by Deena Remiel
“Oh my gosh! Hi! How are you? I’ve been thinking about you night and day, girlfriend,” Callie gushed. “I miss you so much!”
“Hey, Callie. I’m feeling stronger every day. I miss you, too. I wondered, actually, if you could come by and pick me up. I need to get out of here, and I know my place is a mess, but I just need to be home right now. I’m sure if I ask nicely, the police will do drive-bys and check on things,” Serena spilled out in one frustrated breath.
“The hospital’s letting you go already? I’m kinda surprised. But if you got the clearance yeah, I can pick you up. I’ll get Randy to close the shop tonight. No problem.”
“Um, I’m not at the hospital. It’s a long story, but the Headline News version is that the guy who rescued me, Raphael, works for a company with a safe house. He took me there for protection. But I don’t think it’s going to work out.”
“What do you mean? If it’s a safe house, what’s the problem?”
He might be able to keep me safe from the bad guys, but he certainly can’t keep me safe from him. “He’s acting strangely. Like he’s different people rolled into one. One minute he’s all nice and everything’s cool, the next…well, he’s different. I think he’s having second thoughts about bringing me here. And I don’t blame him. It’s dangerous to be around me right now. I figured I’d thank him and call it a day. It’s only fair. So I’ll text you the address and directions, all right?”
“If you think this is best, okay. Oh, about your home, Serena; you don’t have to worry. Everyone from work spent time over there fixing up the place since we knew you’d be coming home soon. We felt you shouldn’t have to come home and see any reminders of the attack.”
“God bless you! I want you to know that if the big man upstairs hears me at all, you are the most blessed individual on the planet! I’ll see you soon.”
Callie laughed heartily while Serena tried not to. It hurt too much.
She dreaded the confrontation once Raphael got wind of her change of plans. If he wasn’t in the foulest mood right now, this would surely do it. But this is my life, my decision. If there is danger to be had, I will face it alone and deal with the consequences. I’ve taken care of myself and others for so long that alone is what I’m used to anyway. And besides, I’m good at it. She’d taken up more than enough of this man’s time and patience, and refused to be a burden any longer, whether he believed her to be so or not.
Callie wouldn’t be there for at least twenty minutes. Serena took in the lush scenery around her, listened to the cacophony of birds and insects, hoping to find some semblance of peace as she normally would, but couldn’t. Instead, she felt anger and sadness. She would never have children to bird watch or catch bugs with. She’d never see her own children running in the back yard or be able to take them on hikes through the mystical mountains of her home. No, those dreams had been destroyed with a couple of well-placed kicks.
I hope they find the bastards and make them pay dearly!
Before she knew it, she saw Callie pulling up the driveway and waved. She stood up slowly and began to step toward the halting car.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” Raphael stepped out from around the side of the house, a scowl on his face.
“Oh, hey Raphael. Listen, thank you for everything, really, but I’m going home. Callie and my friends say they fixed it all up for me, so now I can go back to my own home to recuperate.” She wiped her sweaty palms on the shorts loaned from the hospital and inserted them in the pockets for fear her nerves would show. “I hope you understand you’ve done nothing wrong. I think it would best for everyone if I went home and left you to resume your life. I don’t have much here. So I’ll have Callie come back and get my things.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Raphael looked as though someone was trying to sell him the Brooklyn Bridge. “You do remember there’s a killer out there who’s made it his personal mission to eradicate you from this world. Not to mention the crazy doctor who’s obsessed with acquiring you for his collection.” He walked up to her and stood between her and Callie, effectively cutting off her escape. “No, I can’t let you go back to your home, Serena. You’re not thinking rationally. It’s completely out of the question.”
What the hell?
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember needing permission from you to do anything. As I recall, I’ve only just met you yesterday. And as for today—well, one kiss doesn’t make a relationship. While I appreciate how you saved my life, on more than one occasion, it doesn’t mean I’m beholden to you to stay here. You offered, I accepted, and now I’ve changed my mind. So thanks, again, and I’ll see you around. Callie, I’m ready.”
Serena walked to the car. She looked through her side view mirror as they drove away and saw him still standing there, mouth agape, as if he’d just gazed into Medusa’s eyes and turned to stone.
***
“You all right over there? You’re mighty quiet. And I swear I can see you shaking from here.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine, Callie. Just need to get some distance from him, is all.” She sank deeper into her seat, exhausted from the verbal jousting with Raphael. Callie had turned the radio station to some hard rock, which only served to aggravate her frayed nerves, so she reached over and changed it to her favorite soft jazz channel and closed her eyes.
“I got the feeling something had happened between you two. Man, he’s a hot one! Maybe I should take you back to the hospital. No girl in her right mind would leave that behind!” Callie laughed. “But seriously, he does have a point. There’s a man out there waiting to get to you. How are you going to defend yourself in this kind of condition? Do you want me to stay over for a few days? It’s no problem, really. Maybe we can get one of the guys at the shop to sleep here, too. On the couch, mind you. What do you think?”
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. The guy probably thinks I’m dead already, anyway. I’ll keep a low profile for a while. Besides, I have to stay home until I can move around better, so it’s not like I’ll be out in public. I’ll let you do my shopping for me, though.”
“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll do the grocery shopping if you let me stay over tonight. I’m not doing it for you. I’m negotiating to make me feel better.”
“You drive a hard bargain, missy. Okay,” Serena conceded, “just for tonight, though.”
Callie dropped her off at the house first and went for groceries. Serena sat on top of the cozy blankets on her new, donated bed. Exhaustion set in from the minimal exertion she had put out to get home, and she was annoyed that she could doze off easily for a little bit. How much longer would it take to heal? Too much longer, and she would go completely crazy.
***
Serena woke abruptly. So much for learning about hiking in the Andes.
“Oh nice, Serena, real nice,” she muttered, swiping at the drool that had slid down her cheek and pooled on her chest. “You’re every man’s dream for sure.”
Noticing how dark her room had become, she turned on her bedside lamp and looked at her watch. Nine o’clock. She’d only dozed off for a couple of hours. She wondered if she would ever sleep through the night again.
Aromatic Italian scents hit her hard and her mouth watered. Oh, but her stomach ached. The last meal she’d had happened a long time ago, lunch to be exact. A lunch that had started with…dessert, and finished with a blazing hot, chocolaty kiss from one blazing hot, infuriating man. A groan escaped her. What’s wrong with me, besides everything? She actually hungered for this man with lips made for sin and a body to match. Hadn’t she been the one to put the brakes on earlier? Why did she still feel drawn to the man even when he wasn’t around? I need to stop thinking about him and focus on food instead.
“Callie? Is that heavenly smell actually coming from my stove? Or did you order in?” she called out. When her friend didn’t answer, a chill bloomed over her spine. “Callie?”
A lump formed in her belly as a prickly feeling, like tiny n
eedles, spread in waves over her skin. Someone else was here. Someone else was here and doing something dreadful to her best friend. She could hear it now. Voices getting louder. Muffled yelling and protests. She fought against her aches and pains to get out of her bed and do whatever she could.
Why did I ever leave Raphael’s house? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Now she had put someone she cared for at risk. One of those assholes that had attacked her probably had Callie in their filthy hands right now. She shuffled to the kitchen as quickly as she dared to see what she could do to help her. She grabbed her cordless phone from the foyer table, poised to be used as a weapon.
“Callie, I’m coming! Don’t give up. I’m coming.” She cautiously entered the kitchen, only to stop dead in her tracks.
“I’m trying not to, but there’s only so much seltzer can do for a spaghetti sauce stain on silk. Damn it all! This is a new blouse,” Callie whined. “It cost me a small fortune, Raphael. This is dreadful.”
“It was an accident.” He looked mildly irritated and amused at the same time. “The smells called to us, and we had to come running. I said I was sorry and would replace the shirt. What more do you want?”
“Accident, my ass. You come barging in here with your Neanderthal buddy while I’m stirring spaghetti sauce and expect me not to fling it everywhere?” Callie carried on while scrubbing futilely at her blouse. “As if I shouldn’t have the living daylights scared out of me after everything that’s happened to Serena over the past week? Plus, you never go sneaking up on a lady when she’s in the middle of cooking, never. You could have at least coughed or something to make your presence known. Oh, you know what? I give up. I’m going to change my shirt. Here, you big dope. Make yourself useful and stir the pot.” She thrust a wooden spoon into Raphael’s stomach. “And you—Kemuel, is it?” she barked and poked Raphael’s buddy in the chest. “Don’t let him burn it.”
Serena watched dumbfounded as Callie shoved the gorgeous behemoth out of the way to get to the guest bedroom.
“Saucy wench! I think I’m in love, Raf,” Kemuel retorted with a wicked grin.
Before she left, Callie winked at Serena and smiled. Raphael rushed over to help ease Serena onto a kitchen chair. He took the phone from her grasp. “Hey, how are you feeling? I hope we didn’t disturb you.”
At first, she sat there in shock, numb. Raphael is here? Why is he here? And my girlfriend is not only safe, but has literally scolded two mammoth-sized men in my kitchen.“I’m just curious,” Raphael said while waving her phone around. “How exactly did you plan on using this to save Callie, and in your condition?”
“Well, I thought I’d….” She tried to justify her actions and raised her hands instead in defeat. “Oh, Jesus, Raphael, I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore!”
Her frayed nerves got the best of her and she sat there, momentarily lost in childhood memories of sitting at that very kitchen table being scolded for one stupid decision or another. She hadn’t felt this inadequate since…being a kid and trying to take over where her mother left off. She heaved a frustrated sigh, and instead of laughing it off, put her head in her hands and wept.
Raphael quietly asked Kemuel to leave the kitchen and sat down next to Serena. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I only meant to come and convince you to return with me to the house. You’ve got to see how foolish it is for you to stay here. I can feel you trembling. Even Callie agrees with me, but she wouldn’t say it to your face. Please, say you’ll come back. I won’t have a minutes rest otherwise.” He paused before continuing in a very subdued tone. “I know I’ve come on strong. There’s no denying I’m attracted to you. But I’m ashamed of my actions while you’re still so fragile. I promise, from this point on, I will be on my best behavior.”
Serena sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She looked at his pleading eyes, and as hard as it was not to get lost in them, she refused to answer him directly. “Who is that, in my living room?”
“That’s Kemuel. He’s one of the Brethren, too. He works in the law enforcement branch. I asked him to come with me as a safeguard for you until we get you back to the safe house.”
“So you brought someone else into this mess who could potentially be harmed because of me. Honestly Raphael, Jared set these wheels in motion, and now it has to end with me. So leave me alone to accept whatever fate has in mind for me, please. It’s for your own good.” She got up from her seat, but did so too quickly and sucked in a deep breath. “Ahh! Damn it!” She labored back to her room, having completely lost her appetite. Raphael followed.
“So you’re going to lay down your life because you feel it’s the only way to keep others safe? I don’t know you well, but I thought you were smarter than that.” He stopped her halfway down the hallway and turned her to face him. “Serena, please listen to me. You’re scared, you’re emotions are all over the place, and I complicated things by kissing you. I get why you ran away. But you don’t have to worry about my safety or Kemuel’s. There’s something I should have told you when we spoke yesterday.”
“What more is there to say, Raphael?” She leaned against the wall, weary and completely exasperated.
“Remember that company I work for?” She nodded. “Remember how I said we’re into protection, healing, and law enforcement?” She nodded again. “Well, it’s all true, but the Brethren are a…specialized force.”
“What do you mean specialized force? Are you like black ops or something?”
“Let’s get you back to your room first. You need to lie down.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Raphael! Spit it out.”
He leaned back against the wall and stared at her, examined her, as if he was trying to gauge whether or not he should tell her, but he remained silent. She gave him her best I’ve-lost-all-patience-with-you look. He rubbed his whiskered cheeks with his hands and spoke.
“I’m an angel, Serena. I’m a Savior in the Brethren organization, Kemuel’s a Warrior, and we are immortal. The Brethren are here on earth to protect and save humans from evil, and fight if need be. So you see, you don’t have to worry about sparing my life from the assholes that are after you. They should be the ones counting the minutes left of their miserable lives.”
He stood back, saying nothing more, and watched.
“You’re kidding me, right?” She chuckled, raising one hand. “Now wait. Let me see if I’ve got all of this straight. A guy named Dr. Chappo wants to kidnap me because I look like some statue. There’s this thug, Bull, who wants me dead because I spurned his nauseating sexual advances, and then there’s you who saved me because you’re an angel, and that’s what you do.” She burst out laughing again, wincing and groaning while holding her sides.
He shuffled his feet back and forth and gave her a stilted smile.
“Oh, this is a hoot! I’ve got quite the soap opera going on here, don’t I, Raphael?” She tried to stifle another bout of laughter. “You’re not laughing with me. Why aren’t you laughing?”
And now, neither was she.
“Oh. I don’t feel so good. I hope you catch me before I….”
“Serena!”
Raphael skillfully captured her in his arms before she slumped to the floor unconscious and brought her back to her bed. He laid her down gently, and moved his hands over her forehead trying to send threads of healing, weak as they may be, to her overburdened mind. Still she wouldn’t wake. Maybe it’s for the best. She’s had a long, hard day with more activity than she’s done in over a week. This nugget of information, he figured, had been too much for her to handle. But she had to know the truth about him and Kemuel. Self-imposed guilt was making her react illogically. He left her to rest and went to find Callie and Kemuel. They were back in the kitchen stirring sauce.
“Where’s Serena?”
“She’s resting now. I’m taking her back with me. I don’t care what she says. She’ll be safest there, I promise.”
“You don’t have to convince me. Even if you didn’t have state-of the-art security like Kemuel told me, you guys are the biggest brutes I’ve ever laid eyes on. In fact, I wouldn’t mind having a little security detail myself.” She turned to Kemuel and winked. He gave her a big, toothy grin.
Without releasing her from his gaze he spoke to Raphael. “I’m heading out. I’ll be walking about the grounds, keeping an eye on things. Let me know when you’re ready to leave with Serena, and I’ll follow you out.”
“Can I get you something to eat before you go? I mean it’s what got you running in here in the first place.”
“I’ll get me some later…” he called back to her.
“Oh, yes you will,” she muttered under her breath.
“Ahem, well, thanks for the meal. I’ll just get myself a bowl and head back to Serena’s room.” Raphael took a bowl of pasta and sauce and returned to her bedroom. When she awoke, he would be there; ready for her questions, with answers he hoped she’d be ready to hear.
Chapter Ten
People were idiots. Given the right incentive, Bull knew they’d sell out their families. It just so happened that Gertrude McFadden, volunteer at the information desk of the hospital, was in dire need of a new tire for her car. How did Bull know this? Well, he’d done some research and found out the name of the volunteer on duty. He watched her arrive for her shift and slashed one of them for her. He walked into the hospital and up to the information desk, with a wig, mustache, and false teeth as a disguise. He poured on the charm he never knew he had.
“Excuse me, ma’am. I parked next to a car in the lot out front and noticed one of the tires is slashed. I wrote down the license plate number. I thought maybe you could get the word out to whoever owns the vehicle. Here it is.” Bull handed the slip of paper to her.
“Why thank you, sir. How kind of you to take time out to do this. Let me take a look here and I’ll…. Wait a minute!” she shouted and jumped up from her seat. “This is my license plate number!”