Watcher

by Andrew Weis

  Daniel took a seat at the bar and I sat beside him. I noticed the place seemed rather quiet except for two black dudes sitting in the booth from where Tyrone once ruled. They looked at me with unfriendly eyes, but I ignored them.

  Daniel ordered two bottles of Mexican Cokes for us. While the bartender got our drinks, Daniel brushed back my hair. We looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

  The bartender set down our Cokes. Daniel dug out a five-dollar bill and placed it on the bar. He picked up the tall glass bottles dripping with condensation and handed me one.

  “To us,” I said.

  “To the most unique couple on Earth,” Daniel said. We smiled and took several sips.

  “What should we drink to next?” I said.

  One of the black dudes approached us and stood behind Daniel. He tipped his head as if he wanted a piece of me.

  “The drinks here are no good,” the dude said in a deep, husky voice. “Maybe you should buy your kiddie cocktails someplace else?”

  The dude sported broad shoulders and stood a head taller than Tyrone and wasn’t at all people-friendly. Maybe it was the absence of a noticeable neck that made him unpleasant.

  “Excuse me, but we’re having a drink here,” I said, stepping closer to Daniel when the dude put his arm in front of me like a border guard. “Who are you, the owner?”

  “That’s right. Your white ass ain’t wanted in here, girl. Time for you to go.”

  “Oh, you’re a hater. Let me guess, the fact that snow is white pisses you off too.”

  The dude pulled back his blazer, revealing a shiny silver handgun. He propped himself against the bar and raised his eyebrows.

  “Are you posing for a picture?” I asked, sliding off my seat.

  I was rather smart-assy with him but more confident in myself and my abilities than ever. Daniel thought my comment was funny, and his laugh made me smile. The dude didn’t think I was funny at all.

  “Nobody likes a funny broad. Look, I don’t know what you had going on with Tyrone, but it’s over now. T was weak and deserved to get caged.”

  The dude pushed me back hard. I stepped toward Daniel, grabbed my Coke and took a long swig. I burped but covered my mouth halfway through it. Daniel rolled his eyes at me again.

  “Sorry,” I said, flashing my eyes blue. I grinned, then winked at Daniel as I faced the dude.

  “Are you leaving, or should I help you?” the dude said in a throaty seductive female voice.

  Daniel noticed the dude grew large breasts. Daniel chuckled, lowered his head to the bar and laughed harder. The bartender noticed the dude’s new buxomness, then turned away to cover his amusement.

  “Hey, big fella, what happened to your voice?” I asked. “You sound all sexy, not to mention the bazoomers you got pointing at me. Can those bad girls come out to play?”

  The dude stepped away; his eyes lost in bewilderment.

  “What did you do to me, girl?” he said as his voice sounded higher and more erotic.

  “Boy, when you say it like that, I get hot. When you come back, be sure to wear a short red skirt and heels,” I said.

  “Yeah, don’t forget the thong and fishnets while you’re at it,” Daniel said bursting out with laughter.

  The dude scurried out the back door.

  “That was hilarious, Jessa,” Daniel said as he sipped his Coke.

  “Thanks. I don’t need to make myself into a first-class bitch to get out of trouble. He’ll be back to normal tomorrow. In fact, after the last two incidents, I might have a little fun with my new job.”

  “I think you will too. But don’t give me boobs if I mess up things. Instead, make my, uh, pal down there bigger.”

  “Oh, please!”

  Daniel grinned and sipped from his bottle.

  “You know something, Daniel?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “I wonder if I can get my GTO back.”

  “What would you do with it?”

  I remembered that I had no need for a car anymore, not on Earth nor in Hali.

  “Oh, right. I can’t take it with me. I’ll give it to you then. Your dad has the GTX, and you can have the GTO. That way you’ll both have your own classics.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure, let’s get it.”

  Chapter 41

  DANIEL AND I returned the Firebird to Double N. We stepped through the main garage door and inside we found Nemo prepping the Monte Carlo I sat on last night.

  “Hey Nemo,” I said. He waved to us.

  “Jessa, how are things, girl?” Nemo asked.

  We shook hands gangster-style. I always got a charge out of it since it seemed more engaging than a simple handshake.

  “Going good,” I said.

  “What brings you here?”

  “I was wondering if you still have a white 1969 GTO left here a couple years ago.”

  “You mean your car?”

  I looked at Nemo and paused. How on Earth could he know it was my car?

  “Yeah,” I said. “You knew?”

  “Unreal,” Nemo said, rolling his eyes.

  “Of course, silly me.”

  “Come on.”

  Nemo walked us over to a rack where my car sat in pieces.

  “Well, there she is, dad’s special car,” I said with mild sarcasm. I still thought the car was junk but never understood why he thought otherwise.

  “It’s special, all right,” Nemo said. “When we found it outside, we ran the VIN, then brought it inside right away.”

  “I appreciate you taking care of it. What’s so special about it?” I asked.

  “It’s a Judge. It even has the original Ram Air IV engine,” Nemo said.

  “Judge? What the heck is that?” I asked.

  Nemo frowned, then leaned on the hood with his head down.

  “Sorry, Nemo. I should know what that is, but I’m drawing a blank.”

  “It’s a GTO trim line. They made about sixty-eight hundred of these cars. It’s a rare car now, worth serious green. Your father knew what he was doing when he got this. We started work to get it running, then Tyrone happened, and the work stopped.”

  “I understand that. I can take it from here.”

  “Do as you will,” Nemo said.

  With a wide smile, I circled the car with a newfound appreciation of a finer thing that changed my heart. Dad’s car now meant everything to me, and had a place in a rough world where respect for the rides ruled and identified with the owner.

  While I used my angelic abilities, I made all the changes I wanted; new paint, chrome trim, white rims with redline tires and restored each part to sparkling new. By the time I finished my work, it even had that smooth, new car smell.

  Nemo brought the car down from the lift. I sat behind the steering wheel and gripped it as though it were made of glass.

  “Wow, this feels awesome,” I said.

  “You won’t get anywhere without this,” Nemo said, handing me the key.

  I slid the key into the ignition, pumped the gas pedal twice and gave the key a twist. The engine roared with a smoothness even a lion would envy. I revved the engine a couple times, then shut it off.

  “She’s a beauty, Jessa,” Nero said, stepping up to the car.

  “She sure is,” I said.

  “There was one thing, though. After we brought the car inside, we cleaned it and found this.”

  Nero handed me Daniel’s Lathe of Heaven paperback book.

  “We thought it was important, so we kept it safe,” Nero said.

  I opened the book and found the note still wedged within the pages.

  “Daniel, it’s the note I wanted to give you on my last day. I was so upset at myself I forgot I left it in the glove compartment.”

  “Read it to me, Jessa. Out loud,” he said as he handed me the letter.

  “Okay. ‘Daniel, my heart yearns for your gentle touch and heavenly hugs. Meet me at our place Saturday at noon. I love you, Jessa’,” I said, blushing.
It was weird reading that out loud.

  “Hear that Mo? Jessa loves her little snookums,” Nero said with a laugh.

  Nemo and Nero hammed it up good for us.

  “Okay, guys, go ahead, have your fun,” Daniel said.

  “Daniel, I meant it then and even more now,” she said.

  “Same here. I guess all that fuss about Ellis needing that note was a goose chase for him.”

  “Not exactly,” Nemo said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ellis did what he said and put his permission in your heart. You’re still carrying it. The wording is transparent to us since we ain’t Dominion-class.”

  “What does this mean?” I asked.

  An ominous cloud formed in my heart, and chills raced across my body. Nemo rubbed his neck as he struggled to find the words to say.

  “Basically, Ellis still believes you have what he wants. For now, we can burn this.”

  Nemo materialized a lit match and burned the love note.

  “What became of Ellis?” I asked. “Did they put him in the Outer Edge?”

  “No, the dude went down,” Nemo said.

  “Hell?” I asked.

  “Yeah. He can’t move around Hali anymore, but once he gets access to all the powers of evil, he’ll want to get revenge.”

  “Revenge for what?” I said.

  “You took down Ellis. For that alone, he’ll keep coming after you. It’s a thing with angels of his demeanor. He still has a contact in either Hali or another hierarchy so he’s not totally cut off from our world. At some point he’ll move on you again.”

  “Jessa, will he come after me?” Daniel asked with worry.

  “Yeah, guys. Would Ellis hurt Daniel?” I asked.

  “Anything’s possible given the circumstances,” Nemo said. “It might be quite a while before you hear from him. New arrivals in Hell get special receptions. Since he was an archangel, they’ll work him over good. For now, you’re safe.”

  It was good to relax and breathe before I’d have to go back to Hali. As much as I wanted to stay with Daniel, I knew I couldn’t indefinitely.

  “Okay,” I said. “Ellis got unauthorized permission from a dominion. Is that angel still in Hali?”

  “I’d say yes. Until they find out who, you can bet they’ll be out of sight.”

  “Protectors have to stay on their toes, huh?”

  “Yep, always do, but go easy on your skills until you’re fluid, Jessa,” Nero said. “You can’t do whatever you want with people. It’s high-profile. Okay, girl?”

  “Okay.”

  “See you around, kids. Enjoy the ride,” Nemo said, tapping on the car’s hood.

  Nemo and Nero walked back to their projects in the shop. Having my man with me in my spruced-up car made me feel better than when I did on Hali. Daniel opened the door for me, but I stopped when an English Mastiff bounded up with its head lowered and its tail wagging.

  I recognized the dog right away with his scarred muzzle along with his new happy demeanor. I bent down to scratch behind his ears, and he craned his neck to lick my hand.

  “Hey, puppy. I wondered what happened to you,” I said.

  “Boy, that’s a big dog,” Daniel said.

  The dog basked in his comfort attack, then lurched up and licked Daniel as though he were covered in beef juice.

  “What’s his name?” Daniel asked, wiping a quart of dog slobber off his face.

  “He doesn’t have one, but I know a good name.”

  “Uh-oh,” he said.

  “Daniel,” I said.

  “I knew you’d do that.”

  The dog jumped into the car and sat in the passenger seat.

  “Hey, in the back,” Daniel said. The dog leaped into the back seat and licked Daniel’s ear. “That’s not a good name for a marshmallow like him. Maybe a name like Dumpling or Cupcake suits him better.”

  “No. It’s Daniel. Because it’ll always remind me how loving you were; I mean, are. I love you, Daniel,” I said.

  “I love you too, Jessa.”

  The dog watched us as we kissed, his tail swatting the back seat as he panted.

  Daniel and I cruised along Lake Shore Drive on this beautiful day. Lots of traffic filled the streets as we headed for Lincoln Park.

  Thoughts of being an angel cop or detective had massive appeal, and I’d be in on the ground floor. Whoever thought angels needed policing by other angels? I guessed anyone, human or divine, needed looking after by a third party. With Daniel back in my arms again, I couldn’t be happier.

  After I parked the car, we looked deep into each other’s eyes. We looked at the dog as he sat observing the activity in the park.

  “Daniel, come here, boy,” I said. The dog hopped over the front seat while Daniel and I went to the back seat. As Daniel kissed me, fantastic feelings I used to get from him when we stole secret kisses years ago flourished inside me.

  “What if someone sees us?” he asked.

  “I can take care of that,” I said, my eyes glowing blue. “Guard the car,” I said. The dog sat still behind the steering wheel and looked about the park while Daniel and I continued our romantic throes. My God, life’s beautiful.

  THE END

  What happens next?

  Thank you for reading Watcher. If you have a few moments, please leave a few words on what you thought of this story in the Review section of this book’s Amazon.com page.

  Parts two and three of The Jessa Roscoe Trilogy are currently in development. Join my Facebook Author page for updates on the progress of these stories.

  MORE TITLES BY ANDREW J. WEIS

  The Hali Nonology – Part One

  The John Harrod Trilogy

  The predecessor and companion saga to the Jessa Roscoe Trilogy, John Harrod is a man forced by angels to stop a fallen angel from recreating mankind in an evil image.

  Divine Endorsement

  Vengeance in Vegas

  Heartache and the Century of Progress