Wrath

by LJ Baker

  “Then you should know that I’ve already taken care of Fergus and his little band of asshats. In all the time you’ve known me, have you ever known me to mishandle my responsibilities in Hell? I have things well under control there. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I’ve never known you to be interested in human emotions like love before either.”

  “Fair enough. But have a little faith in me.”

  “That’s ironic.”

  Luc laughed. “I realize you’re concerned, but you are the one who came up with this little game. You do remember that, right?”

  “Of course I remember, but you were going off on this crazy quest anyway, game or no game. I’m just trying to help you keep from going off the deep end with it.”

  “I’m not headed for any cliffs, Harley. You can take some breaths. Humans do this shit all the time.”

  Harley nodded and sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to trust you.”

  “That would be appreciated.” Luc finished his drink and pushed the glass at Harley. “Any chance you still have that friend in the social services agency?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I have a little problem I need some help with.”

  ***

  “Come on Suzie Q, you can do this one little favor for me. Can’t you?” Az twirled his finger around a lock of the social workers hair and flashed her his dazzling smile. “I bet there are some things I can do for you, too.”

  Susan Rafferty giggled like a schoolgirl and batted her eyelashes a few times. “I don’t know. It’s not standard procedure to allow visits before the court date. I do have superiors to answer to.”

  Azrael took a step closer, closing the short distance between them. His breath burned against her flesh and he watched as she shifted on her feet. A deep scarlet spread out across her neck and he could feel the heat coming off of her. She wanted him to touch her. Hell, she wanted him to rip off her clothes, throw her down on her paper-strewn desk, and show her what an angel could do. Az didn’t need to look into her head to know what she was thinking.

  “Oh forget standard procedure.” Az slipped her glasses off and placed them neatly on the desk. She wasn’t exactly a pretty woman, but his body reacted nonetheless. “All I’m asking for is a visit. I bet you have a lot more power than you’re letting on. Surely you can make that happen? Can’t you, Suzie Q?”

  “I… I don’t know.” She bit her bottom lip and let her eyes graze over him.

  Az pressed his body against hers and let their heat intertwine. Beads of sweat gathered at her temple as he ran one finger down her arm, eliciting a shiver.

  “I think you can.”

  With a quick swipe of her tongue over her lips, she nodded. “I suppose I can find a way to work that out. Just this once though.”

  And with that, he was in.

  It didn’t matter what Az thought of Ronnie Falcon, which might not be as harsh as it was a few days previously. Luc asked for his help and he would do what he could. Regardless of what anyone thought, Az was quite fond of Luc. So even if he thought it was a bad idea, he would help.

  Hell, it wasn’t the kids fault their sister was off balance. And since she was all they had, Az would do the right thing. Even if it did cost him an afternoon with a sexually pent up social worker.

  Or maybe that was only the bonus for his good deed.

  Gotta love being an angel.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Why are you even here?” Ronnie stood with one hand on her hip and the other on the half open door. She clearly wasn’t in the mood for company, but Luc wasn’t in the mood to care.

  “You haven’t been to work all week.” Luc waited in the foyer looking over Ronnie. She was in shorts and a stain-covered tee. She hadn’t brushed her hair in a few days, and from the smell of her, she hadn’t bothered to shower either.

  Luc had been keeping an eye on her from afar, hoping she would straighten herself out, while he tried to do everything he could to help her get the kids back. Instead of getting her life under control, she only sunk lower.

  “Yeah. I don’t exactly need the money without the kids, now do I?”

  “I told you we would get them back. You need to straighten yourself up and stop the pity-party.” Luc pushed past her and took in the trash laying around the room. “And clean this place the hell up. What would the social worker say?”

  Luc glanced around, then headed into the living room with Ronnie following behind with a scowl. He’d thought the place was in bad shape the last time he’d stopped by, but it had gotten even worse.

  “You can’t promise that, Luc. I appreciate everything you’ve done, and I’m grateful for not being in jail, but seriously, mind your own damn business.” Ronnie flopped down on the sofa between a pizza box and a pile of clothes. “And I know exactly what the social worker would say. She’d laugh at me and say none of it matters, because she isn’t bringing those kids back. Ever.”

  “I’m not going to mind my own business. I told you I was going to fix this and I will.”

  “You can’t fix this. No one can.”

  “Do you know what I can do?”

  “You can get the fuck out of my house and leave me alone?”

  “I could, but then you wouldn’t know what I know.” Luc flashed her his crooked smile, but she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I don’t give a fuck what you know, to be honest.”

  “Actually, I think you do.”

  She turned her head away and ignored him. It was not a common response women had when dealing with Luc. It only made him respect her more. She certainly wasn’t like all the other women he’d met in his time.

  No matter what Az said.

  “I’ve arranged a visit with the kids for tomorrow afternoon.”

  Ronnie’s eyes lit up and she jumped off the couch with a bolt. “You what?”

  “But just to be clear, you can’t fight tonight. If you show up there covered in bruises and broken knuckles, they are going to tell you to get lost.”

  “Joe won’t give me a match again after last week. I’m done fighting, like it or not.”

  Luc didn’t have to ask what happened. He’d already heard about it from his brother, who seemed to know everything about everyone these days. He’d even made a little visit to the girl in the hospital to make sure she healed a little faster than human speed just so Ronnie didn’t have any more trouble.

  “I have to say, I’m a little disappointed. When you weren’t trying to kill a bitch, it was damn hot.” Luc shot her one of his signature crooked smiles and winked. It had the desired effect and a smile spread out from her lips.

  “I really get to see them?” She buzzed with nervous excitement and Luc almost expected her to start jumping up and down like a six year old.

  “You do. It will be a supervised visit, and it doesn’t mean they are giving them back, but it’s a start. So don’t screw it up.”

  Ronnie sprang forward and threw herself onto Luc’s chest, strangling her arms around his neck in a suffocating hug. It was a good thing he was immortal.

  “Thank you, Luc. You are amazing.” She pulled back and kissed his cheek, not something Luc was used to, but it felt nice nonetheless.

  “Of course I am.” He smiled and pried her off of him.

  “Why are you being so nice to me? You gave me a job, kept me out of jail, and now this. Why would you go out of your way so many times for someone you don’t even know?”

  That really was the question of the month, wasn’t it? Luc was never one to exert himself doing good deeds. Sure, people thought the devil was all about evil and tempting humans to do bad things, but it wasn’t true. His job was to punish the evil, the wrong doers, the guilty. And sure, occasionally, he did encourage a little naughty behavior, but mostly, he just got a bad rap.

  “Maybe because I like you.” He pushed her hair behind her ear and brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “Maybe because you deserve to have someone look
ing out for you.”

  She leaned into his hand and his thoughts wandered. It would be easy to pull her clothes off and spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying her willing body. But the part of him that wanted to do the right thing stepped in and he dropped his hands to his sides.

  “I have to admit though, Azrael did most of the legwork to make this happen.” Luc was sure Az’s legs had little to do with it, but that would remain unsaid. “He was the one who met with the social worker and convinced her to allow the visit. So make sure you thank him next time you see him.”

  “I thought Az didn’t like me.”

  “My brother just thinks that people should act a certain way, behave the way our father taught us was right. When they fail to live up to that impossibly high standard, as all humans do, Az gets disappointed. Don’t take it personal. Besides, I thought you felt the same about him.”

  Ronnie shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t like him, per se. There’s just something about him I don’t trust. I’m sorry, I know he’s your brother, but he creeps me out.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I completely understand. Now go clean up and get your ass to work. You’ll never get those kids back if I fire your ass.”

  She nodded and went to shower.

  Luc wasn’t used to getting to know women. Usually, he had a good time with them and moved on. Spending the time to really know them, to see what it was like in their world, was a whole new experience. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Caring about humans wasn’t something he’d spent much time doing. Sure, he loved his brothers, and Harley, but they’d been in each other’s lives for so long. It was different.

  He’d only known Ronnie a few weeks, and already he wanted to help her, see things work out for her. The fact that she was completely comfortable with him and found Azrael to be creepy was also a huge bonus. Luc wasn’t sure it would be a love connection, but for the first time, he was actually glad that Harley came up with this game.

  Though, there was no way he would tell Harley that!

  ***

  “I thought you weren’t going to get to see the kids until after the court date?” Lizzie stuffed a third of her pizza slice into her mouth and washed it down with some tequila. The fact that she’d eat that way, even on a date, was one of the things Ronnie loved most about her.

  “That’s what I thought too, but apparently Luc’s brother met with the social worker bitch and got her to change her mind somehow. So I get to see them tomorrow.” Ronnie was too nervous to eat. The tequila was only barely calming her nerves. It was the kind of night that a fight would have helped, but that was out of the question.

  Luc was right. She had to stop feeling sorry for herself and get her shit together.

  “Your boss is kind of awesome. And what’s this about a brother? Is he as hot as Luc? Is he single? Maybe I need to come check out this club you work in.”

  “Az, the brother, is uh, he’s hot… in a blond, surfer dude with a perfect body kind of way. I guess.”

  “What kind of name is Az? And why did you all of a sudden get all uncomfortable? Is something wrong with his brother? Please say no.”

  “Az is short for Azrael and no, nothing is wrong with him. He just gives me a weird vibe. I can’t explain it. He’s probably your type, though I get the impression that he’s only looking for a good time.”

  “And you think what? I’m looking for my soul mate?”

  “No, but—”

  “I am looking for exactly the same thing right now. I’m too young for anything serious. It’s like you don’t know me at all.” Liz pushed the pizza box toward Ronnie with her foot and stretched out on the couch. “We drink too much tequila. Don’t you think we drink too much tequila?”

  “We could switch to bourbon?”

  “Eww, when have you drank bourbon?”

  “At work. It is a bar, you know? People drink. It’s not bad.” Ronnie pushed the last few slices of pizza around in the box and considered having one, then changed her mind.

  “Do you need me to go with you tomorrow? I could totally call out of work and come if you need the moral support or something. Am I a good friend? Sometimes I think I should be there for you more, like back you up and shit.”

  Liz was over her alcohol limit. Ronnie always knew when to cut her off by the things she said. Or by the lack of breaths between the things she said.

  “You’re a great friend, the best in fact, but no. I think I can handle it on my own, but I do appreciate the offer.”

  She probably wouldn’t remember making it in the morning. It was fine though. Ronnie knew Lizzie would be there any time she asked. She really was a great friend. It was Ronnie that had some catching up to do. She couldn’t even say that she knew what was going on in her friend’s life anymore. She’d been so caught up in her own shit, that she hadn’t made much of an effort to keep up with Liz’s life.

  There were so many people she needed to work harder with. Not just Liz, but her siblings especially, she needed to do better with. She’d fucked up so much over the last nearly seven months that she didn’t know how she was ever going to make up for it.

  But she was definitely going to try.

  Even if they didn’t give the kids back, she wasn’t going to give up. She’d fight with everything she had to at least be able to visit them. She’d write letters if that was all she could do. And if they denied even that, she’d wait it out until they were old enough to come back to see her on their own. That was if they still wanted to.

  There was a bit of concern that they wouldn’t even want to see her, that they would be angry for how badly she’d screwed things up. She’d deserve it if they were, though she prayed every night that they’d forgive her, and one day, they’d be back together.

  Ronnie looked over at Liz, who had fallen asleep with her hair covering her face. Ronnie pushed it to the side and smiled at her friend. She’d always thought of herself as unlucky, especially with how the past seven months had been going. But looking at her best friend, drunk and asleep next to her, she knew that she should be grateful for at least one thing in her life.

  Okay, maybe she needed to be grateful for her new job and boss, too. Without Luc, Ronnie wasn’t sure how she would have made it through the last month.

  ***

  Through a wide, two-way mirror, Ronnie watched the kids as they waited for the visit. Freddy and Jennifer were taking turns slapping each other in the face and seeing who could keep a straight face without flinching. So totally them. Mae was sitting in the far corner on a window seat, with her knees drawn up and her arms folded over her chest. She had a hoodie on and pulled over her face. She reminded Ronnie so much of her younger self, but that might not be such a good thing with the way she’d turned out.

  She worried about Mae the most. She saw some of the same anger in her that Ronnie saw in herself. That wasn’t the future she wanted for her younger sister. Hell, that wasn’t the future she wanted for herself, but she’d rather it was her than Mae.

  Ronnie was glad they couldn’t see her through the window. She needed that extra time to prepare herself for whatever was going to happen. She’d hoped for the best, but she really didn’t expect it. At the very least, she needed to be honest with herself and they had every right to be furious with her.

  A flood of nerves washed over Ronnie. She’d missed them more than she had words for, but standing there, looking at their faces, she was full of anxiety. She knew little about what happened to them since they’d been taken from her, except that they were all split up. They probably hated her for that.

  And they should.

  “Ms. Falcon, I know you haven’t seen them in almost two weeks, so I want you to be prepared. The younger two are doing well, considering the circumstances, and are very excited to see you. The older girl—”

  “Mae. Her name is Mae, not the older girl.” How can the woman be their social worker and not know their names?

  “Right, of course. Mae wasn’t happy about being
here. She didn’t want to see you at all. In fact, the only reason she agreed, was so that she could see her siblings. We let her know that she could leave the visit at any time. So if she decides she wants to go early, don’t try to stop her.” The social worker looked her over and Ronnie could feel the judgment coming off of her.

  Ronnie should have known that Mae would be the one to hate her for this. She couldn’t even blame her. Because of Ronnie’s inability to control her anger, their family had been ripped apart. They’d been through so much in the past months. The last thing they needed was this.

  It wasn’t surprising that the younger two weren’t holding a grudge. They were always easier, more forgiving. But Mae was a lot like Ronnie, whether it was in her best interest or not. She wished she could take that part of her away, make her more like her younger siblings, because she knew what kind of trouble it could cause. All she really wanted was for them to have a good life.

  Whether Ronnie liked it or not, it was her job to take care of them, to keep them together. She agreed to it when she moved back home and took custody of her siblings. Giving up her own life had been an easy decision, though she had missed it at first. It wasn’t easy, going from selfish party girl, college student, to responsible, mom of three. And maybe she hadn’t yet mastered that role, but she was trying her best.

  Or maybe she wasn’t, since she was looking at her siblings through a two-way glass mirror because they’d been taken from her.

  Mae shifted in the seat and leaned her head into the window. Ronnie remembered when Mae was born. She’d been seven and thought having a baby sister was going to be like playing with a new doll. Mae was everything to her. At least until Ronnie became a teenager. Then she had boys to play with instead.

  “Can I go in now?”

  “Sure. I’ll have to be in there with you. You understand how this works, right?”

  “Yeah. I can’t be trusted with my own brother and sisters, so you are going to watch me, like some criminal, who might hurt them. Right?” Ronnie glared at the woman, with her hands stuffed into her pockets. It wasn’t her fault. She was just doing her job, but Ronnie hated her anyway.