Bad Habit (25 page)

Angel steadied her. “Teri’s tired
and I’m putting her to bed. He guided her to the foot of the stairs
and then carried her the rest of the way to his room.

Elena and Rosario followed close
behind.

“
Step outside, big bro,” Elena
said. “We’ll take over from here. Mom’s been cooking since noon.
You’d better make nice with her or you’ll be disowned.”

Angel smiled at Teri, “I’ll be
back.”

Rosario and Elena helped her out of
her grimy clothes. The ER doctor had ripped her jeans all the way
from hem to mid thigh and she had several stitches in her knee.
Rosario brought a basin of warm water and helped Teri
wash.

Teri unfastened her bra and the
folded piece of paper fell to the floor. Elena picked it up and
started to open it but glanced up at Teri. Teri held out her hand
and Elena dropped it in her palm. Teri swallowed with difficulty as
she closed her fingers over it.

The last remnant of Colin. She held
it a moment before placing it on the bedside table. Teri slid her
arms into the pajama top Rosario held open.

When Angel returned with a plate
piled high with food, Teri was clean, dressed in a pair of borrowed
pajamas and tucked into bed. Rosario sat holding her hand and Elena
brushed her hair.

“
Looks like you’re in good hands,”
he said softly.

“
I am,” she said. “You’re not the
only angel in the Garcia family.”

“
The other angels need to leave
now,” he said pleasantly.

When they were alone, he sat on the
edge of the bed and arranged the tray over her lap. “I told Mom not
to give you so much food but she had to do her part.”

“
That’s very kind. I’ll eat what I
can.” Her hand shook when she reached for the spoon but Angel took
the implement from her. He unfolded the napkin and spread it over
her breast.

“
What kind of soup is this?” she
asked.

“
Caldo. It has meat and vegetables.
Very healthy.” He scooped a spoonful into her mouth.

“
Ummm, it’s great. More gruel
please.” She opened her mouth and closed her eyes.

Angel leaned in and grazed her lips with a kiss
before poking the next bite in.

“
I could have lost you today,” he
said. “I can’t believe you took such a chance.”

“
Do we have to talk about it now?
It’s over.”

“
I hope you’re right. We’ll talk
tomorrow when you’re rested.”

“
I can hardly
wait.”
Not!
She
opened her mouth for more caldo.

#

Angel fed her as much as she could
handle before her fatigue won out. He snugged the quilt around her,
feeling thankful that he had been able to rescue her. He carried
the tray down to the kitchen, took a beer out of the refrigerator
and opened it.

Arturo sat smoking a cigar on the back stairs. He
motioned to Angel to join him.

“
Hey, Pop.” Angel sighed heavily as
he clapped his father on the shoulder and took a seat on the wooden
steps.

“
It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it,
son?”

“
Talk about your understatements.”
He took a sip of beer and grinned at Arturo. “You handled yourself
pretty well out there, you know, for an old guy.”

“
I had to back you up, didn’t
I?”

They bantered back and forth for a few minutes.

Arturo blew a stream of smoke into the air. “What’s
next? Are you going to stick around for a while?”

“
Can’t. My Captain is expecting me
to climb on a plane tomorrow with Teri in custody.”

“
Why, Angel? What has she
done?”

“
She’s a witness and she fled from
a crime scene. She has to answer a lot of questions.” Angel tried
to sound casual but his stomach clenched up with
concern.

“
Is she going to be
okay?”

He blew out a breath of air. “I
think so. All she needs to do is tell her story and she’ll be fine.
She hasn’t done anything wrong. She ran away after finding her...a
friend dead. She was in fear for her life.”

“
I’ll pray for her, son...and for
you.”

“
Thanks, Pop.”

“
You and Teri, what next?” Arturo
turned to give Angel a hard stare. “Do you have future plans with
her?”

“
Only time will tell. She’s
amazing, you know?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I almost
lost her, but she was determined to save Sister
Clement.”

“
Pretty brave act for a skinny
little chica.”

Angel snorted. “Her head may be
hard but her heart is soft.”

“
That’s not a bad combination. Are
you going to marry her? Your mother wants grandbabies.”

Angel’s chest constricted. “I’d
love to oblige, but there are roadblocks.”

“
One wouldn’t guess that to look at
the two of you. I’d bet money that she’s deeply in love with
you.”

“
We’re out of our element here,
Pop. When we get back to New York City we’ll see if she feels the
same way.”

Arturo sent him an incredulous
look. “You think she’s going to stop loving you?”

“
Maybe. Here in San Antonio, I’m her
rescuer. I’ve protected her.” Angel shrugged his shoulders. “In
NYC, I’m an underpaid cop and she’s a very rich and beautiful
woman. I’m not kidding myself. She can do a lot better.”

“
I doubt that. You’re a good man.”
Arturo’s voice grew thick with emotion. “I’m proud of
you.”

They sat in comfortable silence
while Angel finished his beer, praying that Teri’s feelings ran as
deep as his own.

#

The next morning Teri awoke to find
herself in Angel’s embrace. This was the best part. She wished the
moment would never end, but when Angel opened his eyes and kissed
her forehead, she knew what was coming.

“
Time to go home,” he
said.

She nodded and swung her legs off
the side of the bed. The floor felt cool and secure beneath her
bare feet, yet she couldn’t find the impetus to stand. She gazed
around the room slowly. The time she’d spent here had been brief
but memorable. The Angel photographs stared down at her.

“
Let’s get a move
on,
Mia
.”

Teri glanced up at him, smiling.
“Yes, Sir.”

He flashed her a grin before heading for the
bathroom with his shaving kit.

Teri picked up her jeans from
beside the bed. They were torn and bloody from her fall and the
emergency room doc had shredded them. She wadded them into a ball
and stuffed them in the trash can. Her only other choice was a
sundress. She slipped it over her head and smoothed it down her
hips. She sat on the edge of the bed to search for her sandals. Her
eyes lit on the slip of paper Colin had packed with the
money.

Teri reached out to tweak the list
off the nightstand with two fingers. Unfolding it carefully she
searched the rows of numbers. What did they mean? Why had Colin
placed this list with the money?

Teri opened the metal tackle box
she used to store her paints and brushes. She tucked the folded
list under the unopened Thalo Blue. She hadn’t had occasion to use
Thalo Blue up until now. Might as well make good use of
it.

Angel returned, looking fresh. He
dressed and gathered their things. Since Colin’s blue bag was gone,
along with most of her clothing, Teri stuffed her few remaining
belongings in Angel’s bag.

He loaded the car and they ate
breakfast for the last time with the Garcia family.

“
I wish you could stay,” Isabel
said. “We were just getting to know Teri and we never get to see
enough of you, Angel.”

“
Christmas,” he said. “I’ll see you
at Christmas time.”

“
And Teri?” Isabel asked, fixing
her with the inquisition stare.

He hesitated a fraction of a
second. “Teri can come, too.” He stroked her thigh under the
table.

She laced her fingers in his. He
drew her hand up to his lips. A flush crept over her cheeks as she
felt the weight of his family’s collective gaze upon
her.

After breakfast all the Garcias
trailed out to see them off. Teri and Angel were hugged and kissed
and a few tears were shed. He waved and backed out of the
driveway.

“
You are so lucky,” she
said.

“
Yes I am,” he agreed, giving her
hand a squeeze.

She smiled and squeezed him back.
“I mean your family. You’re fortunate to have so many people who
love you.”

Angel’s dark eyes sent a smoldering
message. “You know, they love you, too.”

She shook her head, sadly. “I don’t
deserve it. I took some chances yesterday.”

“
If you’d trusted me, we both could
have avoided a lot of unnecessary risk.” Angel shot her a
reproachful glance. “I was supposed to protect you.”

“
You did.” She smiled at him.
“Speaking of protection, thanks for taking care of my sister,
Bernie. She told me about the policeman you sent to watch over
her.”

“
She was a target, too. I couldn’t
let anything to happen to her.” He pulled to a stop in front of the
convent and turned off the ignition. “Next stop,” he
said.

Teri swallowed against the lump in
her throat. “Thank you.”

He escorted her inside to say
goodbye to the people who had unknowingly given her a haven. Mother
Imaculatta gave her a fierce hug and when she pulled away her eyes
were teary.

Father Conlyn drew Teri aside.
“Sister Clement gave me a package yesterday.” His brows drew
together into a rarely seen frown. “Am I to understand this is for
a memorial scholarship?”

Teri glanced over at Angel where he
stood chatting with Mother Imaculatta. His steady gaze gave her
strength. “Yes, Father. Make it in the name of Colin Dowd. He was
my friend.” She said goodbye to Father Conlyn.

Angel held out his arm and she
tucked herself into his embrace. They walked arm-in-arm down the
block to the nun’s apartment.

Connie opened the door and yelled
for the other two nuns. They dragged Teri and Angel inside and he
stood back as the four women hugged and rocked back and forth. Clem
had told the others about Teri’s ruse.

“
I never would have guessed you
weren’t a real nun,” Connie said.

“
Lessons from my sister, I guess.”
Teri squeezed her hand. “And having the three of you as role
models.”

Clem put her hands on Teri’s
shoulders. “I thought I was going to die. I never dreamed I’d
survive yesterday. It changes the way one feels about all the
little things one takes for granted. Thank you for giving me a
chance to do more with my life and to experience it with greater
appreciation.”

The two women held each other
tearfully. Teri swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m glad we both
survived. I’m sure the kidnappers would have finished me off if
Angel hadn’t cleaned up my mess.”

Clem beamed at her. “It was truly a miracle.”

#

On the flight, she held his hand
but she was withdrawn. He wished he could reach inside her and
touch that lonely place she went when she was sad. He kissed her
fingertips and she turned to focus on him.

Her brow puckered. “Angel, I’m
sorry I made things so difficult for you.”

He expelled a breath. “Teri, this
has been the strangest case I can remember. We need to be straight
with each other from now on out. No secrets.”

She heaved a sigh. “So, we’re
having our talk now?” She searched his face. “I know you think I
made another wrong choice, but yesterday, when Clem was taken, you
told me we couldn’t do anything. You said Clem would be killed
because she had seen the kidnapper faces. I couldn’t let that
happen.”

He was torn between admiration and
being angry with her for endangering herself. “How did you convince
them to let Clem go?”

“
I,…um...I traded for her.” She
couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

“
I was there when they found your
underwear in the bag. That was a good trick, but what was it they
thought they were getting?”

“
Angel,” her voice broke. “I had
the money all along. It was in Colin’s bag. They knew I had the
money and I used that to get her back.”

He shrugged, trying to appear
offhand. “I figured you had it stashed somewhere. Where did it come
from?”

She gazed at him earnestly,
imploring him with her eyes. “I don’t know, but Colin left it with
me and he was killed for it. I didn’t want to reward the men who
killed him.”

He absorbed her words, struggling
to maintain a calm façade. “What happened to the cash?”

“
I gave it to the
church.”

A bubble of laughter welled up in
his chest. He started laughing and couldn’t stop. A woman across
the aisle turned to stare at him.

Teri glanced at him uncertainly. “Angel, I...”

“
No, it’s funny,” he insisted. “We
have a tape from the elevator in Colin’s office building and I saw
you go up and come back down with the blue bag. So here I come
looking for you, wondering what’s in the bag. Then, when I find you
I see this blue bag and it’s empty. When the three bad guys come
after you looking for this money, you toss the bag at them but it’s
full of underwear. In the end, you give the money to the church and
we still don’t know its source.” He laughed again, wiping tears
from his eyes.