“Please do!” I smile. I catch Declan smiling, too.
He drives through town to the dry cleaner. I get out with him and say, “I’ll meet you at the paczki place. I’ll get a dozen of the kind you like.”
“Get two. Eion will eat a dozen by himself.” I nod and walk in the direction of the bakery. I cross the street and jog down the sidewalk. I’m almost to the corner when someone grabs me by the throat and drags me into the alley.
Bruno lifts me off the ground and bashes me into the side of the building. I wince as pieces of the brick wall crumbles to the pavement. “Who are ye?” he snarls. He has one of his Gancanagh crew with him. The thug is rummaging through my bag.
“You don’t want to do that,” I mutter to the undead faerie with the eyebrow piercings holding my bag.
“Whah have we here?” piercings asks with avarice in his tone.
“That’s little brudder, and he hates it when undead faeries mess with him.”
Something stirs in my belly. It feels like butterflies. My eyes widen. Bruno punches me hard in the stomach. The air in my lungs is forced from me. I gasp. Without speaking, I give my hammer a command, Fly to me, little brudder. My weapon is in my hand in less than an instant. Swinging it at Bruno’s head, I crack his skull and knock him sideways. I gaze down at him sprawled on the ground, holding his head. “If you would just listen to me for a moment, I will explain why I’m here and why you want me here. I have a proposition for—” Before I can finish, there’s a blur of charcoal-colored wings. Bruno and his piercing associate are nearly torn in half and their bodies thrown into a dumpster at the end of the alley. Reed drops a lighter into it. It ignites into flames.
Reed is in front of me in an instant, cupping my cheek. “Are you hurt?” he asks. He checks me for wounds. “Did they hurt you?” His angelic face frowns in concentration. I’m speechless, unable to move. All I can do is shake my head no. He picks up my bag from the ground and hands it to me. I hold it for about a second, and then drop it. Reed frowns. “I know I’m technically not supposed to kill your clients unless they show definite intent to murder you, but he hit you, so to me that’s intent.”
I find my voice. “What are you doing here?” I don’t sound like me.
“What do you mean?” he frowns. “I’m guarding you.”
I blink. “Why?”
“It’s my job.”
“You’re job?”
“You don’t know?” he stares at me, his face becoming hopeful all of a sudden.
I shake my head. “Know what?”
“You don’t know that I’m your guardian angel?” he asks. Little brudder drops from my hand, falling with a clank on the concrete.
My eyes fill up with tears. “Did Xavier die?” I try to hold back my sob.
Reed puts his hands on my shoulders and says softly, “No. He’s alive. He has been reassigned. I won the position.”
“You won it?”
“I had to fight for it, but in the end, the job was awarded to me. Nobody told you?” he asks.
“No,” I whisper.
“So that’s why you haven’t come to see me?” His beautiful lips begin to turn up in the corners “Come to see you? How long have you been here?” I choke.
“Months, Evie. I’ve been here months, just like you.”
“Who knew?” Anger flourishes inside me.
“Atwater.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why didn’t you come see me?”
“There are new rules for being your guardian angel, Evie. I’m not allowed to interfere with your life unless you seek me out or you are threatened. You didn’t seek me out.”
“I didn’t know you were here.”
“So…you still love mm—” I lean forward, covering his lips with mine. I meant it to be gentle, but he reacts almost violently, threading his fingers in my hair and kissing me as if there will never be enough of me for him. He holds me to him, dragging me with him midway down the alley. He pushes in a locked steel door as if it were made of paper. Kissing me as he guides me inside, I vaguely realize it’s some kind of bike repair shop by the old tires hanging on hooks on the wall. Judging by the dust in here, I don’t think anyone has gotten her bike fixed in awhile.