She hesitates. Balls and unballs her fists.
“I don’t want to say it. But you know.”
“Then I’ll say it for you. Wormwood.”
“Yes.”
Oh, Cherry. How many bad decisions can you make in one life- or death-time? I want to snap her neck. I want to find more of those tree shamblers and feed her to them. But she did save us, fucked-up motives aside, so I just talk.
“That angel attack. The town full of Legionnaires. Those ships on the river. You were telling Wormwood where we were and where we were going.”
“Of course. That’s the first thing they wanted to know.”
“All those breakdowns along the road. Were those you, too?”
“Some,” she says like I caught her stealing from the collection plate. “They wanted us to go slower so they could keep an eye on things.”
“You know, a lot of people died along the way because of your bullshit. All those pathetic souls in those little towns.”
“But you didn’t. I always made sure you were safe.”
“Because Wormwood told you to.”
“Yes. But for me, too. I don’t want to be alone again.”
“Of course.”
Her face gets hard.
“Fuck you, Jimmy. Don’t talk to me like that, like I’m one of those bar girls you used to con into buying you drinks. You let me die, but I saved your ass a dozen times down here. Don’t forget that.”
“And you murdered a hundred people and made Wormwood a fortune. So don’t try to guilt me into anything.” Something nags at me. “Why do they even care about me anymore?”
“That’s the thing. They care a lot. Hell needs to change, just like you say. But not too much. Just enough.”
“Just enough so they can keep making money off the war. Day-trading on damnation futures. What else?”
“I don’t know. But when they heard you were here, they knew you could mess up their plan. Now, though, now that you can’t leave, they can make things easier for you.”
I turn and go. It’s the only way to keep from wringing her neck. Cherry grabs me from behind.
“Don’t walk away from me. I don’t want to be alone down here and neither do you. You think Alice is going to stay in this pigsty with you? She’s got her wings, and the moment Heaven calls, she’s going home. I like you, Jimmy. We need to stick together. Wormwood can set us up nice.”
I turn and look at her hard. She stands her ground.
“You helped with Raziel, so I’m not going to kill you. But that’s the best I can do for you. Good-bye, Cherry.”
I head back to where Alice and the others are waiting. I only get a few steps when I hear the distinctive sound of the hammer being pulled back on a revolver. I turn around. Cherry is pointing a very shiny Colt Python at me.
“I swear to God I will, Jimmy. Wormwood will cut me off if you walk away. I can’t be alone down here anymore. You don’t know what it’s like.”
“Yeah. I do. I know exactly what it’s like.”
I head back to the others.
“I’ll do it. Take one more step.”
I look at her again. Crane my neck a little to get a better angle.