Nigel crossed his arms over his chest and stared flatly at Jim. “Now that Devina knows you and you’ve taken something from her, she’s going to start targeting your weaknesses. This is going to get much harder and much more personal.”

“The bitch can bring it on, how about that.”

Colin grinned. “It is a bit of a shock we two don’t get along better.”

Byron cleared his throat. “I think we should all just take a moment to support Jim as opposed to challenging him more. He has done a wonderful, brave thing, and I for one am quite proud.”

As Bertie started chiming in and Tarquin’s tail wagged, Jim held out his palms. “I’m cool—Oh God, no hugging, no—”

Too late. Byron wrapped surprisingly strong arms around Jim and embraced him, and then Bertie was next, with Tarquin rising up and putting his paws on Jim’s shoulders. The angels smelled good; he had to give them that—just like that smoke that had come from the cigars Eddie had lit up.

Fortunately, though, Nigel and Colin weren’t the brothers-inside-arms types.

Sometimes you lucked out.

Funny, Jim was a little touched, though it wasn’t like he’d admit it. And abruptly, he was also ready to go back into battle. That flag, that tangible symbol of success, was a serious motivator for some reason—maybe because in his old life headstones were how he measured whether he was getting the job done, and that waving banner was far more attractive and uplifting.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” he said to the group. “I’ve got something I need to do before my next case. I need to find a man before he gets killed for the wrong reasons. It’s part of my old life and not the kind of thing I can walk away from.”

Nigel smiled, his strangely beautiful eyes locking onto Jim’s as if they saw everything. “Of course, you must do as you wish.”

“So do I come back here after I’m done or…?”

More of that all-knowing smile. “Simply take care of things.”

“How do I get in touch with you?”

“Don’t call upon us. We shall call upon you.”

Jim cursed under his breath. “You sure you don’t know Matthias?”

Colin spoke up. “You do realize that Devina can be anything and anybody. Men, women, children, certain animals. She is pervasive in her numerous forms.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Trust no one.”

Jim nodded at the angel. “Not a problem, I got plenty of experience with that shit. One thing, though…do you guys actually communicate with me through the TV or did I lose my damn mind?”

“Godspeed, James Heron,” Nigel said, raising his palm. “You have proven yourself worthy against our enemy. Now do it again, you tough bastard.”