Waving over his shoulder, Dec called out, “Never! She’s perfect!”
The manager was flipping the closed sign just as he ran around the corner. Flinging himself at the door handle, he shouted, “Wait!” and knocked on the glass to show he meant it.
Yes! The manager was a woman. The irritated expression on her face morphed into a delighted smile the second she laid eyes on him. The flashing baby blues, perfectly adorable dimples and crooked smile helped, but the hands folded in prayer and pouty lower lip did the trick. He breathed a huge sigh of relief when she unlocked the door. He was ready to use his powers if he had to. He hoped it didn’t come to that.
Ten minutes later, she had all three tuxes ready to go.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try yours on before you take it?” Suzanne, the manager, double checked the order form and handed him the receipt.
Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he scooped up the hangers and shook his head. “I’m sure it’ll be perfect. I am totally out of time tonight. My girlfriend’s waiting for me now. If I’m any later, she might kill me and they’ll have to bury me in this.” Taking her hand, he pressed a kiss against her knuckles and smiled into her eyes. “Thank you for letting me in, Suzanne. I appreciate it more than I can say.”
Blushing with pleasure, she smoothed her hair behind her ear, murmuring, “It’s no big deal. I’m happy to help.”
Taking her hand again, he squeezed it gently and said, “It’s a big deal to me. Be safe, darlin’.”
She withdrew her hand and rubbed it against her hip with a slight frown. Flashing him an apologetic smile, she reached under the counter for a bottle of hand sanitizer. “No offense. You can’t be too careful after all the announcements today.” She smoothed the lemon-scented lotion over her knuckles as he stared in confusion.
“Announcements? What announcements? I just got back into town. Is something going on?”
“Apparently there’s been a bizarre outbreak of the Bubonic Plague of all things. The news is reporting that more than 10,000 people are sick. Can you believe that? I thought that stuff was long gone like polio.”
The Black Death was here? Yeah, that was weird but not impossible. It wasn’t common in the U.S., but it hadn’t been eradicated. With all the international travel these days, it wasn’t farfetched to think it would end up here. “Why don’t you go home and stay away from crowds for a bit? It’s pretty contagious but curable. Antibiotics do the trick.”
She nodded and rubbed her hands again. “Yeah, I’ll do that. You better get moving though and congratulations on your wedding. I hope you two will be very happy.”
“Thanks!” he called out as he let the swing closed behind him. Plague? Can anything else go wrong?
Dec! Get your ass home! Now! Sean’s bellowed call nearly broke his eardrums from the inside out. The shout came out of nowhere causing him to stumble into the side of parked moped before catching his balance and veering back onto the sidewalk.
What’s wrong? He couldn’t travel from here. There were too many people still hurrying down the streets. Sweeping his eyes from left to right, he searched for a place to duck inside. There was a small cross street halfway down the block. Probably it would be empty. He took off in a sprint while trying to hear Sean over the steady screaming of police sirens.
Sean? What’s going on? Is Rori okay?
She’s not hurt. Upset, but not hurt. Hurry the hell up!
The corner was only a few feet further. Automatically checking for witnesses, he vaulted a stray pit bull nudging at a dead rat and barreled around the corner. Pressing his back to the nearest wall, he took a nanosecond to scope out the area. In the apartment above him, a man and woman were arguing, something solid hit a wall and shattered. The man yelped. At the end of the street, three people ran by being chased by two others who were yelling obscenities. They kept going. His street was clear.
Time to bolt.
He rematerialized inside their temporary hotel room underneath the penthouse. “Rori? Sean?” The sitting room was empty. He headed straight towards the bedroom. “Rori? I’m back!”
Empty. What was going on? Sean! Where are you guys?
“In the penthouse. Come on up.”
Dec whirled around and swung a right cross in the direction of the voice.
Sean grabbed his forearm and grinned at the surprise on his face. “Easy there, Jumpy. Didn’t mean to startle you. You gotta hear this though.”
“Dude. I almost knocked your teeth out.”
“Not even close. Come on. We need to get upstairs.”
The second his molecules settled into place, he opened his arms for Rori. She threw herself against him with a happy cry of relief. Hugging her close, he buried his face in her neck, breathing her in. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, my God, am I glad to see you!” Pushing up onto her tiptoes, she pulled his head down and kissed him hard and fast. “I’m about to lose my mind. You’re not going to believe what’s happened!”
Dropping another kiss on her smiling lips, he dragged his palms up and down her arms. Yes, she was all in one piece. A little pale, but no blood splatters. Her pupils were slightly dilated though. He studied her eyes a little more closely. Something was off.
“Where’s Af?”
She flushed hotly and slanted her eyes towards Aisling. Aisling’s mouth twisted into a disgusted grimace that hinted at bad things that he probably didn’t want to hear. “Rori, where’s Af? Did he hurt you? Or Ais?”
She shook her head before finally drawing a ragged breath and answering. “Gone. We don’t know where.”
Yes, Declan, things can get worse.
“What the hell happened? How is he gone? This place was supposed to hold him. There’s no way he could’ve gotten out without help. Someone had to let him—”
“—out.” Her eyes filled with tears and she repeated miserably, “Someone had to let him out. God, Dec, I am so sorry! I screwed up.”
Before he could get his mouth to form words, Aisling jumped to her defense. “It wasn’t her fault. He completely overwhelmed us the second we opened the door. He’s unbelievably strong. He knocked me out before I could blink. I didn’t see a thing.”
Rori nodded miserably. “I completely forgot he was here until we walked in. I forgot the stupid shoes for the wedding, and I was so pissed off that April’s a demon that I forgot he was here.” She bit her lip and continued with a tremor of fear in her voice, “Baby, I don’t know what happened. I can’t remember!”
Af probably erased her memory. And that’s just another reason to punch that angel in the face. “It’s okay. You’ll be all right, but you won’t get that memory back. How long ago did all of this happen? Do either of you remember what time it was?”
After thinking about it for a few seconds, Aisling replied, “Probably six or seven hours ago.”
Sean interrupted his next question with a sharp whistle. “You guys need to look at the news. Shit has officially hit the fan.”
The images on the TV were shocking. It was like a disaster movie. The screen was filled with chaos. Reaching for the remote, Dec cranked up the volume before sinking to the couch. Holy Mary Mother of God. Af was loose.
And he had a huge, huge, head start.
“Metropolitan Police have confirmed a series of violent altercations that seem to have progressed to wide-scale rioting that is spreading from Union Square to Brooklyn. Fires are burning out of control on the east side of the square as well. Fire crews have been brought in from the boroughs to help contain the blazes. At least three office buildings are fully engulfed right now. Mayor Derek Krieger released a statement just a few minutes ago urging New Yorkers to remain indoors until the rioting has been contained.”
Another news anchor picked up the thread. “That’s right, Lissette. Apparently this began earlier this afternoon with a traffic accident in front of Union Square. Although no one was hurt at the scene, the two drivers exchanged words and within minutes, the entire square was
involved in a full scale riot that spread like a wave from there.” He shook his head and frowned with almost genuine concern.
Rori swayed against him with a distressed moan. “This is all my fault. I did this. We should cancel the wedding until someone finds Af and stops him.”
Dec and Aisling both objected at once. “No!”
He jumped up and faced her. “Absolutely not. No way! We’ve waited long enough. We’re not canceling this wedding. I’m not letting that asshat ruin our day. He’s long gone by now.” Gesturing at the TV, he said, “See? The violence is already settling down. It’s contained to one area which tells me he left. I don’t know how, but he’s gone for now. I say good riddance.”
“But, Dec, won’t he cause more trouble? Shouldn’t you guys do something?”
He and Sean both laughed at the idea. Sean said, “This isn’t our problem. This is Uriel’s problem. We can’t stop Af. If we go after him, he’ll only take our power and leave our bodies in a ditch. I know you want to help, but rampaging Angels of Destruction aren’t like stray dogs that you can rehabilitate with enough love and good food. They’re more like stray velociraptors. Once you cage one, you don’t want to turn it loose, but you can’t keep from staring at it. They’re vicious and yet oddly fascinating.”
“He’s right—more or less. Af’s not a fan of Primani to begin with. Right now, I’d guess he’s on a mission, and that mission is the only thing on his mind. Our interference would only piss him off and he’s already unstable enough. No, we’re getting married tomorrow night and that’s final.”
“I can’t help but think something else is going to go wrong.”
Rori’s words echoed his thoughts but he hugged her tight and said, “Everything’s going to be all right. I promise you.”
Aisling curled up against Sean’s side to whisper into his ear. He listened for a few seconds before dropping a kiss on her temple. “You’re a genius, babe.”
Turning back to Rori, Aisling smiled and said, “What if you two get married in the morning instead? I’m sure Mica and Killian can be here. If we call them now, they can be ready. If Sean and Dec help, they can bring the boys here by teleporting instead of them piling into the car and driving down from the farmhouse. That cuts five hours off of the trip.”
Rori glanced back and forth and settled against him to think. Finally she agreed in a weary voice. “That would work, I guess.”
“Sure it would. We can’t do anything about Af right now. We’ll have Killian do the ceremony at 10:00. That gives us more than enough time to set up the penthouse and get everyone here, right? Is all of your shopping already done?”
Warming to the plan, Rori actually smiled. “Oh, yeah, Aisling and I have everything ready. We can just do it in the garden like we originally planned. Someone should tell the old guys. Raphael and Uriel said they wanted to be here.”
“And I’m dying to give away the beautiful bride.”
“Keil! Where did you come from?”
Rori almost fell over with surprise. Keil was here? Where’d they dig him up from? He’d been off grid for months. She didn’t know whether to hug him or slap him in the head for ignoring her calls. Lounging against the doorframe, he looked as fit and handsome as ever. Except for the dirt and the dried blood and . . . “Why are you in your underwear?”
“Long story.” Keil dropped his warm blue eyes over her face and offered his hand. “I’ve had a rough day. So do I get a hug or what?”
Meeting that gaze was her undoing. Those damn eyes were impossible to resist. Must be all that shared DNA. He crooked his finger and she stepped into the circle of his embrace. Squeezing her in a bear hug, he swung her around and set her back to her feet. Searching her face with his usual laser focus, he lowered his voice and asked, “You’re sure about this? About Dec?”
“Keil!” She burst out laughing at the ridiculous concern in his voice. “It’s way too late for you to play the devoted father. You suck as a parent.” It was sweet of him to worry though. She eased up on her tiptoes to whisper, “I’m glad you’re here,” and squeezed him back. He might not be a good father, but he was the only blood family she had left. As much as she tried to treat him as a stranger she barely knew, their bond was growing stronger every time they saw each other. He was completely irresistible when he turned on his charm.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. My baby girl is getting married. I might even cry.” He pressed a kiss to her fingertips and stepped back with another killer smile.
“He almost did, though and speaking of which, now that we’re all safe and sound, we need to have a little convo about that.” Dec’s tone was more amused than cranky, but there was definitely an underlying darkness in the lilt of his voice. His sunny smile was cloudy right now and it made her chest ache because she knew she’d added the stress to everything else going on.
Sean and Aisling had been talking in the kitchen while she got caught up with Keil. They walked over to say goodbye. Aisling said, “I’m going to get Sean Michael. He’s been at Mica’s all day. I miss him. I’ll get things set up with Mica and Killian while I’m there.”
“One thing before you go, Ais.” Sean pulled her into a lingering kiss that made Rori suddenly needy for her own man. After murmuring something against Aisling’s ear, he turned to them and said, “I’ll go see Raphael. You two get Keil sorted out and get some sleep. Ais and I are going to rack in the other hotel room when she gets back with Sean Michael. We’ll see you first thing in the morning.”
With a wink and a wave, they vanished.
“I’m going to crack open a bottle of wine. I don’t know about you two, but I seriously could use a drink. The past 24 hours have been a nightmare. I’ll be right back.” Rori was halfway to the kitchen when she turned back around and warned, “Don’t start without me. I want all the details.”
Keil said, “Take your time. I’m going to dive into the shower real quick. Give me ten minutes, yeah?”
She grabbed three glasses and a bottle of her favorite Washington State merlot and hurried back to the living room to hang with Dec. Ten minutes to the second later, Keil reappeared with his wet hair combed back and dressed in Dec’s board shorts and a faded blue t-shirt. Everything fit exactly perfect. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? They could almost be twins. Keil eased his butt onto the arm of the couch and propped his barefoot on the cushion. An ornate black crucifix was inked on the back of his calf. A blood-red chain encircled the image. The figure hanging from the cross had Primani blue eyes. She’d asked him about it once. His face had closed up tight. He said it was to remind him. Of what she had no clue.
“Thanks for the clothes, asshole. I want my shit back. Unless you aren’t wearing underwear. If that’s the case, you owe me $100.00 to cover replacements.”
Dec chuckled at the snippy tone in Keil’s voice. “Guess I’m keeping them then. I knew you’d be a dick about this. I got shot in the head trying to find you. Try to cut me some slack.” To Rori, he explained, “He’s totally paranoid about anyone wearing his things. Hates it like you wouldn’t believe. Says it’s like sharing a toothbrush.”
Keil protested, “It’s friggin’ gross. Do you know how many dead skin cells you shed every day? I don’t want other people’s bodily waste touching me.” He actually shuddered at the idea.
Dec tried hard to smother a laugh, biting his lower lip hard before finally blurting, “And yet you have a video camera over your bed. Try to tell me that’s for selfies and I’ll call you a liar.”
Keil had no response to that and slammed his mouth shut.
She closed her eyes and released a long breath of contentment. “I love you guys. You make me smile, but can we get to your Asian adventure before I fall asleep? It’s getting late and I’m dying to hear how Dec got shot and how you got covered with blood in your boxers.”
After shooting Dec one last dirty look, Keil got started. “It’s not a long story, though I’m still not exactly sure what happened. The memories are
a little fuzzy.”
Dec chuckled and said, “That’s not a surprise, man. You were out of your head. Hallucinating and everything. It would’ve been funny except you were so freaked out.”
Keil actually blushed. “It wasn’t my fault. None of this was my fault. I treated Wang Li just like I treat all of my, er, um—” His eyes touched on Rori before he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Booty calls?” Dec supplied since Keil seemed out of words. “Come on, buddy. We’re adults here. You’re a friggin’ slut. You’ve always had a harem on call so don’t try to be shy about it. Rori knows what sex is. Get to the good parts. Why was Wang Li homicidal? Did she want to get married?” He dropped the teasing tone and demanded sharply, “She isn’t pregnant, is she?”
Keil jumped like he’d been electrocuted. “What? No! It’s not that. Wang Li wasn’t a just a booty call. She had a thing for my edge collection and wanted to take play to a dangerous level that I wasn’t comfortable with. She wanted to bleed. A lot. I’m not into that extreme shit. I like to play with the blades, but I’m not into carving people up for kicks, so I said no. She didn’t take that too well, but we saw each other a few more times. Everything seemed normal again. I thought she’d put the idea out of her mind, but she brought it up again the other night. We had a huge fight and she locked herself in my bathroom. I thought she was calming down so I went to the kitchen for a beer. Next thing I know, she’s jamming a needle in my ass and whispering about how I’m going to do what she wants one way or another.”
Rori had to stop him to ask a question that was nearly strangling her. “Hold up. What’s an edge collection? I don’t know what that means? Dec? Do you know what he’s talking about?”
Dec and Keil both turned a little pink, but Keil answered honestly. “It’s what I call my collection of knives and other tools and toys I like to use with some of my partners. Some women like the danger fantasy and I like giving it to them.”
Dec smirked and joked, “Probably comes from his days of riding with Genghis Khan.”
Saol Mates (Primani Book Six) Page 21