| |
I step back into the kitchen after Bridget’s hasty exit.
“You don’t think Lucifer already knows you have another child?” Michael’s voice startles me, and my gaze snaps to his.
“Excuse me?”
“If I was aware of your spawn, you can bet Lucifer will have already been apprised of that information as well.”
Even his tone is condescending, and my fists curl at the need to punch the disgusted grimace right off his face.
He steps to the breakfast bar and bends out of view, when he straightens, he has a purse in his hand and looks beyond me. I glance over my shoulder, right into Bridget’s wide eyes. I hadn’t heard the front door open back up.
She sidesteps by me and crosses with all the attitude she left with, including a glare that matched mine.
“I would prefer if you didn’t refer to my daughter as spawn,” she snaps, and plucks her pocket book out of Michael’s hand.
“Do you know who I am?” he asks puffing out his chest like a self-absorbed jackass.
She narrows her gaze. “You’re the asshole Tom locked out of heaven.”
I can’t help the yelp of a laugh that escapes my lips and I cover my mouth. She hauls the strap over her shoulder and juts her chin out at Michael.
“I am the archangel Michael,” he growls and pumps his chest up some more. “And you had better watch your tone.”
She purses her lips at him but doesn’t cower in the least. “You had better watch your tone with me.” She flips her hair over her shoulder in a challenge, and then both hands find her waist.
It’s the damndest thing to watch, and I didn’t think I could adore the woman anymore than I did when she walked out the door a few moments ago, but now, now, I need her on my side, backing me up.
“Tell me something, almighty archangel, is Lucifer as impotent as you are?” She wiggles her fingers at him as she asks the question.
His hand moves to clasp her throat and stops an inch from her skin. Sam’s growl overshadows Michael’s and my hard warning glare makes him take a step back.
“My brother does not have the same limitations as I do,” he says. “Especially with the amount of angel blood fueling him.”
“Just as I thought,” she spins on her heels and starts to leave.
“The safest place for you and your daughter is here,” Michael says before she can march by me. I meet her gaze before she turns back to Michael.
“Why? So we can live like fugitives? Hiding away until the devil walks in to kill us all?”
Michael blinks at her brazen response, and then raises his gaze to mine.
“He has a point,” I say very softly and look down into her hazel eyes. “If you and April are here, we can keep you safe.”
“I don’t need to be protected,” she says.
“Your daughter does, and so does your friend Austin. They are the last of the angel blood outside of this compound.” He points to the ground in front of him.
A chill swirls in my blood and I stare at him. “Already?”
“It made the international news,” he hooks his thumb towards the dark television screen. “They were slaughtered.”
The hourglass just turned and the sands are sliding through at a pace I’m not sure either CJ, or I, are ready for. I turn my gaze to Bridget, sending a silent plea with my eyes.
“You can’t watch us twenty-four-seven,” Bridget says to me, ignoring Michael.
“Please.” It’s all I can drum up at the moment.
“The timing could be hours or days, depending upon how Lucifer is traveling.” Michael’s narrative is starting to irk me and I send him a glare to shut the hell up.
“Michael’s right,” CJ says from the stairwell, pulling our gazes to him. “Hi, Bridget,” he adds with a hint of a smile.
“Hey,” she returns the salutation.
“I think it’s time to assemble everyone on this side of the fence,” he says. “Because otherwise, my brother will go off and do something devastatingly stupid to save you and April.” He gives us both a soft smile, cocking his eyebrow, challenging me to say different, but he’s right.
“You and April can have the guest room upstairs and I’ll stay on the couch in the basement.”
“What about Paige and Austin?” Bridget asks.
“I believe Naomi has an extra guest room they can use until this is over.” CJ says and looks to Michael. He gives a confirming nod.
I turn to Bridget and see the skepticism layered in her gaze and the tight set of her lips.
“Bri, having you here is better than having you vulnerable across town. I promise I’ll give you your space.”
“I can’t just pull April from school, that’s insane.”
“She can join my home school program,” CJ answers, knocking down another one of Bridget’s arguments.
“You can make the choice. But he’s right. You already know what I would do if Lucifer gets his hands on either you or April.”
“Don’t put that on me,” she snaps.
“I can’t survive another slaughtering of those I love.”
“And you think I can?”
I keep eye contact with her. “You are stronger than I am.”
“Bullshit,” she hisses and takes her leave.
I follow her out onto the front walkway, catching up with her.
“Did you orchestrate that bullshit?” She points at the house, still moving towards her car.
“No. I didn’t even know you were coming by.” I grab her arm before she can open her car door. “Do not go.”
She hesitates and looks at me.
“I can help you grab stuff from home and we can pick up April at school and bring her here. Please, this is the least I can do for the two of you.” She rolls her eyes at me and I continue, “When this is all over, I will honor whatever decision you make about having me in your life, but until then, for the love of god, let me keep you safe.” Even I can hear the desperation in my plea and Bridget sucks in her lower lip before she takes a very deep breath.
“April does not know you are her father.”
“I won’t say a word. We can make up some bullshit excuse about the agency being a target, and we can say I came back to warn everyone. That could explain away my sudden appearance as well.”
She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes at me. “You’re pretty good at that,” she says.
“At what?”
“Thinking up excuses on the fly.”
I laugh and cross my arms against the chill in the morning air. “Yeah, well, my brain works on overdrive when I’m desperate.”
“Ah,” she says and a smirk appears. “Are you planning on wearing that?”
I look down at my open flannel shirt and sweats and then back at her. “If it means you’ll stay with us, I’ll wear anything you want me to.”
Her eyes sparkle with mischief, and I know I will live to regret those words, but I don’t care. Even if she makes me put on a dress and high heels, it’s worth it if she and my daughter are safe.
“Go put some jeans on. I’ll wait here for you.”
I smile and turn, jogging back inside while she waits by the car. My wardrobe choices are slim and I grab one of the new pair of jeans I bought yesterday, buttoning and tucking in the shirt I already have on. I slide my bare feet into the pair of flip-flops I have at the top of my bag, instead of trying to find a matching pair of socks for the shoes.
Sam wags her tail as I lumber down the stairs. “Stay,” I say to her, and you would have thought I just took away all her toys, but I didn’t stop to reassure her. I kept my course, heading back outside. I close the front door and stop short.
The driveway is empty.
Frustration burns through me and my stomach tightens. I turn, stepping back inside and CJ is already in the living room heading towards me.
“She gave you the shaft?”
I just nod, not trusting what my response will be.
He tosses me his keys and I look at them for a second, debating. Maybe Michael was wrong, but one glance in CJ’s eyes and I know I have to either convince her or kidnap her.
“Thanks,” I say and turn, heading after her, praying I don’t have to do anything that will put a greater wedge between us, but deep down I know her stubbornness is going to make that impossible.
I pull into the driveway of the office, behind her car and shut the truck off, blocking her in place. I find her in the bedroom, haphazardly throwing clothes in an open suitcase on the bed and I stand in the doorway, just watching her. The flurry in her mind is enough to make me clench the keys in my hand.
She turns with a handful of clothing and yelps at the sight of me.
“You can’t run.”
“Watch me,” she says and throws the pile in her arms into the suitcase.
“Goddamnit, Bridget,” I cross and turn her towards me. “You can’t run from him. He will know you aren’t here and he will find you and use you against me.”
“You don’t know that,” she snaps.
“Don’t make me control you,” I warn and her brow creases.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’m not playing games with your life. Or April’s for that matter and I will be a fucking bastard if I have to be.” I drop my hands from her arms. “So, take all the shots you want, but I’m not letting you go on a suicide mission.” I use her words against her. “Not with my daughter riding shotgun.”
“Fuck you!” She turns back towards the suitcase, trying to shovel the array of clothing into the confines of the box.
“I would rather you hate me than get hurt,” I say and take a deep breath. “So, pack your bags with anything you think you might need, and then we are going to pick up April at school.” As I speak, I push the command into her brain and her mouth drops as her body obeys.
The glare she gives me tells me I’ve gone too far, but I don’t care.
“I fight dirty, remember?” I say as she crosses in front of me and disappears into the bathroom, only to come back with her toiletries a moment later.
“I am going to make your life a living hell,” she mutters under her breath as she packs the rest of her things.
Once she is done in her room, she picks up the empty suitcase and disappears into April’s room. I close her bag, and bring it down to the truck, tossing it in the bed before I head back to collect April’s possessions.
She is nearly done with April’s things and I step close enough to reach out and tilt her chin towards me.
“I’m doing this to protect you.”
She yanks her chin away from my grip and nearly throws the suitcase at me.
“Hey, I could have made you repeat the last time we were in your bedroom together,” I say in my defense, and her jaw tightens, her eyes flashing a warning so deep that I look away. “So, I’m not that big of a dick.”
She laughs and turns, leaving me with April’s packed suitcase. I follow her downstairs and she disappears into the office while I put April’s bag next to hers. Inside, I hear the scrape of metal against metal along with a stream of curses that should make me uncomfortable, but instead they pull my lips into a smile.
I step in the doorway and my smile fades as I stare into the barrel of her gun.
“I swear, if you don’t release me, I’ll blow your goddamned brains out.”
“Put the gun away,” I say with force and she lets out a frustrated yell when the gun drops into a bag containing several other weapons.
“I hate you, Ryan,” she hisses and the dark threads weaving through her aura, overriding what is left of the pink, supports her words, but I do not want to believe what I am seeing.
I kick the bag aside and step close. “No, you don’t.”
“Right now, I do!” She glares at me, and I reach out, gently pushing stray strands of her hair out of her face.
My touch brightens the pink strands in her aura, giving me that grain of hope that this could all be salvaged, with a great deal of groveling on my part. Instead of acknowledging her fury, I glance at the arsenal she’s accumulated.
“I’m impressed,” I say and crouch down, looking through the large bag. I pull a bow out and glance up at her, cocking an eyebrow.
“It’s my hunting gear,” she says. “I think your ass would make a fabulous target.”
Even her sarcasm is cute and I stow away the bow and zip up the bag. “You’ll need to keep this locked up so the kids don’t get into it,” I say and haul the weapons over my shoulder. “You ready to pick up April?”
“No, but I have no choice, do I?”
“Unfortunately, you are correct.” I open the door for her and lock up the house behind us. When I open the passenger side of the truck, she glares and climbs in. She would rather have her car, but that isn’t going to happen. At least not until I can ensure she isn’t going to run away, as she was planning when I got here.
I drive to the school and park at the curb, helping her out of the truck before locking it.
“How am I supposed to explain you?” she asks as we walk to the door.
“Tell them I’m your body guard, because as of now, that’s exactly what I am.”
She glances sideways at me.
“I’ll kill anything that tries to hurt you,” I say in my best deadpan voice and she slows, stopping just outside the door.
“You’re serious.”
I meet her stare. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”
Instead of voicing any of the stream of thoughts flowing through her mind, she turns and enters the school without a word. I follow a few steps behind and hang in the doorway to the office instead of stepping completely inside.
Bridget adopts a pleasant voice and requests that April be sent to the office, making up an excuse of a dentist appointment. I’m surprised at the ease with which she applies the snow job, and I have a second to wonder if she’s blowing smoke at me as well.
She glances over her shoulder at me and gives a small laugh, sharing comments with the school secretary. That same pink flows in miniature ribbons through her aura and then it’s gone almost as quickly as it comes.
Her aura starts flashing at the same time April steps out of the nurse’s office with an ice pack over her eye.
“What the hell happened?” Bridget asks, waving at her daughter and addressing the school secretary.
“One of the boys hit her at recess,” the secretary says. “He probably likes your daughter,” she adds with a small smirk.
My protective instincts kick in, but I hold back. This is not the time or the place to make an issue of it. But as soon as we are under CJ’s roof, not only would April start home schooling with CJ, she would also start learning Jujitsu, so if some other little punk tries to hurt her, she can take them down.
“Excuse me?” Bridget announces, loud enough to call the attention of everyone in the office. “Are you telling me that it’s okay that my daughter was hit, because you think the boy might like her? What the hell kind of message is that?”
The school secretary’s eyes bulge with Bridget’s statement, but it is more because of her language than the real meaning of Bridget’s words.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean it to sound that way, because it is never okay to hit a girl for any reason,” I say, interjecting myself before Bridget loses it completely. I can almost see steam rising from her. “And if she was insinuating that it was okay because the boy likes her, then perhaps she should take a hard look at the message she is conveying.”
The secretary’s attention is now on me and her eyes are wide enough to see her entire irises.
I step to Bridget’s side and place my hand on the small of her back, guiding her out with April’s hand tightly in her grasp. We make it to the car before April takes off the ice pack and stares at me.
“Why are you here?”
“Because your mother needed a ride and we are stopping at my brother’s on the way home.”
Her eyes darted to her mother.
“Uncle CJ’s house,” Bridget says and climbs in the front of the truck.
I open the back door and step to the side, letting April get inside. Silence prevails and I can’t help but listen to the swirl of thoughts in both their heads.
“How much do you know about the business?” I ask, glancing at April in the rearview mirror.
“She knows nothing,” Bridget says.
“Mom hunts ghosts,” April says at the same time. “She’s pretty badass.”
“April!” Bridget turns, staring down her daughter with eyes wider than I expect.
“Yeah, I think she is, too,” I say, and glance in the rearview mirror.
“You want to tell me what happened?” Bridget asks, still looking over the seat, bringing the conversation back to what possessed that boy to hit her.
April shakes her head.
“You can talk to me,” Bridget says very softly, and April meets her gaze.
“I told him about my dream, that everyone in York is going to die, and he got mad at me,” she whispers, and I nearly run off the road. “York is going to burn,” she adds after I jerk the car back into the lane.
It wasn’t her words that catch me off guard, it was the vividness of the vision of my hometown looking like a battle zone that accosts me, and when I meet her gaze in the mirror, accusation leaps from her eyes.
“You’re my father, aren’t you?” she asks, changing the subject. I glance at Bridget, looking for help in answering the question.
“Why would you ask that?” Bridget’s voice rises into that nervous tone that even April catches.
She glares at her mother. “I’m not stupid, Mom. I see the way you look at him and I see the way he looks at you. Besides, look at him, his eyes look exactly like mine.”
That’s a pretty astute observation for a ten-year-old, and I’m impressed. I glance back at her just before I turn onto Roaring Rock, and nod. The kid has a right to know.
“Are you the reason I have these dreams?” she asks.
“I see ghosts, so I don’t know.”
Her eyebrows arch. “You see ghosts?”
I let out a soft laugh. “Yes. It’s the whole reason why I opened a paranormal investigation agency.” We pull up to the closed gate and I type in the access number instead of just willing the gates open, like I could have done.
When I finally park the truck inside the garage and close the door, shutting us in, I pull the keys from the ignition.
“Why did you leave us,” April asks, her voice is low and quiet and I glance at Bridget.
“I left so I could keep you safe,” I say, keeping Bridget’s gaze. The fact I didn’t know I had a daughter until yesterday is a moot point. I turn away and climb out of the truck, opening the door for April and helping her down. When I haul the luggage out of the back, she stares at it and then me before turning to her mother.
“We are apparently staying here for a while,” Bridget answers the unspoken question in her daughter’s eyes.
“So, CJ is really my uncle and Alex, Amber, and Arianna are really my cousins?” There’s an interesting spark in her eyes that makes me smile and she smiles back. Everything clicks into place in her mind and she turns to her mother.
Bridget is sending me the evil eye, as if this conversation is not welcome right now, not with the danger that we all face.
“Yes,” I say when she doesn’t answer. “This is your family and right now, we are here to keep everyone safe.”
“You brought the danger, didn’t you?” she asks and I look straight at her.
“It would have come whether I was here or not, but at least with me here, you all have a fighting chance of surviving.”
She steps closer to her mother, seeking comfort in the close proximity.
“Go on inside,” I nod to the door, and the three of us enter the chaotic family room. I leave them in the midst of everyone and haul their bags up to the guest room I had stayed in last night, dumping the suitcases on the bed, the arsenal stayed on my shoulder. Finding a safe place is going to be a challenge, but when I open the closet, a logical spot presents itself. The top shelf is half-empty and I haul the bag into the space.
Sam nudges me and I smile down at my ever-present dog.
“Hey, girl,” I say as I step out of the closet and close the door. Squatting, I let her lick my face, and I rub behind both ears. “I’m sorry I had to leave you here, but it wouldn’t have been a very fun trip for you.”
I gather my things and carry my duffel bag downstairs, crossing through the animated discussions and dump my bag on the landing of the stairwell to the basement.
Instead of engaging in the heated discussions between Naomi, Michael, CJ, and Austin, I slide into the farthest seat at the breakfast bar, with Sam at my feet and just watch. Paige sits with the kids on the couch, just as dumbfounded as the group.
Bridget doesn’t know whether to interject or not and April just stares until she finally turns and trudges over to me, squatting to address my dog. She slides onto the seat next to me, watching with the same fascination as I am.
“You’re not going to say anything?” she asks, and turns towards me.
“No. Do you want a soda or something?” I ask, trying to be polite. Now that we are inside the confines of the house, I’m not sure what to do or say, and I’ve let go of the mental hold I have had on Bridget since we left her place. She crosses her arms, glaring at me.
“I’m okay,” April says.
“There are some things you are going to learn in the next few days that are going to scare you. I’m here if you need to talk, okay?”
She looks up at me, chewing on her lip and I study the bruise around her eye.
“Do you want more ice for that?”
Her hand flutters to the bruise and she shakes her head. “I’ll be okay. I didn’t mean to upset Danny today.”
“He shouldn’t have hit you. No matter how upset a boy gets, it is never okay to hit a girl, and if anyone tries to sweep it under the rug like the boy hit you because he likes you, you tell them to go pound sand. It’s never okay.” I reach over, and move her hair back so I can see the mark. “It’s never okay,” I say again and meet her gaze.
She looks down at the ground and I reach out, hooking my finger under her chin and force her to meet my gaze.
“It’s not your fault, either. Don’t even go down that road. A boy needs to treat his girl with love and respect, and not make her feel guilty for speaking her mind.”
Bridget steps closer with her arms crossed and her lips tight. “A boy needs to learn to grovel when he’s done something wrong,” she adds, looking directly at me.
“I’m not apologizing for forcing you to come here,” I snap at her at the same time the room gets quiet, so only my voice is heard. Everyone turns towards us and heat fills my face. I certainly didn’t want an audience for this argument.
“You forced my mother?” April’s voice rises and I look down at her.
“Yes, I did, because she was going to run away with you, right into the danger we are trying to avoid.”
“Jesus, Tom,” Bridget hisses.
“Everyone in this house has a right to know what’s coming.” The snarl in my voice makes both April and Bridget move back.
April’s face blanches. “The dream...”
I meet her gaze, holding it, but I don’t confirm or deny it. The fact my daughter is clairvoyant, and none of CJ’s kids exhibit any supernatural abilities tickles me, but being a dream seer probably won’t bode well for her if Lucifer finds out.
I finally raise my gaze to Bridget. “Your mom has every right to be angry with me, but not about this,” I say, and scan every face in the room until my gaze lands on Michael. “If I had been given the full set of instructions when I left ten years ago, we wouldn’t be facing this sh...” I stop pressing my lips together. Shit storm isn’t appropriate for some of the ears in the room. “So, if we are going to start pointing fingers, we can all look to the archangel in the room.”
I lean back in the seat and cross my arms. He glares at me, and the hate radiates from him in waves.
“We can play the blame game all day long, but it won’t stop the fact that Lucifer is coming.” Michael says and he scans the faces in the room, including mine. “This house contains all that is left of angel descendants. Lucifer would like nothing more than to crush most of you into oblivion, and the rest, well; you do not want to entertain the hell he has in store for you.” His gaze lands on me to make his point.
April swings her eyes from Michael to me, her mind swims with what she is being told, and Bridget reaches out, placing her hand on her shoulder to lessen the building fear.
“We are angels?” she asks, and the shock of her words draws smiles from both CJ and I.
I shake my head. “No, the only actual angel in the room is Michael,” I say, trying to bring her up to speed. “We are all grandchildren and distant great-grandchildren of angels,” I add, to put some kind of reference on it that she can understand.
Alex sits on the couch with his arms around his sisters. “It’s his fault,” he says nodding towards me.
“No. He made a valid point,” Michael says surprising the hell out of me. “He has made some very damning mistakes in the past, but this isn’t one of them.” He glances at CJ. “And he made a very recent decision that we never saw coming, but it may very well be the only choice that could end up saving everyone in this room.” He turns back to me. “That was a smart decision, smarter than what I expected from you.”
While I know it was a compliment, it was backhanded in a way that burned, but I keep the irritation to myself and just give a nod of acknowledgement.
“I think we’ve probably done enough scaring the crap out of the kids for now,” I say, interrupting the direction of this conversation and sparing both CJ’s kids and April from more of this dark talk. Naomi’s children were teens and able to handle the uncertainty of it all much better than our kids. “Why don’t you guys all go down and play some video games for a bit, while we hash this out, okay?”
The relief on all the children’s faces as they scatter and make a beeline for the basement makes me smile.
April remains in the seat, just looking at the group before she turned to me. “What did you do that upset everyone?”
I looked up at Bridget and she shook her head, her eyes warning me not to be honest with this one. However, the moment she is downstairs and asks the same question, she will be told exactly what kind of a monster I am.
“I killed my best friend to try to save my first daughter’s life.”
Her eyes widen and she shrinks into Bridget’s side. After a few blinks, she asks, “I have a sister?”
I shake my head. “No. She died, despite all my efforts to save her.”
She turns to her mother. “Is that why you had me?”
Bridget’s gaze rises to mine. “His little girl was not mine,” she says. “I only knew her for a little while, but I was there for Tom after she died.” She bites her lower lip and blinks, not knowing how to tell her daughter that she was actually an unintended mistake. She clears her throat and lowers her gaze. “Your father didn’t know about you when he left,” she says.
April stares at her mother and then looks at me. “You said you left to keep me safe.”
My mouth pops open, and I’m not sure what to say now that I am caught in a white lie.
“He left to keep me safe, and by default that kept you safe.” Bridget saves me the pain of having to back-track my words, but April’s gaze hardens as she studies me. She glances between the two of us and slides off the chair, heading downstairs to be with the other kids.
“Way to go, asshole,” Bridget mutters, and we focus on the rest of the group staring at us.
“She asked,” I say, and defensiveness creeps into my voice.
“And you don’t go telling a ten-year-old that she was a mistake,” she snarls.
“I never said that,” I put my hands up and back into the seat, trying to distance myself from her anger.
“You two can discuss your situation later,” Michael interrupts. “We have more important things to discuss.”
“Like how do we stop York from burning?”
Every eye turns towards me and a collective chill slips into the room.