The Fallen (Angelic Redemption) (8 page)

“Maybe we should leave?” Sophie said.

“We need info on Joaquin and Sawyer can get it.”

“Then we leave.”

“What’s your hurry? We’re safer here than out
there.”

“Yeah, but they’re making you cranky.”

Lila rolled her eyes then looked at the cameras.
Sawyer hadn’t appeared in the store yet, so Roman stood patiently like a
customer with nowhere to go. Sitting down in front of the monitors, Lila
studied the man closely, hoping to recognize him.

“He doesn’t look scary,” Sophie said. “He’s
handsome too.”

“All hunters are beautiful. Any of us could turn
on our own kind and betray God though. Maybe that’s what he’s after?”

Sophie moved closer to the TV screen then shook
her head. “I don’t think so.”

Lila eyed the man on the screen as Sawyer entered
the store from a backdoor.

“Me either,” Lila said as the annoyingly chilly
itch turned warm and inviting.

Lila played with the monitors until she found the
volume. Turning it up, she could hear the unflappable Sawyer sounding pretty nervous.

“You’re back,” Sawyer said, fiddling with the gun
strapped to his back.

“I know Lila is here and I would like to speak
with her.”

“I’m not saying she is or isn’t here, but what do
you want with her?”

Roman stepped away from the counter. Sighing, he
pulled at his black collared shirt then stepped back towards Sawyer.

“I knew her long ago and I need her help.”

“Kinda vague there,” Sawyer said, still touching
his gun for reassurance. “The thing is I talked to Lila and she swore she
didn’t know you. I don’t know where she is right now, but I’d suggest you
didn’t go looking for her. She didn’t seem keen on meeting you.”

Roman nodded with a slight smile. “I appreciate
your efforts to protect her, but I know she’s here. I just want to talk with
her.”

“Look, just tell me what you want her to know.
When I hear from her again, I’ll send the message along. Hey, leave a number
and she can call you.”

Roman sighed loudly and Sawyer’s hand tightened
around his weapon.

“Fine, I’ll play along,” he said, glancing up at
the camera then back at Sawyer. “I need Lila’s help locating Micah. You know
about Micah, right?”

Sawyer finally turned towards the camera and
frowned as if scolding Lila through the screen. Lila shrugged at his silent
accusation.

“Micah’s dead,” Sawyer said.

“I know a hunter who was with him when he
disappeared and she doesn’t believe he’s dead.”

“Then where is he?”

“Trapped maybe?”

“And Lila would know about this how?”

“She was also with him when he disappeared and I
think she can help me free him.”

“Well, buddy, I like your story. I really do, but
Lila doesn’t know you or Micah and she certainly would have mentioned knowing
where he was trapped. Now, you need to mosey out the door and hunt you some
villains and stop stalking Lila. Trust me, that girl doesn’t play nice with
others.”

Roman smiled coyly. “Oh, she’s not so bad. Lila’s
a Tootsie Pop really. Hard on the outside, all chewing sweetness on the
inside.”

Sawyer frowned because Roman wasn’t talking to
him, but to the camera on the wall. Lila knew the men were at an impasse and
knew what Sawyer would do in such a situation. Retrieving his weapon, he
pointed the shotgun at Roman who didn’t even flinch.

“I knew it would come to this,” Roman said,
running his hands through his dark brown hair. “I blame myself really.”

“Just go and we’ll have no trouble.”

Roman did go. In a blink of an eye, he was gone. Lila
jumped back from the monitors, as startled as Sawyer who waved his gun around
in a panic.

No matter how shocking Roman’s disappearance might
have been, it paled next to his appearance in the room with Sophie and Lila.

Sophie cried out, frozen in her spot. Lila though
moved quickly, shifting backward and pointing her gun at him. Roman waved his
hand and the gun tore from her grip and onto the ground. Frowning, Lila rushed
at him, blade in hand. The moment she seized him, the room shifted. Roman and
Lila were suddenly outside behind the store.

Lila let go, staggering away from Roman. Finally
giving into her fear, she stared at him.

“Who are you?”

“I know you were listening, so you should already
know the answer.”

“No, I don’t know the answer because I don’t know
you or Micah.”

“You know Sophie though.”

Lila studied him, her mind racing with attack
strategies. None of those strategies seemed viable, so she gave up and slipped
her knife into its holster. Frowning, she sighed.

“Okay, I give. How do I know Sophie?”

Roman frowned, his blue eyes clouded by an emotion
Lila couldn’t decipher. Stepping closer, he studied her.

“You don’t remember anything at all?”

“About what?”

“About the life you had before.”

“Clearly I don’t or I wouldn’t be trying to kill
you,” Lila said then added with a curious gaze. “Should I be trying to kill
you?”

“I can honestly say I have no idea why you or your
friends view me as a threat. I’m a hunter like you.”

“No, not like me. I can’t do what you just did. No
one can.”

Roman nodded, maybe a little disappointed by her
answer. Lila could read people and hunters relatively well. Too well for
someone who liked to find reasons to disagree and keep her distance. Still with
Roman, she was at a loss.

“Were we allies?” Lila asked, moving away slightly
to get in view of the cameras.

“They can’t see you,” Roman said with a tiny smile.

Lila grinned with a shrug. “Had to try.”

“You really don’t trust me?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I could have easily killed you and didn’t.
Why should you fear me?”

“That’s true, but you’ve been tailing me for days.
The vibe coming off you is really unpleasant too. So no offense, but I won’t
trust you until you give me a real reason to.”

While Roman might be difficult to read, Lila was
sure he was hurt by her words.

“I knew you, Micah, and Sophie, huh?” she said,
trying to get rid of that look in his eyes. “When was this and why don’t Sophie
and I remember?”

The words Roman planned to utter were lies and
Lila knew this before he opened his mouth. The moment his blue eyes lowered to
the ground, she knew he was thinking up a good lie to explain it all.

“It was long ago. For whatever reason, you and
Sophie can’t remember.”

Realizing something odd about Roman’s behavior, Lila
smiled slyly.

“If you knew both me and Sophie, how come you’re
only looking for me? And how come when you entered the room, I was the one you
focused on? Were you and I allies more than you and Sophie were?”

Roman studied her, his brain churning with lies
and half truths. Lila waited for his explanation.

“Yes, you and I knew each other better than Sophie
and I did.”

“How much better?”

Roman smiled and Lila was sure he was going to be
honest. He changed topics instead.

“You knew Micah better too.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he and I were BFFs.”

“He’s your brother.”

Lila’s confidence fizzled again. Hating how he
possessed all of the answers, she fell into a comfortable state of irritation.

“You think this is funny? You claim you want to
talk to me, so talk. Stop acting like what you have to say is some kind of
national security secret and I need special clearance. Spill it or leave me
alone.”

Roman frowned, studying her again. After a moment,
he nodded.

“Years ago, when Micah decided to close a gateway,
he recruited packs of hunters to build an army. You two didn’t grow up
together, but he found you and your pack soon joined his army. Sophie was part
of that pack.”

“Were you part of this army?”

Roman nodded. “I’d known Micah for a long time.
When he wanted to create an army, my pack joined him.”

Watching him, Lila tried to dissect the truth from
the lies.

“But you didn’t want to join him, did you?”

Frowning again, Roman moved away from her, clearly
bothered by the question.

“No, I didn’t.”

“But he was Micah, the great warrior God sent to
close the gateways. To fight against him is to be a traitor to our kind.”

Shaking his head, Roman frowned even darker now. “No,
to fight against God is to betray our kind. Micah was flawed like all hunters.
His plan to close the gateway was reckless. He wasn’t ready. His army wasn’t
ready. I knew this and he knew I knew.”

“Why did he want you to come along and why did you
go?”

Roman shrugged, again fudging his way with the
truth. “He needed me, I guess. Many hunters feared Micah’s plan to close a
gateway by charging into Hell. My pack was respected and I was considered
pragmatic. If I was onboard, others were more likely to risk their lives on a
long shot.”

“You still haven’t explained why you went along,
if you thought his plan was crap?”

Roman didn’t answer, yet the way he looked at Lila
was the only answer she needed. Unsure how she felt about his feelings towards
her, let alone her budding desire for him, Lila switched directions.

“And Micah disappeared?”

Rubbing his chin, Roman searched for the words to
explain what needed to be explained without actually telling her everything.

“Ivy said it was a recon mission. She was in your
pack too. She said you and Micah planned to scout the area where he believed
the gateway was located. When your pack learned of the plan, they came along.
Just the six of you went out in the night and only Ivy returned alive.”

Having expected barely veiled lies, his honesty confused
her. Once what he was claiming hit her, she hit him.

“I’m not dead,” she said, hitting him in the arm a
second time.

“I didn’t say that you are dead. I’m saying that
you were dead. Both you and Sophie.”

Shaking her head, Lila backed away. “You’re
lying.”

“For some reason, the Lord brought you and Sophie
back. I assume He wants you to find your pack and free Micah.”

“No, He wants me to kill a rogue hunter named Joaquin.”

Roman shook his head, frustrated. “Why would He
want that?”

“How would I know? He gave me a vision and I do
what I’m told.”

A smile lit up Roman’s face, giving him an almost
boyish appearance.

“And in this vision, the Lord showed you the rogue
hunter?”

“Yes. A real big dog. That’s why I’m here. I need
help from Sawyer tracking down the rogue.”

“What about Sophie?”

“She’s supposed to help me, but I’m not sure how.
She’s pretty clueless.”

“She’s a quick learner.”

“Oh, yeah, you know that because we were all
buddies long ago before Sophie and I died,” Lila said with an irritated snort.

Roman moved closer tentatively, wanting to douse
her unease.

“I know this is confusing, but I have no reason to
lie to you.”

“But you are lying,” Lila said, immediately
frustrated by the slight whine to her voice.

Roman nodded. “I’ve told you what you need to
know. It might not seem fair, but it’s all I’m willing to say for now.”

Lila threw up her hands and walked away, only to
turn around and stomp back quickly.

“So what now? You want me to find Micah, but God
wants me to find Joaquin. Hey, why don’t I look you up once I’m done with the
rogue and we’ll see about tracking down your boy Micah?”

“No,” Roman said, moving toward her so quickly
Lila couldn’t help stepping back in surprise. “I will come with you to deal
with this rogue.”

“And why would I let you do that?”

Roman cocked an eyebrow. “For the same reason you
let me follow you from LA. You really don’t have much of a choice.”

Lila glared at Roman, but his expression was too
passive to hate.

“Look, guy, I get that you and I have some kind
of, well, we had something. I don’t remember you though, not even a little tiny
bit,” Lila said then sighed. “And while I don’t think you mean any harm, I
don’t do the pack thing and I’d rather not have you come along. Now, if you
want to follow me like some kind of weirdo stalker, then have at it.”

“Well as long as we’re on the same page.”

Rolling her eyes, Lila walked around the building.
Suddenly Roman appeared at her side with an expression of contentment that made
Lila smile.