Good Intentions (Book 3 in the Road to Salvation Series)

CHAPTER 16

Katie and Josh walked hand in hand to the couch and turned on the TV. Josh laid his head on her lap, and she absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair. She was determined not to think about Wes and what the demons may or may not be planning. It would drive her insane. But she was going to find out exactly what was going on. Hopefully. She shook the thought from her head. She was going to find out.

The front door opened and closed with force, pulling Katie out of her typical TV trance.

"Katie," her mom's voice called into the house. "I'm home."

Crap! What time was it? She looked down at Josh, who stretched and sat up, a smile on his face. It was too late to get him out of the house. No doubt her mom had already seen his car out front. She grimaced. It still didn't make her happy to have Josh around her mom, but a few minutes would probably be all right. She'd just get him out as quickly as possible.

"Say a quick hi, then head out," she whispered as she stood.

He cocked his head to the side and stuck out his bottom lip in mock sadness. "Ah, come on. I want to hang out for a bit."

Katie placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. "Not gonna happen."

Josh shrugged. "Whatever. You wanna go out tonight?"

"Yeah. Sure. Fine. Just head for the door." She spun him around and pushed him toward the front door.

Her mom was in the kitchen unloading grocery bags as they passed. She turned before they made it to the door.

"I picked up a rotisserie chicken for dinner," she said. Her gaze fell on Josh, and she smiled. "You staying to eat?"

Her enthusiasm at the prospect of him staying was apparent. Katie held her breath as she awaited his reply. Her mom had extended an invitation, and he could take it, but she hoped he didn't. She'd instructed him not to.

"Thanks, Mrs. Barrett, but I have to get going."

Katie released the breath.

Disappointment crossed her mom's face. "Okay. No worries. By the way, I met your dad at the grocery story. We'll be doing dinner this weekend."

"Awesome. I've been telling him all about you. I'm glad the dinner thing finally worked out."

Katie's eyes grew wide and her stomach knotted. What? Josh's dad? Who in Hell was that? And why were they meeting her mom at the grocery store? This wasn't okay. She was trying to keep demons away from her mom, and now they were searching her out. Was it because of Randy and Wes? It had to be. There was no other explanation. The demons felt threatened, so they were trying to keep hold of what was theirs. Apparently, Katie needed to remind them her mom was not theirs and was not to be used as a bargaining tool.

"Yeah, that sounds great." Katie forced a laugh. "It'll be so much fun."

Her mom glanced at her. "It sure will." She turned back to Josh. "Well, you have a good night. I'll see you this weekend." She spun on her heel and headed back into the kitchen.

Katie opened the door for Josh. Before he could walk out, she grabbed his shirt and stopped him. He turned to face her.

"Your dad?" she asked. "Who in the hell is that?"

"Lucifer. He said he wanted to help protect you and your family."

Katie grimaced. The last thing she needed was the Devil around her mom. That wasn't going to turn out well. Plus, she remembered what Wes had said about Lucifer loving Lilith, and that really creeped her out.