressed out of character like this, she would have laughed. But the outfit made Josh even hotter, and she hadn't thought that was possible. She stood slowly from the bed and took him in from head to toe. He placed his forefinger, middle finger, and thumb on the brim of his hat and tipped it slightly toward her.

"Ma'am." A smile spread across his lips.

Katie's knees wobbled, but she remained upright. "Where are we going tonight?" Although from the outfit she assumed it was a Western-type place.

"Just another club." He gestured toward her. "What you have on is just fine. You'll fit right in."

Katie glanced down at herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious and a little frumpy. "Are you sure?"

Josh shrugged. "Well, maybe just change your shirt. A tank top would work. It'll probably get hot."

Katie nodded and went to her dresser. She found a tank top and headed into the bathroom to change. Before rejoining him, she made it a point to brush her hair and add some shiny lip gloss to her lips. Feeling better, she went back to her room. Josh smiled as she entered.

"You look great."

Katie smiled back and ran her hands over her hips. "Thanks."

He held out his hand. "Shall we?"

She took it, and they stepped into the portal.

The bar was thick with smoke that stung Katie's eyes and made her cough. The portal had opened in a storeroom, and they headed down a short hallway until they were in the main part of the bar. The room was fairly large, about twice the size of her high school gym, but people were jammed inside. Katie was terrible at guessing the number of people, but there were a lot. And they ranged in age from slightly older than her to their late sixties. The vast majority of them were dressed similar to Josh, but there were others who didn't have on cowboys' clothes. Katie didn't stand out, so that made her happy.

Josh tightened his grip on her hand and led her through the crowd. She noticed that the walls of the place were decorated with various animal mounts, along with ancient-looking guns, lassos, and pictures of cowboys. The tang of alcohol hit her nose when the smoke wasn't barraging it, and Josh hadn't been kidding about the heat. It wasn't Hell hot, but it bordered on the uncomfortable.

Josh led her to the bar at the far side of the room. Surprisingly, there was an open stool, and Josh gestured for her to take it. Visions of the other club Josh had taken her to entered her thoughts, but this time she wasn't afraid. She knew why she was there. And she knew that Josh wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to her. It didn't even bother her that she would be the reason the soul was harvested. This was her life now. It was the choice she'd made. Her limbs tingled and her chest got warm as she thought about the soul she had carried to Hell. She glanced around the room and wondered what poor soul was their target.