I couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t mind, MOG.”
“We’re friends, Abigail. Call me Isabelle. Or Izzy. They used to call me Izzy when I was younger.”
“Izzy? Okay. You can call me Abby. Some people call me Abby.”
“Abby and Izzy. I like that. Do you want a drag?” She smiled and offered me the joint.
“No, thanks. But, I, uh, I’ve been wanting to talk to you. Ask you a few questions?” There’d been several things on my mind since the day Malakai was deported. Now seemed like as good a time as any to get some answers.
“Ask away.”
I scooted to the end of the bed but realized the smoke was too much, so I inched back and leaned against the wall.
“Malakai was pretty powerful until you showed up,” I said, trying to initiate the conversation.
She grinned and nodded.
“How’d you do it? How did you strip him of his powers?”
“You know that I’m a Messenger of God?” Her thin eyebrows scrunched together.
“Uh, yep.”
“Well, there you go.” She took another drag and tapped her foot on the ground.
“So what? All MOGs have powers like that?”
“Only when God grants them. I asked, and I received. You see?”
Not really. I pushed a wild lock of hair behind my ear. “Well, why didn’t you just ask God to evaporate Malakai and his crew to save all the trouble it took to deport him?” That seemed like the more logical thing to have done.
“Evaporation?” She giggled. “Well, that’s something to think about in the future.”
“I’m not kidding, Izzy.”
“Honestly, Abby, leveling out the powers seemed to work well, don’t you think? You got your revenge on Malakai, and I got to see the look on his disgusting face when the Hell Spirits yanked him to his demise. I have to tell you, I’ve been waiting years for that to happen. Besides...” She shrugged her dainty shoulders. “A good fight never hurt anyone.”
“’Cept I almost had my jugular sliced and my right wing cut off.”
“Right. Right. How is that, anyway?”
“Better.” I would’ve been angry at her nonchalance, but it felt so good to have a conversation with someone who didn’t think I was dirt. Her friend, she called me. Huh. That was nice.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that. I’m stocking back up on my herbs and potions so in the future...” She let the rest of the words fade away, and a deep frown formed on her pixie face. I knew what she was thinking. Cesar Knight and Victor Adams hadn’t been brought to justice yet. For whatever reason they’d slipped off the radar. Well, off MOG’s radar anyway. The demon revolution hadn’t been nipped in the bud just yet. I imagined another uprising would explode any day now.
I was ready for it.
“Anyway.” She stood up and disappeared into the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush, and then she stepped back out without her joint. “Thanks for letting me stay awhile.” She gave me a weak smile.
I smiled back. “Anytime.” And I meant it. “See you around.”
I waited for Isabelle to leave before I hopped into the shower. I had a few hours before my next shift started, and I was too hyped to go back to sleep. Talking to a friend had raised my spirits, and I had to admit I’d been acting like a big crybaby lately. Maybe if I got my head out of my ass, I could work in a visit to see the Citroën. And Kaleb. He called me occasionally to tell me the car wanted to see me. But, I don’t know, I hadn’t felt up to it until today.
Yeah, I’d been really pathetic.
I shampooed and conditioned my hair, shaved my legs—not for Kaleb—and used Pauline’s scrubby cucumber watermelon body wash all over. After ten minutes with the hair dryer, I threw on some makeup—seriously, not for Kaleb—and then pulled on some jeans and one of Pauline’s sweaters. And a dab of her perfume.
Did I mention how much I liked having her for a roommate?
I was about to dial Kaleb’s number when someone knocked on my door. I threw my cell on the bed and went to answer it. Isabelle hadn’t knocked the first time so why would she make the effort now? Pauline had her own key. And although the other Angels had been sort of nice to me since I’d deported the enemy, they still kept their distance. Who the heck was it?
“Who’s there?” I asked.
“It’s me, Abby. Judd.”
“Oh.” My heart did a thumpity-thump in my chest as I turned the lock and opened the door.
He had one hand stuffed in his faded jeans pocket. In his other hand he held a plastic grocery bag. A mustard stain took center stage on his white T-shirt. And his hair needed a comb.
I couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked so good.
“Hi.” I gestured for him to come in.
He brushed past me and stopped in the middle of the living room. Like my dearly departed apartment, the living space was small. It was a studio, all-in-one, but there was no half wall separating the bedroom in this apartment. I watched as Judd’s eyes did a quick scan of the area and then landed on me.
“What’s that smell?”
I sniffed and then remembered. “MOG was here.”
“Oh. That makes sense. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything’s great. Do you want to sit?” I pointed at the floral couch smothered with way too many throw pillows.
He picked the pillows off, sat, and patted the seat beside him. “You look good, Abby. You weren’t leaving, were you?”
“Not just yet.” I sank into the couch and faced him. He’d stretched out his long legs and leaned toward me with a curious expression.
“What?”
“We got the results for Piper’s bug back from the lab.”
“Yeah?” I’d nearly forgotten about that little detail. Judd had been sure Simeon had been behind that whole scheme. I hadn’t believed it for a second. “And?”
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, and I could’ve sworn his cheeks turned a little pink. “Turns out it wasn’t really a bug. It was just a watch battery.”
I bit back a laugh. “Really?” That was interesting. If it wasn’t a bug then... “Then how do you think they found Demon Control?”
He frowned and shrugged his shoulders. “Eli, maybe.”
“Ah.” Well, that bit of news sucked. If it was true, not only had Eli turned his back on the only people who’d ever cared about him, he’d thrown us to the wolves, as well. “I’m sorry, Judd. I know he was your best friend.”
“You’re my best friend, Abby,” Judd said. For that I was grateful, but I knew he was still hurting inside. “Don’t look at me like that, honey. I’m fine. Besides, I’ve been hanging out with Felix lately since I don’t have a car. He’s been pretty cool.”
“Huh. But don’t his constant Yoda impersonations bother you? I think it’s kind of annoying.” Not to mention Felix had called me easy at one point.
Judd chuckled. “Yeah, it’s pretty irritating, but he only does that when he’s nervous.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I make him nervous?”
“Guess so. Most females do, so don’t let it go to your pretty little head.” He skimmed his fingers down a lock of my hair.
“Course not.” Sigh.
He smiled, showing me his teeth. “You know Pauline isn’t so bad either.”
“Pauline? You like Pauline?” Should I hit him now or later?
“Why not? She’s fairly harmless.”
I fisted my hand. “Are you going to ask her out?”
He leaned in closer. “Would that make you jealous?”
I just stared at him. Silence would be my only answer.
“No, I’m not going to ask her out. I’ve got more than I can handle dealing with you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” He was dealing with me?
“All I was trying to say was it wouldn’t hurt you to have a friend besides me. And Pauline might be a good match for you. You should give her a chance.”
“I’ve got other frien
ds.”
“Simeon, you mean?”
“Yes. Simeon and Kaleb. In fact, I’m meeting Kaleb later today.”
He pulled back and narrowed his eyes at me. “What’s wrong with having a female friend? Why do you have to hang out with these big, blockheaded men?”
“I happen to like big, blockheaded men.”
“I bet you do.”
“Jealous?”
He jetted his hand through his unruly hair and sat back against the cushions. “Maybe. A little.”
I leaned forward this time, loving that he still cared. “You’re a big blockhead, and I really like you.” More than you know.
“Yeah?” His lips tipped up to a half grin. “Listen.” He reached for the plastic grocery bag he’d thrown on the floor and handed it to me. “I thought you might want this to, you know, start growing your collection again.”
Intrigued and slightly ecstatic, I ripped open the bag. I never got presents. Then I saw it. An Ultimate Aerosmith Hits CD.
“Holy shit.”
“I thought you’d like it. It has that Angel song on there you used to listen to all the time.”
I fought back the tears burning at my eyes. Our spending allowance was close to zero until Demon Control was up and running again.
“You shouldn’t have, Judd. This is so sweet.”
“It was no big deal. Really. The demon who works at the store gave me a good deal.”
Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. “Tell me what you did.”
He chuckled. “I told him I’d ignore the fact that he’d just sold an adult movie to a kid if he’d give me a store credit.”
“Judd! You’re going to lose your Angel status again if you abuse your power. You know that.”
Judd angled toward me again and cupped his hand to my cheek. “It’d be worth it to see a smile on your face again. Abby...” He drew in a breath. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around the past few weeks.”
The seriousness of his voice was making me uneasy. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not, and I want to explain.” He edged even closer and was now only inches from my face. “When I kissed you. Remember? In the closet?”
“Yeah?” I bit into my lip. How could I forget?
“It changed things between us.”
I didn’t like where this was going.
“I’ve always been attracted to you,” he said. “You know that.”
“I didn’t know that.” Was he kidding?
“Well, it’s true. I’ve had the hots for you since I laid eyes on you. But I never acted on it because you’ve been the only person I can hang with. You know? You don’t mind when I cuss. You don’t get all superior when I make a mistake. You don’t judge me.”
I blinked. “You have the hots for me?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “And the kiss didn’t help much.”
“It was a great kiss. Although you turning the light switch off on me kind of ruined the moment.”
“Sorry. I got nervous.”
That made sense. “So?”
“So I’d like to kiss you again sometime, if that’s all right. No pressure. No strings. Just a kiss once in a while.”
“Just a kiss?”
He lowered his blue eyes to my lips and back up again. “Once in a while.”
“I, uh.” I cleared my throat and crossed my wobbly knees. “I don’t see anything wrong with that if you don’t. I mean, if you don’t think it’ll harm our friendship.”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking about the past few weeks. I was worried I’d fucked up by kissing you. I thought maybe I’d opened Pandora’s Box, and there was no going back. But we’re reasonable adults, right? And we both want to remain Angels, right? It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me. We’re not going to take the plunge and join humanity with a simple kiss.”
I shook my head, maybe a little too hard. “Good point.”
He lightly brushed his thumb over my lower lip. “Abby, if I ever do or say anything that makes you uncomfortable, all you need to do is say so, and I’ll back off. Your friendship means more to me than anything.”
Aw. He could be so sweet when he wasn’t being a putz.
I let my gaze drift down to his mouth. “When’s this kissing affair going to start?”
“How ’bout right now.” He closed the distance between us and started with a slow lingering kiss. His taste was familiar. His scent felt like home. I nearly moaned as his tongue slid seductively alongside mine. This was much different from our intense tango in the janitor’s closet. I guessed he’d gotten that out of his system. Or maybe he wasn’t angry about Simeon anymore.
Simeon.
Here I was making out and having a grand ole time when Simeon was suffering in Hell. Because of me. I braced my hands on Judd’s shoulders and eased away. We had eternity to continue this...this kissing game. A game I looked forward to playing but not when guilt ran like tar through my veins.
Judd slowly opened his eyes, most of the blue had disappeared. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“Just a kiss, remember?” I played it cool. Or tried to anyway. Judd always knew when I was lying.
He grinned, and I noticed his cheeks grow pink. “Right. Well, I see I’ll have to do some negotiating in the future.” He let out a nervous chuckle and stood to his feet. “I better go. I, uh, have to meet up with Felix. He wants to start going to the gym with me.”
“Really? Good for him.”
“Not like he has a choice. The streets haven’t exactly been kind to him since we gained our Angel status back. Three demons have slipped away from him because he can’t catch his breath.” Judd pressed a hasty kiss to my cheek. “See you soon,” he murmured into my ear and then walked out the door.
That was interesting. I brought my fingers to my lips and stared at the door he’d just closed. I’d always known he’d be a good kisser. Lord only knew what he could do with his lower regions.
My cell phone started ringing, thankfully, pulling me out of the gutter where my mind was swimming. I ran for it, checked the number, and felt my heart pang against my chest when I saw who was calling me.
Simeon. How could he be calling? Was he back?
I quickly answered. “Hello? Sim?”
“It’s me. Harley.” Her voice was a whisper, but I could still make it out.
“Why are you calling me from your uncle’s house? Is he there? Is he okay?”
“Listen. He didn’t want me to call you, so I’m trying to keep it down. He came back early this morning, and I don’t know what to do.” She sounded like a teenager, panicked and unsure, rather than the adult she pretended to be.
“About what? Is he okay?” Why wouldn’t she answer me? And what did she mean he didn’t want her to call me? God, he must hate me.
“He wasn’t this bad last time he came back. Last time he healed pretty quickly, and Nana was here with me. I don’t know what do.” She sniffed into the phone. “Kaleb told me how you fixed him up. Can you help my uncle?”
I actually felt bad for the little snot. She must really care about her uncle. “Yes, I’ll be right there,” I said, even though I had no idea how badly Simeon was hurt and if I could help him.
All I knew was I’d give everything I had, my last breath, to keep him on this earth.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I pulled Eli’s stupid, tiny hatchback into Simeon’s driveway. MOG had given the car to me since my VW had been barbecued in the fire. I’d felt a little sad and mournful about taking it at first. Now that I knew Eli had been the one to give Malakai Demon Control’s location I didn’t feel so bad. In fact, the first chance I got, I was going to sell the damn thing and buy a car that didn’t make me nauseous every time I turned on the engine.
I had no clue what had pushed Eli to give up his soul. So what if he’d felt emasculated when his Angel status had been taken from him? Did he really think becoming a demon would give him that power back? I shook the thought of him out of my head. He wasn’t
important anymore. And for the pain he’d caused, I wouldn’t doubt he’d learn his lesson in Hell and come back begging for mercy. Too bad for Eli clemency had never been given to a fallen Angel. Not once in the history of Angels, Inc.
Not my problem, I thought as I walked to the front door. Harley opened it before I had a chance to ring the doorbell. My heart dropped at the sight of her. Her eyes were puffy and black lines of mascara trailed down her cheeks.
She closed the door behind me and grabbed my arm before I could make my way to Simeon’s room.
“Wait,” she said. “Just so you know, I didn’t want you near him, but it wasn’t like I had another choice.”
I straightened my shoulders and met her glare. “Just so you know, Simeon means a lot to me, and I’d do anything for him.” I blew out a calming breath. “So I’m glad you called me.”
She swiped at the fresh tears rolling down her blackened cheeks. “I almost didn’t. You’re the one who did this to him. If Kaleb hadn’t insisted on the phone...”
“I’m sorry.” What else could I say? She was right, I had done this to Simeon. “Believe me, if I’d had another choice―”
She put up her hand to stop me. “I know. Kaleb told me everything. Just go fix my uncle, okay?”
I ignored her bossy tone and headed down the hallway. It wasn’t until then that reality struck me like a fist between the eyes. Simeon had come back. I hadn’t lost him. I was so close to seeing him again. So close to finding out if he ever wanted to see me again. If he had any brains in his glorious head, he’d tell me to go to Hell.
I prayed he wouldn’t.
An unusual odor met me at his bedroom door, along with a cloud of warmth, easily detectable when the rest of the house was freezing. I gripped the doorknob. It rattled underneath my trembling hand.
Get it together, Abby. He needs you.
Gathering courage, I pushed the door open. The smell immediately hit me. It didn’t take long to recognize the source. Simeon was curled up on the bed facing the battle- battered wall. His naked body was covered in blisters and what could only be dried-up vomit. His hair was mostly gone. Singed off. His skin was no longer the golden tan but a sickly yellow.
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