“I don’t know what to do,” she said, her voice dropping to a dreadful whisper. The warmth of the old man’s leathery hand comforted her as it wrapped around hers.
“The time has come for you to return to your true family.”
“But…they all know me as Maria Guzman.”
“Don’t worry about that. Only one thing matters right now.”
With the back of her hand Maria wiped furious tears from her eyes.
“After more than twenty years, your time is finally at hand.”
“My time?” Maria hugged her arms as a chill from the air conditioning blew over her.
“To avenge your parents’ death.”
Ten minutes later, Maria was on her way to meet with her cousin Joey Hernandez. Lito was not her brother, after all, never had been.
He would pay for his sins and those of his father. And if heaven denied entry to those who honored their parents by avenging them, so be it. Her eyes were open now. After the initial shock, she could see more clearly than ever before in her life.
What she did not see was the old man walking briskly back to the silver Lexus parked in a secluded alley, reaching through the glass window to touch the head of a dead man whose likeness he had stolen, and transforming into the white mist of a demon named Morloch just before he vanished.
70
NICK STOOD AT THE HOTEL ROOM BALCONY, feeling wonderfully refreshed. For the first time in more than a century, he’d enjoyed a solid stint of slumber. After a satisfying stretch, he watched the gray marine layer slowly burn off, yielding a blue sky. Pelicans flying in a perfectly formed squadron swooped down to hover over the water.
He was more than ready to leave the past behind and start enjoying his freedom from cosmic burdens. First he had to square things with Lena—resign officially as an angel so she’d know his decision was final.
But something had been profoundly wrong with her the last time they spoke. Her focus and priorities seemed uncharacteristically jumbled. And there was that look in her eyes…
Those eyes. Staring through him as though he weren’t even there.
Where had he seen that look before?
Finally it struck him.
Lena’s eyes looked exactly like Sophia’s when she returned to get Chloe.
Possessed.
Could Lena possibly be—
Nonsense. Lena was an angel just like him. Only humans could be possessed. No matter, all of that would soon be behind him.
A whole new life awaited him. Tonight, he’d propose to Hope. He intended to make the most of his time with her, even if it lasted a mere fifty or sixty more human years.
She was worth it.
In his periphery of his eye, a pelican high in the air turned nose-down like a dive bomber and drove into the water with a powerful splash. A moment later it emerged and flew off with a fish in its mouth.
You make falling from heaven look like so much fun, my fine-feathered friend.
Nick took a deep breath, then dialed Lena.
The call rolled over to voicemail.
He tried again. Same result.
He sent her a text: It’ll only take a minute.
Lena called.
“Thanks for getting back to me.”
“I was going to call you anyway.” Her voice sounded uncharacteristically cold. “Turns out you really missed the mark on those assignments I gave you.”
“I thought you said they didn’t matter.”
Lena clicked her tongue. “Everything matters.”
“Well, it no longer matters to me. You see—”
“Nick, shut up for a second, okay? I’m in the middle of a meeting. Now, before you waste any more of my time, let me make it easy for us both.”
“What are you on about?”
“I’m sorry, Nick.” She paused for a second or two. “You’re fired.”
71
FIRED? NICK LET OUT A SHAKY LAUGH as he pocketed the mobile phone. Well, that went better than expected, didn’t it? Perhaps word had gotten back to Tamara that he’d already taken steps towards resigning his commission with the Angel Forces. He’d never gotten details as to what such a decision involved, but if this was all there was to it, who was he to argue?
But still… could it be that easy?
To test the extent of his mortality at the moment, he focused on the rocky cliff about half a mile away across the cove. A moment later, he found himself drifting toward it in the spiritual layer. But the spirit realm felt oddly foreign, almost as strange as the physical realm had early in his career when he first reported for terrestrial duty.
He sped over to the cliff, surprised he could still fly. As his feet touched the ground, sea birds spread out—giving him a wide berth though his physically imperceptible form cast no shadow.
“Sorry, mates,” Nick said with a grin as they flew off. “Just checking.”
Yet again, a sharp pain pierced the side of his head. He put a hand to his temple and it stopped just as quickly as it had come. He shook his head and sighed. This could well be the last day he lived as an angel. At some point he had to warn Lito Guzman about the danger he was still in, thanks to Lena, and he wanted to check on young Matthew Hartwell, but neither of those tasks really required supernatural ability.
So what’s the last thing you’ll do with your powers? Through the ages, he’d never been afforded the luxury of personal needs or preferences. Not legitimately, anyway. But now, as a fallen angel—falling, anyway–he’d soon no longer have to worry about things of eternal consequence, just things that mattered to him personally.
For some reason he recalled hovering above the planet in the spirit realm while Hope gazed down wistfully at China, her fingers searching her neck.
“Brilliant,” if he did say so himself. What better way to kick off his new life as a mortal? He was already planning to propose. He’d have to get a ring, of course, but he now realized how much that pendant meant to her.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time: 3:22 PM. He could go to the harbor where it had been lost, retrieve it, and return to meet Hope at Cabrillo Stadium. After Jon’s much anticipated statement and her testimony, he’d ask for her hand.
Nick focused on the Coronado Bridge.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Another power lost, whether temporarily or permanently he couldn’t be sure.
He decided on flying between the realms at superhuman speeds—not a split- second trip but less than a minute for sure.
Aiming himself at the sky and over the Pacific Ocean, he leaped off the rocky cliff.
72
HE WAS ROCKETING THROUGH THE AIR when he again thought about Lito Guzman and Matthew Hartwell. A moment later, Nick to his surprise had teleported to the lobby of the Wyndham Hotel in Mission Valley, where he found Matthew playing some kind of game on an iPhone.
“Hello, Matthew.”
“Hey.” The boy didn’t even look up.
“Where are your parents?”
“Over there.” Eyes still glued to the iPhone, he pointed toward the front desk. Elaine was in line, waiting to talk to one of the staff.
He turned back to Matthew.
“We met when your puppy—”
At that, Matthew stopped what he was doing and glanced up.
“Nick?” Forgotten was the iPhone. “It’s you!”
“In the flesh. Mind if I join you?”
Matthew slid over and made room, though there was more than enough on either side of him.