I look around. Candy is sitting on Vidocq’s battered sofa with Alessa on one side and Allegra on the other. She beckons me over.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she says.
“Who said I was going anywhere?”
“I know that look when you’re scoping out ways to leave.”
“I was just going to take a walk.”
“Where?”
“No place special.”
She frowns. “This is a very bad time to be lying.”
“I have some business I have to finish up.”
“You’re going to save the world in your condition?”
“No. I’m just going to break some things and scare some people.”
“Wormwood?” Candy says.
“Yeah.”
“You said Wormwood was everywhere. How can you hurt them?”
“I can’t destroy the organization, but I can take down some of its leaders. Knowing those rat fucks, there’ll be a power struggle to see who’s in charge. That ought to slow them down for a while.”
Allegra says, “And you’re going to do that all by yourself?”
“If I pray real hard, I’m sure I can get the baby Jesus to watch over me.”
“You just blew up a church,” says Candy.
“Okay. The Devil then.”
“That’s more like it.”
I take a couple of steps away.
“See you soon.”
“Wait,” Candy says. “You need to stay here. What if they find a spell or something to fix you?”
“I have my phone. And let’s be serious. I appreciate what they’re doing, but what are the chances of them finding anything in the next couple of hours? The only person who can help is Howard and he’s not going to budge.”
“I could make him,” says Ca
ndy.
“I know you could, baby, and I appreciate it. But don’t. You’re already hurt because of me. I want to go knowing you’re safe.”
She gets up. “I want the same thing. If you’re going to go, I want to know it’s not lying in some alley somewhere or in a Wormwood jail.”
“That’s not going to happen this time. I’m doing one small thing and coming right back. I promise.”
Candy starts to say something, but Alessa cuts her off.