by C. L. Coffey
“Are you a fan?” a voice announced, startling me.
My eyes fell to the newspaper and onto the singer I’d never heard of, who seemed to have made the headlines for some mischievous antic. I looked up to my side and found the guy from behind the bar towering above me, a towel hanging over his shoulder. His hair was a couple of shades darker than his skin and he had gray eyes which looked almost silver in the shadows. I blinked. How on earth was it that I had gone throughout high school without any interest from boys and now that I was an angel, and an eternity of being single stretched out in front of me, ridiculously good looking ones seemed to be appearing in front of me? My eyes fell on the camera in his hands and I shot upright, discarding the newspaper. “What’s that?”
He gave me a grin that would have made any girl’s stomach flip flop, and pulled out one of the metal chairs next to me causing it to squeak across the balcony’s tiled floor. He sat down and set the camera on the table next to my half eaten crêpe before focusing his attention back on me. “Ty,” he said.
“You called it Ty?” I asked, blankly.
He laughed. “I’m Ty,” he clarified. “And that’s a camera.”
I could feel the blush starting at my neck and quickly rising up my face to my hairline. “I know it’s a camera,” I told him shortly. “Why was it pointed at me?”
He cocked his head at me, a grin forming. “I’m sure you get this all the time, but I was hoping you would be my muse?”
My mouth fell open. “Are you for real?”
He shrugged, but the grin remained. “I’m an art student and you have just become my subject for my project. That is, if you don’t mind helping out a poor, starving senior?”
“I don’t know anything about modeling,” I told him. A thought flashed through me and I could feel my cheeks heat up even more. “And I’m certainly not about to get naked for you!” I added hastily.
The grin morphed into a smirk. “I hadn’t thought about you naked,” he assured me. “But now, I’m trying damn hard not to.”
Somehow, my cheeks managed to feel even hotter. “I think it’s time I left,” I muttered in embarrassment as I got up.
“Wait, I’m sorry,” Ty apologized, getting to his feet. “Please, don’t go. I really would like your help.” I stopped, but I didn’t sit down. “I really do have a project and when I saw your hair in the sun, I knew it had to be you. Please?” he begged.
“I don’t know if I can,” I muttered. I wasn’t sure how being photographed fell into Michael’s many rules.
He stared at me thoughtfully. “Are you going back home soon, or something?”
It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. “I live in New Orleans,” I told him. “My aunt...” I trailed off with a frown. There was no way I could explain my living arrangements. It probably would have been easier to agree to being a tourist too, but after sitting in this bar for the last few hours, it was also the only place I could stake out Bee’s and I needed to be able to come back.
“Look, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything you didn’t feel comfortable with,” he insisted.
I glanced over at Bee’s and sighed. “Can I think about it?”
“Think about what?”
Ty and I both turned to the owner of the voice: Joshua. “What are you doing here?” I asked in surprise.
“Looking for you, darlin’,” he returned, eyeing Ty suspiciously.
Ty looked between the two of us, before giving me a small smile. “You know where I work,” he said, collecting his camera. He gave Joshua a nod and then disappeared back into the bar.
“Who was that?” Joshua asked, joining me at the table. He waited for me to sit back down, before he took the seat next to me which Ty had vacated.
“He works here,” I muttered, distracted by Joshua’s presence. “Why are you looking for me? Did something happen? Are you alright?” I demanded.
He held his hands up, grinning. Suddenly, he shot forward, a hand on each arm of my chair, and leaned in. His face was inches from my own. “Are you worried about me?” he asked.
The blush, that had been slowly fading, flared back up at his close proximity. I could feel his breath on my face. “How did you know where I was?” I asked, impressed my voice managed to come out clear and strong. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a GPS on me too?”
“A guy gets worried when he doesn’t hear from his angel when she promises to text him on the shiny new phone he bought her,” Joshua responded, unblinking. “Besides, I’m a detective. It’s what I do.”
“You’re a trainee detective,” I pointed out, wondering when he would back away, wondering why I didn’t want him to back away.
“Semantics,” he said, shrugging. The action bought him momentarily closer to me and I sucked in a shallow breath. That made him smirk and he leaned forward, diverting his mouth at the last moment from my lips to my ear. “Maybe I have a Find my Angel app,” he whispered, his stubble grazing my cheek.
“There’s no such...” I frowned. “You tracked that phone,” I realized, turning to glare at Joshua. The angry words I had for him vanished as soon as I saw how close we were.
“Maybe I need protecting now,” he said, his voice soft as his eyes flicked from my lips and back to my eyes.
My guardian angel mode switched on and I leaned to the side so I could inspect the area behind him. “Why?” I demanded. The soft chuckle had me whipping my head back to face Joshua.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” he told me, reaching out to tuck some stray strands of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered there, his fingertips caressing my cheek. “But I’m too pretty for jail.”
His touch was almost enough to distract me. “Why would you be going to jail?”
“Because apparently I get crazy jealous when another guy flirts with my girl,” he muttered, leaning closer. “And it turns out I really want to go kick that guy’s ass right now.”
His lips grazed mine. With every ounce of will power I had left in me, I swiped at his arm. “Quit it!”
He sat back, rubbing at his arm as he watched me. “I’m beginning to think I need a guardian angel to protect me from my guardian angel,” he complained.
I blushed, and, embarrassed to discover that I was breathing heavily, turned my attention back to Bee’s. “I think we need to find you a girlfriend,” I muttered in response.
“I think my choice is better than yours.”
It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about, and when I did, that feeling of being stabbed was back. My one and only girlfriend suggestion had been Lilah. Of course, at the time I hadn’t realized it was her, or that Paige was being possessed. I clamped my eyes closed, my muscles tensing as I fought the pain back.
“Angel?” Joshua asked.
His touch had me opening my eyes. The warmth had radiated through me with an effect like water being spread on fire. “I’m fine,” I assured him.
He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t call me on it. He did keep his hand on my knee as he leaned towards me. “Why are you here, darlin’?” he asked softly.
I chewed my lip, staring at Bee’s before sighing. “A gut feeling?” I offered.
“Angel, Bee’s was cleared,” Joshua told me.
I looked at him, surprised. “It was?”
Joshua nodded. “Why don’t you come back to the precinct with me?” he suggested. “I can let you read the case notes?”
I didn’t want to leave, but curiosity was getting the better of me. “Fine,” I relented. “But only if you promise to quit with the flirting?”
Joshua rose to his feet and looked down at me with a smirk. “I’ll promise you that as soon as you promise me you don’t like it.”
I stood and gathered my things up before finally facing Joshua. I smiled, sadly, and shrugged. “Whether I like it or not is irrelevant, Joshua.”
Joshua inclined his head. “So you do like it.”
I didn’t respond as I led the way outside.
* * *
The last time I had been at the precinct, it had been hours before a category five hurricane had hit the city. Then, it had been chaotic with officers rushing around in an attempt to secure any data they needed to. Now, I was barely acknowledged by Curtis (I still didn’t know if that was his first or last name) on the front desk, and the large room which housed the homicide detectives was empty.
I followed Joshua to the messiest desk in the room. I could have heaped all the items from the other seven onto one, and it still would have been tidier. “Take a seat,” he said, bypassing his desk and heading for a filing cabinet.
“Where?” I asked. He glanced back over his shoulder and pulled a face at me. While it wasn’t that a hazmat suit would have been advisable to sit there, I did wonder how his desk and his apartment could be such polar opposites. I was contemplating attempting to organize it when a folder was waved in front of my face. I took it from Joshua and began pouring over the pages inside it.
I was just finishing up the conclusion that told me Paige and two of the bouncers, Elliot and Simon, had all been working together. Bee’s had not been part of any of their activities and all of the other members of staff cleared. From the other side of the room, a voice disturbed my reading. “What are you doing with that?”
I looked up and found that I was alone in the room, with the exception of Leon who was making a beeline for me. I opened my mouth, ready to explain that Joshua had let me read it, but something told me that would get him into trouble. “I got bored, I’m sorry,” I lied instead.
Leon took the folder from me, glancing at the cover inscription. His brown eyes narrowed at me. “Why are you here, Ms. Connors?” he asked me. “Since we’ve established you’re not a tourist, you should be in college.”
My cheeks flamed. The first time I had met Leon was after I had been arrested – I had been trying to help Joshua and ended up taking on four college guys, all of whom came out of the fight worse than me. At the time, I had panicked and taken advantage of my accent, claiming I was on vacation. When Joshua had realized he needed to explain my presence, that was when he had gained permission for me to help by telling his lieutenant I was a psychic.
I chewed at my lip, wondering what the best way to explain this was. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I had told my aunt what I was, and if it wasn’t for the fact I had done it while Dream Walking which at the time I wasn’t aware of being able to do, then the consequences could have been much worse.
I didn’t want to lie either. Lying to a police officer hadn’t been the smartest of moves last time, and that was something else which could have had disastrous consequences; like being arrested. Or rather, being arrested, and then having to explain why I wasn’t aging while I was in prison. In this case, I probably wasn’t likely to be arrested, but it would cause unnecessary attention being pointed at the convent. “I dropped out,” I muttered finding the only answer I could. It wasn’t that far from the truth.
Leon dropped the folder on his desk, opposite the one Joshua sat at, before folding his arms to stare down at me. “And if I contact Tulane, I take it I will find the paperwork confirming this?”
“I haven’t gotten around to it yet,” I mumbled, finally looking away. I wasn’t entirely sure if I needed to notify the college of anything, in all honesty. I guess all I needed to do was not re-enroll, but I wasn’t entirely certain. I also had a sneaky suspicion Leon was good at his job. Very good.
I could feel him staring at me, but I kept my gaze planted firmly on one of the half dozen disposable coffee cups on Joshua’s desk. Finally, he took a couple of steps away, and I looked up, only to find him wheeling his desk chair around to me. He sat down and leaned forward so that we were looking at each other at eye level.
“Joshua told me what happened during the hurricane, and I read your statement too,” he said eventually. “I can see that you both care about each other, and I don’t doubt that you saved his life that night.” I stared at him, my eyes wide. “The thing is Joshua has worked his ass off to get where he is today. As far as I know, this is the only program in the country where someone his age could make detective. And he could do it. But not by getting mixed up with someone like you.”
I continued to stare at him in bewilderment. Sure I had gone out drinking, and I had been pulling in solid B’s at college, but I had never been arrested or in trouble with the police. I was the girl who would get called upon to help look after kids. I was responsible when I needed to be. I’d never even had a detention.
And yet Leon was under the impression I was a troublemaker?
“After that night, I looked up your file,” Leon continued. “If Hurricane Tabitha hadn’t have hit, I would have done it sooner.” He sighed as I gave him a blank stare. “I found your missing persons’ report.”
My mouth formed an ‘o’. I hadn’t even thought about that. Of course Sarah had reported me missing. I had gone out drinking one night and didn’t go home.
“You want to explain that?” Leon asked.
The reason for that was that I had been murdered and then spent six months asleep while my body adjusted to being an angel. I shook my head. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. And even if I could, I wouldn’t. He didn’t believe I was a psychic. He wasn’t going to believe me if I told him I was dead.
“And I take it you’re not a psychic either?”
I chewed at my lip, unsure what to say. I still didn’t want to lie, and I certainly didn’t want to get Joshua in trouble. He had signed forms and made it official.
Leon exhaled slowly. “I knew Joshua’s dad. He trained me and was my partner for years. I promised him that I would look after Joshua, and I intend on keeping that promise. I’m sure you’re a good kid at heart, but running away from home, dropping out of college and pretending to be something that you’re not?” Leon shook his head. “If you care for him, like I truly think you do, you will stay away from him. Let him get on with his life, get out of probation and become the outstanding detective I know he can be… before you drag him down with you.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Table Etiquette
I could feel my hands start to tremble and before I would let Leon see that, I clamped my palms down on my thighs.
“Look,” Leon continued. “I only want what’s best for Joshua, and you’re not it. That stunt during the hurricane had him suspended, and when he came back, his head was only half in the game. From what I can gather you’ve performed a second disappearing act, because he has been trying to find you for well over a month. Surely you can see you are the opposite of what he needs? Even the lieutenant can see it and he’s busy letting Josh know it too.”
I blinked rapidly, feeling tears building up, but refusing to let them out. I hadn’t thought about it. I had been so wrapped up in my own guilt that I hadn’t even looked at the bigger picture, at how this was affecting Joshua. Leon was right. I was bad for him and it wasn’t as though I didn’t already know that. If I hadn’t have been here, Joshua would never had been taken by Lilah. The best thing I could do right now was say goodbye and request Michael find him a new guardian angel.
Leon leaned over and patted my shoulder. Then, he stood, and wheeled the chair back to his desk. I rose to my feet and smoothed my top out for something to do to keep my hands steady. With a last second decision, I plucked the mobile phone from my pocket and left it on Joshua’s desk. I cleared my throat, but kept my eyes trained on the phone. “Will you let Joshua know I had to get back?” I asked Leon. “I have to get ready for dinner.”
I didn’t wait for a response before leaving the office. I had taken a few steps along the corridor when a door opened and someone stepped out. I sidestepped out of the way of Joshua’s lieutenant just in time. “Ms. Connors, correct?”
I froze, staring up at the imposing man. Lieutenant Asmodeus was old: probably in his late fifties, but for an old guy, I guess, he was pretty good looking. Well, he was the kind of man my aunt would find attractive. His hair
and moustache were streaked with gray, and his face had its share of wrinkles, but his eyes still commanded a level of respect. “Sorry, sir,” I told him. “I was just leaving.” He looked me up and down, frowning. “I don’t want to get Joshua in any trouble. Leon’s already spoken to me,” I added. He nodded, and I took the opportunity to move.
I left the precinct and started walking down the street. I only got a couple of blocks before I had to sit down. The street was deserted and I didn’t think anything of sitting on the ground and leaning back against a boarded up building, vaguely acknowledging that it was a store which hadn’t survived Hurricane Tabitha. I leaned back, one hand propping me up, while the other clutched at my chest. For some reason, I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath, and it had nothing to do with the wall of humidity. Everything Leon had just told me made sense. It was logical, it was the truth, and I agreed with him. So why did I feel like I had just plucked my own heart from out of my chest?
“Angel? What the hell?”
I looked up, confused to find my vision blurry, but recognizing the voice. My heart reacted to it, doing a little flip flop, but it was followed up simultaneously by it dropping into the pit of my stomach.
Joshua crouched down in front of me. “Why are you crying? What happened? Leon said...” he shook his head. “Angel, speak to me.”
“I’m not crying,” I told him, my hand automatically leaving my chest to wipe my eyes. I pulled my hand away and examined it. Not only was my vision cleared, but my hands were wet. “Oh,” I muttered, softly. Well that explained a lot. “I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my hands on my shorts. I got to my feet, making Joshua take a step back. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. You shouldn’t worry about me anymore, anyway.”
Joshua stepped forward, closing the gap. “What do you mean I shouldn’t worry? I haven’t stopped worrying about you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I apologized. I looked briefly at him, catching the deep blue of his eyes, and then looked away.