Golden Angel: (Broken Angel #5) (4 page)

L
eilani was beautiful
.

Jeremy stared up at the moon as he walked down the beach, his feet sinking into the warm sand. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Leilani had been a pretty girl.

She’s not a girl anymore.

Stop it!

He kicked the ground, sending a spray of sand into the air. She
was
still a girl. Yes, a beautiful girl, but a
young
girl, a girl that everyone at Candy’s had watched as she swayed her lovely hips; a girl with delicate arms floating in the air to the music; a girl with ruby lips parted slightly as she danced, as if waiting for a kiss.

Yet those eyes, those soulful brown eyes, haunted him. Her eyes were wise beyond her years. He remembered when they’d walked along the same beach he was on now, how he’d told her about Naomi and how she’d told him about her father. Even then, she had understood his heart.

He’d come to the island for a reason. He’d wanted to see her and Sammy. Now that he had, he should leave.

Why couldn’t he leave?

The sound of laughter filled the quiet night. In the distance, a young couple was in an embrace in front of a small fire.

Jeremy paused, watching as the man drew the woman to him. She leaned against his chest as his arms wrapped her. With his angelic hearing, he heard the man telling the woman how lovely she looked. The woman smiled. Arching her head back, she angled herself, inviting a kiss.

Leilani flashed through his mind.

Jeremy turned away, walking in the opposite direction, shutting out the sound of lips moving and soft moans.

What was happening to him? Was this some type of test? Or maybe Saleos had found out where he was and had devised a way of torturing him, because none of this made any sense. It was Naomi he dreamed about. It was Naomi he loved.

Wasn’t it?

So why did his heart seem to come to life the moment he saw Leilani on stage?

Was it lust? He’d never reacted to someone like he had when he saw Leilani. He’d had half-naked women throwing themselves constantly at him over the years. No problem for him. But that pull. The intense urge to snatch her off the stage had been overwhelming.

He was disgusted with himself. He had to knock off this crap, and fast. He had no business feeling the way he did. He’d already ruined his chances with his family. Naomi hated him, and now Leilani hated him. Well, at least Sammy still seemed to like him. And he still had Lash.

I must be going crazy, ’cause I swear I can hear Lash now.

“Bro!”

Jeremy staggered back when Lash whacked his arm. He blinked, confused to see Lash and Uri in front of him.

“Didn’t mean to scare you, bro, but we’ve been yelling at you for the last couple of minutes,” Lash said.

“I didn’t hear you,” Jeremy said.

“It’s Saleos’s doing. He’s messing with your mind.” Uri stiffened, his eyes darting around the beach. “We must leave. Now.”

“No, wait!” Jeremy laughed.

Great. Now he had them freaking out. How was he going to explain that he was lost in thought over two women he shouldn’t be thinking about?

“It wasn’t Saleos. I was, uh, distracted. I was thinking about, uh, this place I went to for, uh, a burger, and, uh, I saw an old friend and there was, uh, dancing. Aw, hell, it wasn’t him, all right. What are you two doing here, anyway?”

Lash’s hazel eyes widened for a moment, surprised, and immediately Jeremy felt guilty for snapping at them.

“Sorry. It’s been a little rough. What’s going on?”

“No problem. I get it,” Lash said. “I know it’s been hard. It’s been hard on all of us. We want you to come home.”

“I’m not ready.” Not even close.

“You don’t have a choice, my friend,” Uri said. “There’s no easy way to tell you this. Michael has called you back, and he’s called the archangel court together.”

“He what? No. You’re mistaken.” Jeremy had been prepped about the archangel angelic court when he was made the archangel of death. This was bad. Really bad.

“I’m afraid not. You’re being put on trial for angelic disobedience.”

Jeremy’s stomach dipped. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The last archangel to be on trial had been his father.

“What happens if I don’t return?”

“You must come back.” Uri’s face was deadly serious.

“He will, Uri. Dude, lighten up.” Lash laughed nervously. “Look, Jeremy, the entire family is waiting for you. So is Naomi.”

Jeremy heard the hesitation in his voice. Even if he did return, it wouldn’t be the same. He knew he would be punished for his disobedience. They would banish him just like Lash.

The thought of the archangels punishing him made his blood boil. Did his years of selfless service mean nothing to them? He was their most loyal servant, and yet the moment he wanted,
needed
a break, they wanted to put him on trial for disobedience.

Uh-uh. He was not going back. No way.

“No. I’m staying here.” He was surprised by how calm he felt when he said it. He was even a little happy about it. So they would banish him. So what? He’d already banished himself. All his punishment would mean is that he wouldn’t be able to go back when he wanted to. What would they give him? Ten? Twenty years?

There was a beat of shocked silence before Lash and Uri jumped in at the same time.

“Jeremy, you must reconsider.”

“No way, bro! I’ll drag you back there myself if I have to.”

Jeremy held up his hand, silencing them.

“This is what I want to do.”

“We can work this out,” Lash said. “Naomi—”

“This is more than just about her. This is about me. I can’t explain it.”

He could barely understand it himself. He didn’t want to go back. He wanted to stay. Maybe he was being stubborn. And if he really was being honest with himself, it was his juvenile attempt to stick it to the man, or in his situation, the archangels.

“Tell the family I am well and not to worry,” Jeremy said, shutting out Lash’s arguments for him to return. He didn’t want to leave his distraught brother, but he had to go before he changed his mind.

“Are you insane?” Lash yelled. “Tell the family not to—sorry, bro, I have to do this.”

There was a loud growl followed by hard muscle slamming into Jeremy’s back. His face smashed into the sand. Lash barked orders as Jeremy’s arms flailed.

“Hurry, Uri, grab his legs! Damn, Jeremy, cut your fingernails every once in a while, will you?”

“Get off me!”

“No!”

“Get off!” Jeremy grunted, pushing Lash off him. Before he could get up, Lash was on him again.

“Hell no! You’re coming back with me!”

Jeremy threw Lash off him again and scrambled to his feet.

Lash gasped, catching his breath. Sand covered his hair and face as determined hazel eyes held Jeremy’s. He crouched, readying himself to tackle Jeremy again.

“Uri and I are dragging your ass back home. Right, Uri?”

“We can’t,” Uri said.

“Like hell we can’t.”

“What I mean is that he has to come of his own free will. Jeremy, you must know what you are risking if you stay. You are most vulnerable now, and Saleos will use that to his advantage.”

“I can handle Saleos.” Jeremy shoved away the fact that he’d just happened to be wandering in the Nevada desert just a short time ago.

“It is not only your family that needs you. We all need you. War is imminent. It’s only a matter of time.”

“And you have my word that I’ll be by your side the moment we do.” It seemed like war was always imminent. Jeremy wasn’t worried.

“Please, Jeremy,” Lash said. “We don’t want to lose you.”

Jeremy’s heart ached at the expression on Lash’s face. He couldn’t go back. Not yet.

“Don’t worry, brother. There is nothing Saleos could do that will ever make me join him.”

O
ne would think
he’d have been a little worried about Michael holding a trial for his actions. Any angel in their right mind would’ve at least shown up.

Changing into his angelic form, Jeremy flicked his wings and leapt into the sky. He loved flying. If there was one thing he did worry about, it was not being able to fly. When Lash had been punished, his flying had been limited.

Jeremy couldn’t handle that. He needed to fly. It was who he was. There was nothing like having the wind biting his face and white noise pushing away all the garbage inside his head.

He flapped his wings, the simple movement propelling him faster. Man, this was just what he needed to clear his mind. There was nothing for him to worry about. It had been weeks since Uri and Lash had visited and he still had use of all his angelic powers.

They must’ve had the trial by now. Nothing had changed; no fire and brimstone raining down on him, just peace. So this must be his punishment—paradise on Earth for who knows how long.

He laughed as he soared higher over the green mountaintops. The view was stunning. Below, blue water surrounded the lush garden island. Above, cotton-white clouds drifted against a deep blue sky.

Yeah, this was his kind of punishment.

Even though he missed his family, this was the best decision he could have made, putting some distance between him and Naomi. Maybe she had forgiven him, but he still didn’t trust himself around her.

He’d picked up his life in Kauai as if he’d never left. He’d hunted down Bob and Susan, hoping to rent the small beach cottage again. Luckily, they had been in the middle of remodeling it and didn’t have another renter. He didn’t mind the unpainted walls or the half-finished floor. In fact, pitching in and helping Bob paint and lay floor tiles was the best thing for him, therapeutic even.

The only thing he missed was having his motorcycle. He couldn’t find another one like, it so he’d settled for the sad clunker he’d picked up at the local used car lot. He’d wanted something nicer and faster, but considering he was going to be on Earth for a long time, he was going to have to be more careful with his cash.

And then there was Leilani and Sammy.

Familiar music drifted from Candy’s as he flew over the restaurant. It was the Kalua song. He smiled as he watched Leilani on stage, dancing just like he’d seen her that night a few weeks ago and again the following Friday and Saturday. And every Friday and Saturday after that.

It was his favorite time of the week. He did a little flying, then was off to watch Leilani work while Sammy sat at a table doing his homework or reading some zombie comic book.

The word “stalker” had flitted through his mind the first couple of times he’d gone to Candy’s to watch them. And he had argued with himself that it was because he was worried about them. But after watching Leilani, it was perfectly clear that she had everything handled. His chest had swelled with pride at how hard she worked going back and forth between serving customers and helping Sammy with his homework, and even managing to calm down Candy whenever she had one of her daily, if not hourly, hissy fits.

And every day, Kai was there too, taking Leilani’s tray when it was too heavy for her, staring down male tourists making the moves on her, and carrying a sleeping Sammy to his truck whenever he and Leilani worked late.

Jeremy should’ve been relieved. He should’ve been happy. But when Kai carried Sammy into their Auntie Anela’s house and Leilani kissed Kai on the cheek and thanked him, all he could think about was how he wanted to be there with them. He wanted to be laughing with them when Sammy slapped the bottom of the ketchup bottle and red squirted all over the white table cloth. He wanted to roll his eyes with Leilani behind Candy’s back whenever she complained about the pink nightmare she drove.

He convinced himself that one day he was going to be able to do that with them. He’d win their friendship back again somehow.

And yet, each day that he thought that he could build their friendship and trust again, in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn’t.

He hovered closer as Leilani and the other dancers took their bows and left the stage. She looked up in his direction and his heart skipped a beat.

Being friends was all he wanted. Right?

Right???

Shaking her head, she went off stage.

Of course that was all he wanted. And there was nothing wrong with that.

“Hand them over, Sammy.”

Jeremy turned to face the parking lot. A group of boys stood next to Kai’s truck. One of them, who looked much older than the others, held out an expectant hand to Sammy.

Worried, he quickly flew to a nearby tree grove and changed to his human form as he continued to watch the boys.

“Are you sure we won’t get in trouble?” Sammy asked a dark-haired boy standing next to him.

“Man, Kevin, what’s up with your friend? I thought you said he was cool,” the older boy said to the dark-haired boy.

“Come on, Sammy. We won’t get in trouble,” Kevin whispered into Sammy’s ear. “Chris just got his license last week. We’ll bring the truck back before your sister’s shift is over. Promise.”

“I don’t know.” Sammy blinked, looking from Kevin to the other boys who were waiting. Seeing his hesitancy, their voices joined in a chorus attacking him.

“How are you friends with such a loser, Kevin?”

“Dude, the game’s already started. Just take the damn keys and leave his sorry baby ass here.”

“I told you, you can’t trust a haole.”

Sammy’s glistening eyes darted around the group of boys closing in on him.

Growling, Jeremy dashed out of the tree grove straight for them.

“Hey, Sammy,” he said, forcing his voice to sound cheerful as he neared them. He jammed his hands into his pockets, worried that he wouldn’t be able to control himself. All it would take was a light touch of his fingers and he could easily send the boys flying through the air.

“Jeremy.” Sammy looked relieved.

“What’s going on, buddy? Looks like you’re headed to a party or something.” He glared at the older boy, Chris.

“What’s it to you?” Chris asked, his eyes narrowing.

Why that little . . .

He let out a slow breath. He needed to calm down. Chris was just a kid. An annoying kid, but still a kid.

“Nothing. Just wanting to catch up with my friend here.” Jeremy slapped a hand on Sammy’s shoulder and kept it there. “This is Kai’s truck, right? Nice.”

At that moment, a familiar face stepped out of the restaurant. He smiled. This was going to be fun.

Waving, he called out, “Yo! Officer PJ! Good to see you again!”

The officer that had pulled him over years ago when he’d driven his bike at the warp speed of forty-five turned in their direction. He squinted, his face confused.

“Shit! I’m outta here!” Chris ran off toward the beach with the other boys chasing after him.

“Sorry, Sammy. He’s my cousin. I have to go.” Kevin gave Sammy an apologetic look before chasing after them.

“Thanks, Jeremy. I think,” Sammy said when they were left alone in the parking lot.

Jeremy didn’t miss the expression of relief and regret on Sammy’s face. He wanted to ask him what in the hell he was thinking, hanging with those guys. It was obvious they were up to no good.

He looked back at Officer PJ, who was shaking his head, muttering, “Crazy kids,” as he got into his car and drove off.

“Were you planning on going on a joyride?”

“Uh, not really.” Sammy stared down at the asphalt. His ears turned a slight pink.

“Sammy?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re friends, right?”

“I guess.”

A dull pain hit his chest. There was no reason for Sammy to think they were still friends after disappearing like he had. And now that he was back, he kept himself hidden, watching them. What a friend.

“I’m sorry I was gone for so long. I wanted to be here with you. But I had to . . . well, I’m here now.”

“You’re going to stay here?”

“Yep, I even have a place nearby. It’s a small cottage just off the beach. It’s the one with the rooster weathervane on the roof. Maybe you can come by sometime.”

“I know that place. Bob and Susan own it. They used to eat at the taco shack all the time. Bob’s cool.”

“Yes, he is.” He placed a finger under Sammy’s chin, lifting it. “Look, Sammy, I want to be your friend, if you’ll have me.”

Baby blue eyes blinked with happiness. “We were going to play fugitive. Chris got his driver’s license last week.”

“You wanted to play a game? Is that all? Couldn’t you find someone to give you a ride to Chris’s house to play? Or maybe you could download it?”

“It’s not a video game.” He chuckled. “It’s like a role-playing game. One team is the cops and the other team is the fugitives. The cops drive around looking for fugitives who are on foot. We text each other, trying to find them. Chris got texted to join the game, but we needed a car.”

“Oh, I see. And Kai said you could use his truck?”

“Not really. He thought I was getting my books from the back seat.”

“Sammy,” he said, using his sternest voice. “You know that was wrong, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why did you do it? I thought Kevin was your friend.”

“He is. But he’s been hanging out with Chris a lot because I have to stay here until Leilani’s done with work. I hardly get to see him. And this was the first time they asked me to hang out with them. Leilani doesn’t let me do anything.”

“She doesn’t want you to get hurt. If she found out what you were doing—”

“Please don’t tell her. She’ll kill me.”

Jeremy laughed. Sammy wasn’t kidding. He could imagine the hailstorm that would come if Leilani ever found out.

“I won’t, but promise me you’ll never do it again.”

“I promise. Hey, now that you’re back, maybe we could go surfing. Leilani taught me the—crap! She got off work early. Here they come.”

Leilani and Kai stood just outside the entrance in front of a board filled with flyers. She had one in her hand, waving it as she yelled.

“You’re not the boss of me, Chucky!”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Chucky. Chucky. Chucky!”

“Screaming out that stupid name doesn’t change the fact that you will not sign up for this.” He snatched the flier out of her hand.

“It’s my life, Kai, and I have bills to pay. We need the cash.”

“I told you, I’ll loan you the money.”

“And I told you no.”

“Stubborn.”

“Chucky.”

Kai let out a frustrated breath and reached for her hands. Jeremy was surprised that she didn’t snatch them away.

“Look, I’m not saying you don’t have the skill to pull this off. You’re a great surfer. But this is big wave surfing we’re talking about. It’s too dangerous. Besides, you haven’t surfed in months, and you’re out of shape.”

“I can get back into shape.”

“Not in a few weeks.”

“Watch me,” she said, jerking her hands out of his.

“I have to go,” Jeremy said when they turned toward the parking lot.

“We can give you a ride home,” Sammy said.

He paused, gazing at Kai and Leilani as they continued to argue. Kai cared for her. He was more a friend to her than he’d ever been.

“That’s all right. I have a way home.”

“Leilani misses you too.”

Those words etched into his heart more than he wanted them to.

“Maybe some other time. I’ll see you on the beach soon. I promise.”