Lash Broken Angel

18





Lash pulled over to the side of the road as the car rolled to a stop. He scratched his head as he looked at the dashboard gadgets, wondering what was wrong with the car. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to explain why it suddenly gave out.

Bear snapped her head up and looked around. Curious eyes met his.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “I swear I didn’t kill the car.”

Bear barked.

“Shh. You’ll wake up Grouchy.” He opened the car door, picked up Bear, and stepped out of the car.

As he expected, the last few hours since leaving Abilene were pure torture. He tried to ease the tension by turning on the radio. She complained that news radio was boring, so he changed the channel to a music station. She complained that hip-hop was giving her a headache, so he turned it to a Latin music station. Then she accused him of playing up to stereotype in order to get on her good side, so he changed it to a country music station. Then she complained he was playing to a stereotype that because she was Texan she would like country. He glared at her and snapped off the radio. He was released from her constant complaining when she fell asleep again. It was only then that he would look over at her, entranced by lips that were slightly parted as she slept. Messy dark hair fell against pink cheeks tinted by the sun. It was in that moment that he felt drawn to her again. She was beautiful—as beautiful as any of the angels he’d once worked with.

Stretching, he looked down the long, empty highway. It’d been a long while since he’d seen a car pass by and even longer since they drove pass the last gas station. The wind blew stirring up dust in the vast flat lands of the Texas-New Mexico border. He could fly back to the nearest town for help, though he’d have to wait until it was dark. It’d probably be faster to see if Naomi could get a reception on her cell phone. He dreaded the thought of waking her.

“Lash. Why did we stop?”

Crap, she’s awake.

He went back into the car, leaving the door open for a quick escape if he needed it. “The car won’t start.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” She sounded surprised.

“Of course not. I don’t have a need to use a car that much. Wings, remember?”

“Did the car make any funny noises or did smoke come out of—” Naomi clutched her stomach for a moment, swallowed, then continued. “Did smoke come out of the engine?”

“Are you okay?”

“Just answer the question.”

Lash’s chest rumbled a low growl. What is it with this woman? “No.”

“Then why is the hood up?”

“Because I wanted to check to see what was wrong.”

“I thought you didn’t know anything about cars.”

“I don’t.”

“So you popped up the hood to just stare at it?”

Lash gritted his teeth.

“Um, hmm,” Naomi said, noting his reaction. Her stomach then made a strange rumbling sound.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Stop trying to change the subject,” she said. “Did you at least check to see if we have enough gas?”

“We have plenty of gas.” Lash pointed to the gauge. “See it’s at half a tank.”

Naomi leaned over and eyed the needle suspiciously. She then tapped the dashboard and the needle fell down to empty.

“No way!” Lash cried. He tapped the gauge, looking at it with disbelief. “I filled the tank in Abilene.” He banged on the dashboard. “Stupid car.”

“That’s it. I’m out of here.” Naomi jumped out of the car and called out to Bear. “Come on girl, let’s go.”

“Where are you going?” Lash got out of the car and went to her side.

“I’m going back home. I’ll walk all the way back to Houston if I have too.” Naomi pulled the phone out of her pocket and poked at the screen. “Stupid phone. Stupid cell phone reception.” She jammed it back into her pocket.

“It’s too dangerous to go back.”

“I’ll have Chuy help me find a place to hide out until this blows over.” Naomi took out her backpack and dog carrier from the back seat. “Bear, get over here.”

Bear trotted over to Naomi tail wagging. She took one look at Naomi’s face and scurried away, hiding behind a small bush.

“Come on, Naomi. When it gets dark, I’ll fly to the nearest town and get some more gas,” Lash pleaded.

“Maybe if you paid more attention to pumping gas rather than pawing Megan, we wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere.”

“Damn it. I wasn’t pawing Megan. How many times do I have to tell you that we’re just friends?”

“Did you have sex with her?”

“Well, technically this was before I knew you…And there was lots of alcohol involved…”

Naomi scowled. “I’m taking that as a yes.” She marched over to Bear, scooped her up, and placed her in the carrier.

“Come on. Be reasonable. This was before I even knew you.” He took a hold of her arm and turned her to him. “And like you said, it’s not like we’re a couple or anything.”

Naomi inhaled sharply and flinched as if his words shattered something inside of her. For a brief moment, her face crumpled and her eyes were filled with an immense pain that he’d seen only once before. It was the day when Raphael had to escort him out of Heaven.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Lash said softly.

Naomi swallowed. “Please let go of me.” Her voice trembled. He dropped his hand, fearing that if he didn’t, she would break. She looked so fragile.

Once he let go, she schooled her face into a mask of indifference. “I don’t need your protection. I take full responsibility for myself. I’m sure whatever deity or boss or whoever gives you instructions will take into account the free will of humans. I’m letting you off the hook.”

He watched in shock as she walked back in the direction they came. Her shoulders were strong and upright for a moment and then they slumped over.

It was then that he realized that he couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t be without her. He loved her, and she didn’t know it. He couldn’t let her go. Not this way.

Not thinking or caring about the consequences of his actions, he ran to her. He took the carrier from her hand and placed it on the ground. She turned her head away from him as he slipped the backpack off her shoulders. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head to his. Tear-filled eyes met his briefly then closed as if looking at him was too painful. Without a word, he wiped away the tears as they slid down her cheeks.

“Lash,” she croaked.

“Don’t,” he said softly. And before she could say another word, he kissed her.

A bolt of lightning rushed through his body and down into the core of his being. Her lips were so soft, so sweet. He tangled his fingers into her hair, drawing her closer to him, desperate to have more of her. He slid a hand down her back and nestled it to the small of her back. Drawing her close to him, she arched her body to meld into his.

She moaned softly as his tongue swirled in her mouth tasting her. Her hands slid up his back and she entangled her fingers into his hair.

Her scent engulfed him and he was lost in a sea of emotions. In all the years he had been on earth, he’d never felt like this with any other woman. He wanted her and only her.

Then he heard a loud rumbling sound coming from her stomach. She quickly pulled back and covered her hand over her mouth. She looked green.

“What’s wrong?” Lash asked frantically.

She pushed at his chest and he immediately let go of her. She ran toward the empty field, and retched.

She dropped to the ground and moaned, and he rushed to her side. “What is it? Tell me.”

She shook her head and tried to push him away.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I think,” she swallowed. “I think it was the tuna.”

He sighed with relief as he held her hair back for her and rubbed her back, soothing her. After a few minutes passed, and he was sure that the worst was over, he helped her back to the car. Moving aside the mess in the back seat, he had her sit down and gave her a bottle of water. “Sip this slowly.”

She took a sip, swished it in her mouth, and spat it to the ground. She leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes.

He sat next to her and wiped damp hair that was plastered to her sweaty forehead away from her face. He pulled a paper towel from the glove compartment, wet it, and placed it against her forehead, attempting to cool her off. “Better?”

“I’ll never eat tuna again.”

Lash chuckled. “I told you so.”

She opened her eyes. “Alright, I’ll give you that one,” she said and she started to laugh with him.

After a moment, she glanced at him and her eyes trailed to his lips and lingered for a moment. He could feel that she wanted to tell him something and he leaned in closer, felling that pull again, the urge to hold her and kiss again. Her eyes drifted downward to look at the floor of the car. “I meant what I said. You don’t have to stay with me. I can take care of myself.”

He let out a puff of air and sat back. The moment between them was gone. It was better that way. What was he thinking? It didn’t matter how much he cared about her. There wasn’t anything he could do about it. Staying with her meant turning away from his family. The only way it would work would be to join Lucifer, and she deserved more than that. She deserved to be loved by someone other than one of the fallen.

“I know you can,” he said. “But I’m getting you to that safe house if I have to carry you all the way there.”

“So you can go back home,” Naomi pointed out.

He gazed into her eyes. “It’s more than that.”

Bear started to bark and scratched the inside of her carrier frantically. A flash of light splashed in the corner of his vision. “Somebody’s coming.” He listened for a moment and heard a load roar of a motor. A sense of trepidation filled him. He looked around the car wishing he’d had some foresight to bring some type of weapon with him. If it was human, there was no need for him to worry. If it was Sal, well, at least a weapon would slow him down for a moment. “Wait here.”

“I’m going with you.” She leaned forward ready to get out of the car.

Lash placed his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back. She opened her mouth to protest and he grazed his finger over her lips. “Please.”

His heart pounded at the simple touch, and he couldn’t tell if it was because of the motor that grew louder by the second or if it was the way her eyes grew darker the longer she stared at him. He shook his head. Get your head in gear!

Bear’s barking grew more frantic.

“I’ll be right back.” He jogged to where Naomi left Bear and her backpack. Unzipping the carrier, he took Bear out. She yapped at him and licked his face. “I know. I’m worried too.”

He handed Bear and the backpack to Naomi. “If something happens, don’t come after me. Run.”





19





A motorcycle came to a stop a few yards ahead of him. Lash couldn’t tell who the rider was with the helmet still on. He turned around to make sure that Naomi was still in the car and wished there was more distance between them. Without his full powers, he didn’t know how long he could hold the person off.

The rider sat on the bike, arms folded over his chest, waiting for Lash. As he grew closer, the black helmet tilted to the side.

What’s he doing?

The rider pulled off his helmet and a familiar faced beamed. “Doing a little sightseeing?”

“Jeremy.” He let out a sigh of relief. “What are you doing here and in your human form?”

“I come bearing gifts.” He jumped off the bike and took out a red canister from a saddlebag hanging on the bike. “I figure you’ll be needing this.”

“How did you know?”

“Oh, I have my ways.”

“Have you been spying on us?” From time to time, archangels checked in on the seraphim and guardians angels to make sure they were on track with their work. However, it was unusual for an archangel of death to do it.

Jeremy laughed. “You know me—always looking for some entertainment. Watching you is as exciting as watching an action movie. You dodged a close one back there at the airport.”

“I almost lost her. I can’t let that happen again.” Lash gazed at Jeremy for a moment. Gabrielle and Michael loved Jeremy. Maybe they gave him some information. “Do you know anything about this safe house? I don’t know if Naomi will be safe there. Maybe I should take her out of the country.”

He frowned. “Stick to the plan.”

“What plan?” Lash asked, exasperated. “All I have is location that I have to find with this.” He showed him the GPS.

“You were okay with limited information before. What’s the problem now?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wish I had a little bit more to go on. I was hoping maybe you had some information,” he said, ducking his head.

He could feel Jeremy’s eyes on him as he fiddled with the gas canister. No matter how hard he tried, Jeremy could always read him like an open book. “The blast at the airport wasn’t the only explosion I saw,” Jeremy said.

His eyes flashed up to Jeremy’s. “So, what of it?”

Jeremy scowled, and he kicked the ground, sending a spray of dirt and rocks. “Don’t you ever follow the rules? This is your last shot to go back home. Stop messing around with her and do your job.”

“I am doing my job. I’m supposed to keep her safe and that’s what I’m doing.”

“Damn it, Lash! The reason she’s in danger in the first place is because of you.”

Lash staggered back, his eyes wide, as if he’d been punched in the stomach.

Jeremy cursed under his breath. “You weren’t supposed to know that.”

“Know what.”

“Forget it. Forget I said anything. Go do your job.” He turned and headed back to the motorcycle.

He did know something. “I’m calling it.”

Jeremy paused and held his head up. “Don’t.”

“You owe me. Remember?”

Jeremy turned, his eyes blazing. “That was a poker game. This is life.”

“And you’re supposed to be my friend.”

Jeremy marched to him. “You already know this. You just refuse to see it. Jane Sutherland is Jane. Luke Prescott is Lucifer.”

The blood drained from his face. It couldn’t be her. Jane, the little girl who held on to Javier Duran’s hand, forgetting about her own fears to take care of him, that Jane was not Jane Sutherland. The same Jane Sutherland who crashed into Naomi’s father; the same Jane Sutherland who was close friends with the most dark and evil of all angels—Lucifer.

He groaned. This was his fault. His fault that Naomi lost her father, his fault that she was pulled into a world where fallen angels wanted her killed. “Why? Why do they want her?”

“I don’t know. I suspect that she’s a threat to Lucifer and his followers.”

A threat. That meant he wouldn’t stop coming after her until she was dead. “I can fix it.” He swallowed the bile that swam up his throat. “I can make it right again.”

“I know you love her.” Jeremy let out a breath. “But she’s not for you. When the time comes, let her go,” he said softly.

His nostrils flared. Jeremy always had his back, no matter what. And now when it really mattered, he was turning against him. “Thanks for the help, friend.” He spit out the word as if it soured his mouth.

“It’s because I’m your friend that I’m telling you this. Do what you were told because if you don’t, you’ll lose everyone who loves you.”

“I’ll take it under consideration.”

As he turned to head back to the car, Jeremy grabbed his arm and jerked him back. “If you care about her, don’t do this. Don’t hurt her this way.”

“Let go of him or I’ll split your body from that melon you call a head.”

The expression on Jeremy’s face went from bewildered to amusement. “Pardon me.” He dropped his hand. “I didn’t mean any harm to your friend.”

When Lash turned, he saw Naomi a few feet behind him, clutching a tire iron. “I told you to stay in the car,” he growled.

“When do I ever pay attention to what you say?”

Lash groaned. He didn’t know whether to kiss her or to chastise her. “There’s nothing to worry about. This is my friend Jeremy. He’s also an angel.”

She looked Jeremy up and down. “Do all of your angel friends try to rip your arm off?”

Jeremy took a step forward. “We were having a bit of a disagreement. Lash and I have been friends for a long time.”

“Look, Jeremy,” Naomi sneered. “I don’t know what problem you and Lash are having. But we’re in a hurry and—” her eyes widened and she went to the motorcycle. “That’s my bike.” She stroked the seat as if to see it was real.

“Yes. I must say it’s a marvelous contraption.” He walked up to her. “It rides—”

Naomi spun around and lifted the tire iron. “You stole my bike. Nice friend you have there,” she said to Lash.

“Let me explain.” Jeremy held out his hands. “I borrowed it. I had to get here somehow to bring gas.” He motioned to the canister Lash held.

“Why didn’t you just fly here?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to bring the canister with me. It would’ve been a strange sight, seeing a flying gas can.” Jeremy grinned. “On the other hand, we are in New Mexico where UFOs are the norm here.”

Naomi scowled.

“Tough audience.” He glanced at Lash. Then he turned and sniffed. “What is that smell?”

Her eyes followed his as they drifted down to a fresh stain on her shirt. Her faced turned pink and she scowled. “None of your business, and stop trying to change the subject.”

“Look, I was actually doing you a favor taking the bike. Some big guy wearing a tuxedo t-shirt pushed it into a garage and left the door wide open when he left. A couple of kids were eyeing it, and I chased them away.”

“Lalo,” Naomi growled. “I’ll kill him.”

“Hey, no harm no foul. I’m taking it back as soon as I—”

A little brown fur ball launched toward them, and Jeremy looked at Bear surprised. She yapped and growled, running around in circles.

Jeremy looked down at Bear. “What’s wrong with your dog?”

“She doesn’t like you.” Naomi bent down and patted her head. “Good dog.”

Then Lash heard it. This time he recognized the sound. It was the same engine that he heard at the grocery store parking lot. His eyes met Jeremy’s for a moment.

“Leave. Now,” Jeremy said. “I’ll try to slow him down.”

“Come on.” In one smooth motion, Lash took the tire iron out of her hands, tossed it into the field, and pulled her back to the car. “We need to go.”

“He’s not the boss of you.” She looked back at Jeremy as she stumbled back to the car. “Is he?”

“It’s Sal. He’s coming.”

Naomi pulled away from. “I’m getting the tire iron.”

“That’s not going to stop him.”

“If he’s driving then that means he’s in his human body. I can do some damage.”

“Get her out of here!” Jeremy yelled. “And get off the main road as soon as you can.”

“I don’t trust him,” she said.

“Do you trust me?” Lash looked deep into her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Well, I trust Jeremy.” He tossed her belongings back into the car.

Without another word, Naomi climbed into the car. He took one last look at Jeremy through the rearview mirror. He trusted Jeremy. The only problem was it didn’t seem like Jeremy trusted him.

***

Jeremy moved the motorcycle to the center of the highway and stood waiting for Sal. The black truck came to a screeching halt an inch from him. Leaning against the bike with arms folded across his chest, he tried to appear unfazed by the hulking figure that climbed out of the truck.

“Saleos,” he said as if greeting a long lost friend.

“Jeremiel,” Sal sneered as he looked down at him. “I see they’re still putting you on babysitting duty. Although I think the job is perfect for you, Lucifer made it clear that he wanted me to assure you his offer to you still stands.”

“As I said a dozen times before, I’m not interested. Although, I am interested in those boots. Are those crocodile?”

“It won’t work.”

“What do you mean?” Jeremy cocked his head.

“Your attempt at diversion. Eventually, we’ll get the girl.”

“I don’t think you will.” He took out a wallet from his back pocket. “Care to make it interesting? It’s only human money, but it’ll do.”

Sal looked at him for a moment then threw his head back and laughed. “You’re one of a kind, Jeremiel. I like that. So, I’m going to do you a favor.”

Sal lunged and wrapped a hulking arm around his neck. Jeremy struggled, twisted and turned, clawing at his arm. His face turned red and Sal squeezed tighter. He then placed his other hand next to Jeremy’s temple and whispered in his ear, “Hizaher.”

An image of a woman with long dark hair flashed in front of his eyes. Soft hazel eyes crinkled when she smiled at him. Then the image shifted and he saw the same woman arguing with a blond-haired man. The man slammed his hand on the table and Jeremy gasped when he saw a dark-haired boy push at the man and then sped past him. The man turned and hollered, “Lahash!”

“Enough.” Jeremy shook the vision from his head and ripped Sal’s arm off him.

Sal chuckled. “That’s a side of Raphael you haven’t seen before, have you?”

“I’m not falling for your lies.”

Sal laughed and turned back toward the truck. “Tell yourself what you want. But it’s only a matter of time before we get her. And once we do, all that is meant to be will fall into place.”

“Don’t underestimate us,” Jeremy growled.

“It is you that shouldn’t underestimate Lucifer’s powers and his allies.” Sal opened the door and paused. Turning back to Jeremy, he said, “Search deep within yourself, Jeremiel. You know what I’ve shown you to be true. Join us and you’ll have what was meant to have been yours all along.”

“I know who I am,” Jeremy said defiantly.

Sal opened the door and climbed into the truck. “Do you?”