Tattoos and Angels

by Casey McMillin

  ***

  It was the next day at Magpie when that hope got crushed. It was Wednesday at 3PM when Tom Kelly came to the shop. He was looking around in wide-eyed wonder when I came into the front room and saw him there. It was a surprise visit, and Blake was upstairs when he came in. I went up there to get her. She got really nervous and giddy like a little girl when I told her Tom was there, and made me promise to tell him she was on the phone with her distributor even though she was using the time to get her face and hair in order.

  I gave Tom the message and he just stood there, looking at the endless shelves of beautiful fabric. "Steven's getting Angel to train him," I said, searching for something to say, and instinctually wanting to mention Angel.

  "That'll be hard since Angel moved back to Puerto Rico."

  "What?" I asked. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Wasn't it just last night that he talked to me at the club? He wasn't even sure what his plans were, and now he was gone?

  "I know," Tom said. "I didn't see it coming either. He left a letter saying his mom needed him to come home, but that he hoped to make it back to the states to visit sometime. It was a heartfelt letter, but I was still really surprised to find him gone." Tom shrugged, and I could tell it bothered him. "It doesn't seem like Angel to leave with just a letter like that—especially when he knew Rory and I were coming back today." He paused. "I don't think I realized how attached I was to that boy till I read that note," he said sadly. "I hope he's not in some kind of trouble."

  I came really close to telling him about Angel's debt, but decided to hold my tongue. "Did he say when he'd be back?" I asked, unable to believe he was gone for good.

  "I don't know. His letter made it sound like he wasn't coming back." Tom shook his head absentmindedly. "I guess I'll have to stop off in San Juan more often."

  Chapter 16

  Tom was just commenting on how he'd have to stop in San Juan more often to see Angel, who left without so much as a goodbye to anyone, when Blake made her way down the stairs. Tom and I were in the front room. I'd heard her coming, but was still reeling from the news of Angel's sudden departure, and didn't even look at her when she came into the room. Her entrance wasn't what grabbed my attention. It was what happened seconds later when Tom crossed the room at a good clip and scooped her into his arms.

  He spun her around, causing her to laugh and squeal. They stared into each other's eyes lovingly as he set her down. I felt like I was dreaming. Pardon my French, but what the hell was I witnessing here? Blake made it seem like she and Tom had been in touch casually a few times since they met, but this was the scene of two lovers being reunited—a scene right out of a romance novel—the long-awaited return of a captain who'd been out at sea. If it were a movie, there'd definitely be music playing.

  I cleared my throat after giving them a second to connect, but neither of them seemed to hear me. I gave it a few seconds and did it again. I was happy they were glad to see each other, but my mind was busy with thoughts of Angel and what sorts of trouble he was getting into in Puerto Rico.

  I thought back to our conversation at Maison Blanc, and wondered if I pushed him away or made him decide to leave so quickly. I was nauseated at the thought of it. He should have just stayed here and asked Tom for the money, but instead he was doing some sort of sketchy job that could probably get him killed or arrested. I wanted to help him, but had no idea where to begin.

  I cleared my throat again. This time, they glanced at me. "Did you know Angel went back to Puerto Rico?" I asked Blake. She gasped and regarded me sadly. I could tell she knew how depressed this news would make me, and I wondered if my feelings for him were that obvious.

  "He said he had to help his mom," Tom said. "I was just telling Charlotte how much I was gonna miss him."

  "That's too bad," Blake said. She looked back and forth between the two of us with sincere regret.

  Tom sighed. "I'm sad about Angel, and I'm probably gonna end up going down to Puerto Rico and kicking his ass for leaving, but right here in this second, there's something else I wanted to say."

  Blake and I both looked at Tom with curious expressions, but he only had eyes for her. He reached into his pocket, and yes, you guessed it, pulled out a ring box. What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks was going on here? Was Tom Kelly about to do the unthinkable? Was he about to pop the question to my friend and boss who he barely knows?

  "Don't say we can't do it because we barely know each other," he said.

  I watched as Blake stared at the ring box with wide eyes. He smiled that easy, pirate smile, complete with the unbelievably handsome gold tooth, and said, "I'm 49 years old and I've never been married. It's never even crossed my mind. But I'll be damned if I let you get away from me, Blake Brown."

  "And what if I say no?" she asked, giving him a challenging smile that made it obvious she didn't want to say that at all.

  "You won't."

  He handed her the box before squeezing her to him again. She stared into the box for a second and then looked up at him. For what seemed like an eternity, but what was probably a few seconds, there was complete silence except for the radio that was playing in the next room. Blake gave me a little glance before focusing again on Tom, and her smile brightened when she looked up at him.

  "Yes," she said simply. She squealed as he spun her around again, and they kissed when he set her on her feet.

  Okay, so I should have been happy for Blake and Tom and their apparent love for each other, but geez Louise, didn't anyone care that Angel had just disappeared like that?

  I found myself being pissed at Tom for not going to help him, but how could he when he had no idea Angel was in trouble?

  "I'm really happy for you guys!" I said, even though I still didn't quite believe it was actually happening. They were still embracing as they looked at me, and both of their faces fell as they took me in.

  "What's the matter, Charlotte?" Blake asked.

  And, because I didn't know what else to do, I said, "Hypothetically, if I had a friend back home who was in trouble, and I needed to help him, could you help me get my hands on a firearm? And if you did help me with that, could I fly with it?"

  I knew Tom would never agree to help me with such a request, but I was desperate to get Angel's situation out in the open, and I couldn't just come right out and say it.

  Tom and Blake both regarded me with curious expressions. "It'd be a mistake for you to carry a gun if you don't know how to use it, Ms. Charlotte. You'd be better off helping your friend without the gun. It would just get taken away from you and used against you if you don't know what you're doing."

  "Who's in trouble, Charlotte?" Blake asked.

  I almost made up a fake name, and tried to get out of the conversation completely, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that I should try to help him. "I'm not sure if it qualifies as trouble, but he owes someone sixty-thousand dollars and he has to do some kind of job with them to pay the money back."

  Blake's jaw dropped, but Tom remained unflustered.

  "Who's in trouble?" Blake asked. "It's not one of your brothers, is it?"

  "No." I paused. "It's Angel, actually."

  This got a reaction from Tom. It wasn't much of one, but it was a reaction. He cocked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. "My Angel?" he asked.

  I nodded.

  "Tell me what you know," he said calmly. I tried to remember everything Angel told me. "He said he owes someone sixty thousand dollars—said it wasn't his debt, but he had to pay it or something like that. I think he was hoping to make a lot of money quick when he came here, and when working with you turned out to be just a normal job…" I hesitated, not wanting to say anything that would offend Tom.

  "When did he tell you this?" Tom asked.

  "I guess it was a week or so ago," I said. "I went to train with him at the gym and he told me about it. I saw him last night, though, and he didn't mention anything about leaving so quickly. Do you think he's in trouble?"

 
The hint of a smirk touched Tom's otherwise calm face. "Well, based on what you're telling me, I know he is."

  I stared at him. "Are you going to help him?" I asked.

  He smiled. "I guess I am."

  Tom placed a call to Rory, and before I knew it, Blake called one of the girls to watch the store, and the three of us were headed to his house. He asked Megan and Blake to leave the room so I could concentrate while he and Rory asked me a few questions. Blake loved Megan's dog, so they took him into the back yard while I told the boys everything I knew about Angel. I honestly didn't care if he hated me for ratting him out. I was terrified of what would happen if I didn't.

  Tom and Rory handled the situation like pros, somehow managing to pull details from me that I didn't even remember. They decided the easiest thing to do would be to contact Angel and tell him to call the whole thing off, but Angel left his phone behind.

  Blake and Megan, along with Thor, came back into the house, and we all hung out while Tom and Rory made plans. I could tell everyone in the room was as dumbstruck as me about Tom and Blake's engagement, but they looked so dang happy that none of us even questioned it. Tom and Rory talked about trying to reach Angel via one of their contacts in Puerto Rico, but ultimately decided to take care of the situation themselves.

  Drake would have wanted to be a part of it too, but he and Addie were still in Europe. They had gone there for her concert in London and still had a few days left on their trip.

  The conversation ended with Tom leaving the room to make a phone call to some mysterious person. He was gone for a few minutes before coming back into the room. "Rory and I will fly out in the morning," he said.

  Rory went over to Megan and they started talking to each other in muffled tones. Blake and I went to meet Tom in the kitchen. "I don't want you ladies to worry about us," he said with an easy smile. "We're just gonna go get Angel and bring him back where he belongs."

  "He doesn’t want to come back," I said.

  I knew it came out hopeless and disappointed sounding, but that's how I felt. I was sick with myself for letting him go. There was no call for the way I treated him when he came into the club. He basically said he wanted to come back for me, and I told him not to worry about it. I was so mad at myself it was ridiculous. I absolutely hated myself for driving him away and only hoped Tom and Rory could get to him before he was put in some kind of danger. Tom leveled me with a stare that reminded me of everything I told him in our conversation earlier—things that might have revealed how Angel felt about me and vice versa.

  "Oh, I think he wants to come back, Ms. Charlotte. I think he wants to come back, same as you want him to."

  I blushed, and changed the subject, asking them the details of their flight the next day. I told him that I'd like to write a letter for him to give to Angel, and he said I should go ahead and take care of it before I left the house since their flight was scheduled first thing in the morning.

  I asked Tom for a piece of paper, and he dug in a drawer from which he pulled a yellow legal pad and a white envelope. He continued looking for a pen, but I told him I had one in my purse. I sat at the quiet table in the formal dining room while everyone else went into the living room to watch TV. It took me no time at all to compose the letter. I just let honesty flow from my pen.

  Angel,

  Let me start by saying I'm glad you're reading this because that means Tom and Rory found you and you are now safe. I'm sorry I told your secret. I didn't know what else to do. I was worried about you, and I felt like it was the only way. I hope you're not mad at me for doing it. I need to talk to you about your plans to stay in Puerto Rico. I think it would be a mistake. You've got a lot of people here who love you, and I know you could start a successful business in Miami with Tom's help. I'm not sure who I'm trying to kid. I really don't care about all the other people who love you. I only care about me. I'm so sorry I thought I wasn't ready to give things a shot between us. I've never regretted something so much in my life. Connor was really mean to me when we broke up, and for some reason, that had me convinced I wasn't worthy of love, from you or anyone else. Being with Connor is another huge regret of mine. I'm so sorry I chose to continue that relationship with him even after I realized I had feelings for you. And, Angel, I do have feelings for you. I really regret not making that clear, and I hope it's not too late. When you came to the club and said you'd come back to the states for me, I should have said yes. I should have fallen into your arms the way I wanted to, but I was confused, and hurt, and really didn’t even know which way was up at that moment. Please forgive me. Please know that when you said you felt a connection with me, it was mutual. I thought I wasn't ready to have you in my life, but it seems that not having you causes an unbearable pain in my chest.

  Please come back.

  Love, Charlotte

  I almost added something to the end of the letter to give him a way out—like, I understand if you need to stay with your mom, or it's okay if you've already made other plans, but I didn't want to give him an out. I wanted him, and I wasn't going to beat around the bush about it. He needed to come back to Miami and the sooner the better.

  Chapter 17

  Tom Kelly did not want to wake up before dawn so he could catch a plane to San Juan. Last night was the first night he spent with Blake, and he wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with his lady. She was everything he wanted and then some, and he cursed all the time they'd spent apart even though she lived right there in Miami. There was no question in his mind that he'd marry her. From the moment he met her, he knew she was the one.

  Right now, she was the one in Miami while he was in Puerto Rico. Tom and his sons had government jobs, but lived undercover as pirates. Even their girlfriends, and in his case, future spouse believed the story about their lifestyle. It was truly amazing that he and two of his boys managed to score three beautiful, smart, sweet women who loved them even though they couldn't know the truth.

  This mission, however, had nothing to do with his government job. Blake knew exactly where he was going, which was to rescue his son who'd gotten himself in trouble. If he didn't love Angel so much, he would just let him get out of the situation by himself. But he did, and was sure that in this case he needed to intervene.

  Drake offered to come back if they needed his help, but Tom told him he and Rory would handle it easily. They called in a favor with from friend in the CIA, who had someone tail Angel. By the time Tom and Rory got to San Juan, they knew exactly where Angel was and who he was with. The only two places he'd been since he was being followed were his mother's house, and the home of one, Hector Lopez. Hector was a known member of the Kings, one of San Juan's most dangerous gangs.

  "I can't believe he's in a fuckin' gang," Rory whispered. He adjusted the cuffs of his suit as they stood at the door, waiting for someone to let them in. They had connections in San Juan that got them an in at a high-stakes poker party. It was an ideal scenario, because it was likely that anyone who had a beef with Angel would be there. Tom's plan was to settle the debt and be back in Miami that same evening.

  "Just tone it down, Rory," Tom whispered. "We're gonna get in, get Angel, and get out."

  "What if he doesn't want help?"

  "Sixty thousand dollars says he does."

  A man who looked like a Puerto Rican sumo wrestler opened the door and scowled at Tom and Rory like they better explain themselves.

  "James Padilla said we should stop by." Tom said.

  The guy stared them down and said, "Who are these fuckin' Americans?"

  He said it in Spanish, but Rory and Tom both understood, and Rory replied (in his thick, Irish accent) with, "I'm Irish, but it doesn't really matter, because James told us to come by, and we have cash."

  The sumo smiled a little and then moved aside. There were more people there than Tom expected. There seemed to be two rooms that were about the same size. He could see into the second room once they fully entered the first. There were five poker tables set up i
n the first room with a bar on the right side, and plenty of room to walk around. The air was thick with the smell of smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and definitely weed.

  Tom and Rory were briefed on a few of the characters they would come across that night, including Hector Lopez, the man they thought Angel was indebted to. Their connection didn't have enough time to establish what kind of trouble Angel was in, but with gangs it could be just about anything.

  Tom looked around thinking that this poker party was a disaster waiting to happen. He knew there'd likely be rival gang members present, but he was surprised to see so many criminals in one place. "This place is a ticking time bomb," Rory whispered as they made their way to the back room.

  They entered the back room and Tom spotted Hector Lopez immediately. He scanned Hector's vicinity and was surprised that Angel wasn't there. He hesitated to move forward with Hector until he figured out if he was even the right guy.

  Their connection said he was only eighty percent sure Hector was the person who held Angel's debt, but since Angel wasn't there to confirm it, eighty percent would have to do. In his life as a pirate, Rory was a notoriously bad poker player. This was one of the hardest parts of the charade, since Rory was quite excellent at poker, and also highly competitive. So when Tom said, "You should take as much of their money as you can," Rory's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas.

  Hector was in the middle of a game, so Tom and Rory stood nearby and watched as they sipped on a drink. They'd been there the better part of an hour before they sat down at the table with him. Tom and Rory both knew what a douche Hector was before they sat at the table, and were excited to give him the news that Angel wouldn't be paying him back… assuming he was the one Angel owed.

  They spoke mostly in Spanish with some English mixed in here and there. They played for the next hour and a half before Angel finally came in. Tom spotted Angel long before Angel spotted him.