“What do you need me to do?”

“For starters, we need to do something about Scarlett.” His look made it clear that by “we” he meant “me”.

“It’s not like she’s gonna listen to me. She’s a grown angel who does what she wants.”

“I’m not asking you to put a leash on her. I’m asking you to give her another focus.” His words set my mind off on a tangent. I reined it in.

“Like an angelic hand grenade, you want me to pull the pin and toss her at Asmoday?”

“Crudely put, but yes. We do not need Baalth distracted by her misguided holy crusade while Asmoday waits in the wings. It also wouldn’t hurt for her to cause Asmoday a little grief.”

“Fair enough. What else?”

“I want you to pass this on to Baalth.” He slid a folder across the desk. “This is all the intelligence we have regarding Asmoday’s attempted coup. Make sure Baalth understands the precariousness of his situation.”

I picked up the folder and shook my head as I flipped through it. “I’m all for leveling the playing field a bit, but don’t you think we’re going a bit too far by providing him with firsthand information?” I met Abraham’s eyes. “We’re playing with fire just by tolerating Baalth. We sure don’t need to be hopping in bed with him.”

“Our options are limited, Frank.” I could see the frustration on his lined face. “We don’t stand much of a chance against Asmoday as things are now. If he manages to usurp Baalth’s place, there’ll be no stopping him. Our best bet is to play the factions against each other in the hopes they weaken themselves, giving us an opportunity to take advantage. As it stands, Baalth is our safest bet.”