Lash Broken Angel

16





“Driver’s license and boarding pass please,” the agent droned.

Naomi grabbed Lash’s arm. “Tell me that you have a driver’s license.”

“Of course, I do.” Lash pulled out his wallet. “I’ve been known to drive from time to time. You were introduced to my mad driving skills early this morning. Besides, it’s hard to do anything financially without one these days.”

“Ma’am, driver’s license and boarding pass please,” the agent called to Naomi.

The agent gave a glance at her license and then looked into the dog carrier with a flashlight. “You’ll need to take the animal out of the carrier and put the carrier through the scanner. Carry the dog with you through the metal detector.”

“Okay, thanks.” Naomi walked through the checkpoint.

“Good morning,”—Lash read off the agent’s name tag—“Mr. Daryll Williams. Busy day?” He flashed a smile.

The agent eyed him suspiciously. “License and boarding pass.”

He’s in a bad mood. Lash held a breath as the agent looked over his license wishing he had taken the time to make himself look older. He didn’t have time to update the birthdate to fit the youthful look he maintained. He rubbed his hand over his chin, feeling the stubble. At least he didn’t shave, that may help.

The agent looked at the license then back up at Lash. He clicked on a pen light and brushed it over the license carefully. He then looked back up at Lash with a raised eyebrow.

“Plastic surgery. Houston has the best, you know.”

“Um, hmm.” The agent scribbled on the boarding pass and handed it back to him.

“Thank you.” Lash smiled and stepped through.

“Hurry up, Lash,” Naomi called out to him as she and Bear went through the metal detector. “The plane’s already started boarding. If we run we might make it.”

“I’m right behind you.” Lash placed his bag on the conveyor belt and then stepped toward the metal detector.

“Hold on there.” A woman with a TSA badge motioned to him. “You need to take off your shoes and send it through the x-ray.”

“My shoes?”

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Do it, Lash.” Naomi said. “And hurry up.”

After a couple of minutes with struggling to take off his hiking boots, Lash placed them on the conveyor belt and walked through the metal detector, setting it off.

Naomi groaned.

“Step to the side, sir. I’ll need to pat you down,” the woman said.

Lash looked at Naomi confused. He didn’t know what they expected to find on him.

He followed the woman’s instructions and stretched out his arm as she patted him down. When she trailed down his sides he laughed.

The agent stopped and gave him a look.

“Sorry. I’m ticklish.”

The woman shook her head and continued.

He was telling her the truth. He didn’t understand why the agent had to be so cold.

Then he felt hands between his legs. He jumped.

“Whoa there.” What the hell was all that about?

“Sir, you’re going to have to be still during the procedure.”

“Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting it.” People were strange. He definitely didn’t know what she expected to find down there that could possibly take down a plane. He had heard one account, a while back, in which a man supposedly carried explosives in his underwear. There was no way that could have caused any damage. Leave it to people to be more worried about exploding underwear than the obvious signs set before them.

“Finally,” Naomi said as Lash approached her.

“How much time do we have?”

Naomi looked at the airport board and then back at her watch. “Crap, we have two minutes. Run.”

Lash took the carrier from Naomi and ran in the direction of their gate. Even if they didn’t make it on time, they could try to get another flight out. He had to admit that he was anxious to get her out of the city. He had no idea where Sal was at the moment.

They arrived their gate, breathless and Naomi made a beeline to the woman at the counter.

“Flight 5256?”

“I’m sorry, just you missed it.” The woman pointed to the window behind her.

Naomi dropped her bag, exhausted, as she watched the plane moving away from the gate bridge.

“Would you like for me to rebook you on another flight?”

“Yes, please.” She handed her the boarding pass.

Lash looked at her apologetically and then handed the woman his boarding pass. “I didn’t know they were going to be so thorough.”

“You didn’t know to take off your shoes?”

“Now how was I supposed to know that? This is my first time flying…commercial that is.”

“And what’s with the laughing and the jumping? You know you could have gotten in trouble for that. Ever since 9/11 airport security has been really tight and—”

Behind Naomi, there was a flash of light, and Lash tackled her to the ground just as the wave of explosion hit the window sending shards of glass through the air.

There was a beat of silence, and in that moment, he knew. The plane that had just departed had exploded and they were meant to be on that plane. It was only a matter of time before it was discovered that they were not on there. They had to leave. Now.

Screams surrounded him as he pulled Naomi from the floor. She turned in the direction of the window, her eyes widened and a hand went over her mouth as she watched the plane being eaten by flames. She looked at the people around her that had stood closest to the windows.

“Naomi, we need to go.” Lash picked up the carrier, trying to calm down Bear who was barking fiercely at the direction of the flames.

Anita was right. Bear can sense them, and they’re near.

“Naomi.”

“Her eyes are bleeding.” Naomi’s eyes were glazed as she pointed at a woman wandering around the area, her hands reaching out blindly. “We need to help her.”

“No, we have to go.”

“They’re hurt.” She took a step and stumbled.

“Naomi, look at me.” He lifted her head and stared into her eyes. “They’re near and they’re coming after us. You’re in shock and you need to try to get yourself together.”

“What?” Her eyes were unfocused.

“I’m sorry. I have to do this.” Lash slapped her.

Naomi looked at him, stunned, and then she scowled. “You a*shole. Why did you do that?”

“Because you were losing it and we have to go.” He picked up Bear’s carrier, grabbed her hand, and ran. “Call Chuy. Have him pick us up where he left us off.”

Lash and Naomi pushed through the crowds as the people gathered to see what happened. A siren went off and there was announcement made that the airport was going to be locked down. No one was going to be able to go in or out.

He groaned as he tugged on Naomi trying to get her to run faster. He wished he could pick her up and run her out of there. But if he did, they would definitely be caught. It wasn’t the humans he was worried about—it was Sal.

“Tell Chuy to hurry. We might not have a chance to get out. They’re closing it down,” Lash yelled to her.

“I don’t care if you have to run the red lights, do it Chuy. I mean it,” Naomi yelled in into the phone.

“He’s not that far. He should be here in a couple of minutes.”

At the doors, there were security agents directing people back inside. He scanned the entrances and found one where a woman with three children and a wailing baby in her arms was arguing with an agent.

“This way.” Lash directed and charged through the door right in front of the woman.

“Hey! You can’t leave,” the man called out. He went after them and tripped over one of the kids.

The boy cried, and the mother yelled at the agent.

Lash peered through the rows of cars that lined the drop-off lanes in front of the airport. He let out a breath when he spotted the beat up car. “Over there.”

Before the car stopped, Lash threw the back door open and tossed the carrier and bags into the back seat. Then he flew to the driver’s side. “Move over. I’m driving.”

***

Naomi’s heart pounded against her chest as she tried to catch her breath. As Lash swerved in and out of traffic, she looked out the back window to see if anyone was following them.

Bear barked and scratched at the walls inside the carrier. With shaking hands, Naomi unzipped the flap and held onto Bear.

The car jerked to the right barely missing the back of a white SUV.

“What’s going on?” Chuy asked his voice unusually calm for someone who was riding in a car dodging in and out of traffic.

“We need to get out of the city,” Lash said.

Naomi looked at his reflection in the rear view mirror. His eyes were tense as he focused on the road. “Was it them?”

“Yes.”

“Who? Tell me what’s going on,” Chuy demanded.

“Someone is after Naomi. The shooting at the community center was meant for her. This morning, the same gunman was after her again.” Lash pulled onto the highway, taking the car as fast as it would go.

Chuy turned around to look at Naomi in the backseat. “Does Welita know anything about this?”

“Yeah, that’s why she wanted me to leave town.”

Chuy looked at her suspiciously. “There’s more that you’re not telling me.”

“Lash came to Houston to protect me. He’s sort of…uh, sort of an angel.”

Chuy looked at Lash and then back at Naomi, his face stern. “Are you being serious with me?”

Naomi nodded.

Chuy faced forward in the car and let out a loud breath. “Welita was right.”

Lash glanced over at Chuy with a surprised look. “You believe us?”

Chuy wiped a hand over his brow. “Of course. It explains a lot of what’s been going on in the house. The times that she swore she lost something and I helped her look for it only to find it in a spot I know for a fact that I had already looked. And the times when I felt a presence in the house that made me feel calm, especially after Uncle Javier died. I didn’t really start to believe it until I found Naomi.”

“What do you mean found me?” She leaned over the seats.

“After I locked up your bike in the garage, I was planning on going with Lalo to the Lake Charles Casino again. I felt a strange chill on the back of my neck. And then, I swear I heard someone whisper your name. I thought it was Lalo playing a trick on me until he called and told me he was waiting at work and to pick him up there. After he hung up, I had the sudden urge to go check up on you. The closer I got to your apartment the more I felt that something was wrong.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think anyone, other than Welita, would believe me.” Chuy looked over to Lash. “So, you’re an angel. Why don’t you just fly Naomi away from here?”

Lash growled.

“He can’t,” Naomi said. “He’s limited in his powers.”

“What kind of angel are you?”

“That doesn’t matter, Chuy,” Naomi said before Lash could answer. “We’re going to have to take the car. We can leave you off some place. Maybe Lalo can pick you up?” She gave him a pleading look, hoping that he would not antagonize Lash. She knew that his angel status was a sore spot for him.

Chuy looked to Naomi and then back at Lash, recognition crossed his face. “I see.” He grinned. “That would be like you to go after the impossible.”

Naomi scowled.

“Okay, okay, don’t get so pissy.” He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. “Orale, Lalo. I need a ride man. What do you mean, ‘who is this?’ It’s me, pendejo. Who do you think? Who else calls you? Pick me up at el campo. And bring the cash…No, the shipment hasn’t come in. Something’s come up and I need it…Yes, I know it took a long time for us to build it up…It’s for Naomi. She’s in trouble.”

“I don’t need any money. I have a credit card,” Naomi said when he got off the phone.

“If someone is after you, you’re going to have to lay low. Cash only. Don’t leave a trail.”

“How do you know so much about this? Are you dealing drugs? Welita would skin you alive if she found out.”

Chuy rolled his eyes. “It’s not that. I’ll tell you when we get there. Take the next exit Lash.”

“Where are we headed?” he asked.

“It’s a few miles outside of the city. No one knows about this place except for me and Lalo. We’ll be safe.”

Naomi rubbed behind Bear’s ear. She had no idea where the road ahead was going to take her. All she knew was that she trusted Lash, and as long as the danger followed her and not her family, that was all she could hope for.