“Rebecca,” she said.
“Who’s Rebec—ow! Bear, stop jumping on me. I’m not the one with the food,” Naomi said.
There was movement and what sounded like paws clicking on the floor.
“Welita, you need to get Bear’s nails trimmed. She’s scratching my legs.”
Damn, a dog. As much as Lash liked furry little creatures, he’d yet to meet one that liked him. It was as if they could sense something was off with him. He wondered how long he had before the dog would pick up on his scent. Would Bear attack him like the others in the past had tried? He fought back the urge to sneak a peek to see the size of the dog. Being bitten wasn’t a problem since he healed quickly, but he’d rather not deal with the pain. If Bear picked up on his scent, it would make it difficult to look after Naomi from a distance.
“Bear. Stop bothering Naomi and come over so I can feed you. Silly dog,” Welita said. She placed a bowl on the floor and tossed the can’s contents in it. “Don’t you remember? I told you about Rebecca.”
Chuy chuckled.
Welita frowned. “It’s not funny.”
“What, Chuy?” Naomi asked. “Who is she?”
“She thinks Rebecca is her guardian angel.”
“I don’t think it. I know it.” Welita walked to the trash can and dropped the can into it. “She came to me the night Javier died.”
“She thinks she had a vision,” Chuy explained to Naomi.
“About what?”
Lash was curious, too. He went through the angels he knew. There were so many of them. Because they were always working in various locations, there was no way that he could know all of them. The name Rebecca didn’t ring any bells.
“She told me that Javier was a good boy and that he was set up,” Welita said.
Naomi pushed herself off the counter. “What do you mean, set up?”
“She said that Javier didn’t drink anything that night and that someone staged it so that everyone would blame him for the accident instead of the senator.”
“Uh, Welita, maybe you’re confused with something you saw on TV?” Naomi’s voice was hesitant. “Maybe a reporter was doing some undercover work on the senator?”
“I’m not confused. It was Rebecca.” Welita sounded adamant.
Naomi turned to Chuy. “Do you know a Rebecca? Maybe she’s one of the neighbors?”
“There’s nothing wrong with my mind,” Welita said vehemently. “I have a guardian angel, and her name is Rebecca.”
“There’s no one by that name in the neighborhood,” Chuy said.
“How about church?”
“Hmm …” Chuy furrowed his brows deep in thought. “I know she talks to a Raquel sometimes. You know, the lady that makes the tamales and sells them out of her home.”
“Oh, yeah, those are good.”
“Stop acting like I’m senile.” Welita huffed. “There’s nothing wrong with me. Rebecca warned us to stay away from the senator. She said that the people who helped her with the cover-up were dangerous.”
Lash wondered who Rebecca was and why she was there. If she was sent on an assignment to look over the family, then why did Michael send him, too? It was highly unusual for a family to have more than one angel assigned to them. He’d have to remember to ask Raphael the next time he saw him—if he bothered coming back.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Naomi said. “They were able to make the entire city of Houston believe that my father was driving drunk and make it look like it was his fault that he died.” She paced the floor growing angrier by the second. “I’m getting sick and tired of people like that taking advantage of others. Just because our family isn’t rich, it doesn’t give them the right to run all over us.”
“I bet that billionaire dude had something to do with it,” Chuy said. “I saw him sitting in the car, waiting for her.”
Naomi hit the side of her thigh with her fists as she continued to pace. “There has to be a way to expose them. Maybe some type of function with a lot a media.”
“The news said there’s a fundraiser at the Plaza tonight. She’s the guest speaker.”
“What time is it?” Naomi asked as she rushed out of the kitchen.
Lash bolted up, wondering what Naomi had in mind. By the tone of her voice, she was up to something that sounded like trouble. How was he going to stop her without revealing himself? He groaned. It would be much easier if he could go back to his angel form.
“Where are you going?” Welita went down the hall after Naomi.
“The Plaza,” Naomi yelled back.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? It’s too dangerous,” Welita said.
“Chuy will go with me.” Naomi emerged with a backpack and helmet in hand.
“I will?”
Naomi scowled. “Yes, you will. Pick me up at my apartment in an hour. It’ll look too suspicious if we drive up in my bike.”