Golden Angel: (Broken Angel #5) (3 page)

N
aomi sat
on the bedroom’s open, wall-length window, dangling her legs off the edge. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Why, Welita? Why did you have to leave me?

There was a soft clicking on the floor, followed by something wet nudging her elbow.

“Hey, Bear,” her voice croaked.

Everywhere she looked, she saw something that reminded her of Welita. She saw a flower, and she cried because she remembered how Welita loved to work in her garden. She couldn’t cook anymore because everything she knew how to make was because Welita had taught her. She could barely look at the tiny Chihuahua without breaking down.

Bear whined as her paw patted Naomi’s lap.

“I’m okay, really.” She scooped Bear up and placed the small dog on her lap. Bear was worried. Poor thing. She’d forgotten how sensitive Bear was.

Bear’s tiny head tilted to the side, black wet eyes blinking.

“You don’t believe me?”

Bear barked.

“I can’t get anything past you, huh?” She sighed. “Welita’s gone. Can you feel it?”

Bear whined again, then buried her head in Naomi’s lap.

“Do animals know?”

“They do,” Lash’s voice came from behind her. “Well, Bear does for sure. She’s been moping around ever since we got back. She didn’t even growl when Gabrielle petted her yesterday.”

She quickly brushed away her tears. She couldn’t let Lash see her crying again. She could tell it was tearing him up inside.

“Gabrielle was here? I didn’t hear her.”

“You’ve been out of it for a while.” He sat next to her and placed an arm around her.

When she wasn’t crying, she was a walking zombie. Lash and Rachel took turns making sure she got some food into her.

“I know I need to move on. It’s just too hard. I don’t want to forget her.”

He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll never forget her. She’ll always be with us.”

“I know you’re right. If only I could get my heart to believe that.”

“You can do it. I know you can. Welita would want you to be happy.”

He was right. She could hear Welita saying, “Ay, mijita, life is precious. Don’t neglect those who love you.”

She had to do better.

“So, what did Gabrielle want?”

“She was, uh, checking in on you.”

She lifted her head and gazed into loving hazel eyes. He was holding something back.

“And?”

“And what?” He fingered a loose strand of hair then gently tucked it behind her ear.

“We don’t keep secrets from each other, Lash, remember?”

“I know. I know. It’s just . . .”

“Just?”

“She wanted to tell me where Jeremy was and how he was doing.”

She stiffened. She didn’t want to hear about Jeremy, and at the same time she did.

She was so confused. She’d wanted him gone. She wanted the face, the reminder of Welita’s death, out of her life. She’d been relieved when she got her wish. But the moment she got it, she regretted it.

Over the past couple of days, her mind had warred between being satisfied that she didn’t have to see Jeremy and wishing he’d come back so she could apologize.

She still couldn’t believe what she’d said to him. She’d been horrible. She had no right to accuse him of taking away Welita’s life. And worst of all, she’d driven him away from his family.

“What did she say?”

“He’s in Kauai. He’s fine. I guess.”

“Is she going to bring him back?”

“She said he has to come back on his own.”

His face twisted. He was fighting the anguish he felt inside to spare her feelings. How selfish was she? She’d driven away his brother and best friend, and he could barely talk to her about it.

“Lash, I’m—”

A loud whooshing sound followed by a squeal interrupted her.

“Not so fast, Uri!” Rachel cried. “They might not be ready for guests—oh, there you are.”

Rachel and Uri flapped their wings as they hovered in front of them.

“How are you doing today?” Rachel gave her a gentle smile.

“Better.”

“Good.”

“Lash, there’s something—”

Rachel placed a hand on Uri, stopping him midsentence.

“Not yet,” she whispered furiously.

“But I thought—”

“Later.”

They gazed at each other uncomfortably.

Naomi’s eyes darted back and forth between Rachel and Uri as silence filled the air.

Rachel’s heart-shaped face wrinkled with worry as she looked back at Naomi.

Something’s wrong
. She could sense it.

“Dude, you’re freaking us out. Tell us what’s going on,” Lash said, standing up.

“I’m not sure how.” Uri rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Rachel patted his arm and then made her way to Naomi, landing softly beside her. “You know, I’d love a cup of tea.”

“You don’t like tea,” Naomi said as Rachel pulled her up to her feet. The news must’ve been really bad. Rachel was practically dragging her to the kitchen.

“Uh, yeah, but I like the way you make it with the cinnamon and the—”

“Rachel . . .” she warned.

“All right, all right. Sorry.” Rachel let go of her arm. “Tell them, Uri.”

“We need to get Jeremy back.”

Lash glanced at Naomi nervously before turning back to Uri.

“We’re working on it.”

“He needs to come back. Now.” Uri sounded frantic.

Naomi blinked, surprised. Lash looked just as shocked as she was. Uri was always so laidback.

“They’re putting Jeremy on trial!” Rachel blurted.

“On trial? Why?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. What if Jeremy didn’t come back? Would it make things worse for him?

“For disobeying his orders, right?” Lash said, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. It’s no biggie. I’ve been on trial dozens of times. Damn, Uri, you had me going there.”

“You don’t understand,” Rachel said softly.

“Have you met me?” Lash laughed. “I speak from experience here. Jeremy will be fine. It’s his first one, so they’ll go easy on him. Seriously, you guys need to chill.”

“I’m afraid you’re wrong, my friend,” Uri said, his voice deep and serious. “This is different because it is Jeremy.”

Uri paused, taking a shaky breath. Kind blue eyes held Naomi’s for a moment. There was no judgment, but she couldn’t help the guilt bubbling deep within her.

“Archangels have a higher code to live up to than others,” Uri said. “We are role models to others in the ranks. Not only did Jeremy disobey his superior, but he did so in front of subordinates.”

Oh, no. What did I do?
Shame flooded Naomi. If Welita could see her now, she’d be mortified. This was no way to treat family.

Rachel squeezed her hand. Even without needing to say a word, Rachel knew what she was thinking.

“So we bring him back. Easy peasy,” Lash said. “If he apologizes, he won’t even have to have a trial. I’m sure Raphael can convince Michael to be lenient.”

“He’s already met with Michael,” Rachel said.

Lash stopped. “And?”

Uri sadly shook his head.

“No way! This is a joke, right? Come on, Uri. You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me!” Lash’s face turned scarlet.

“I wish I were, my friend. I pleaded with Michael too. He cannot be swayed. The archangels will sit in judgment of Jeremy’s wrongdoing.”

Naomi sobbed as Lash slammed his hand against the wall, letting out a slew of curses. She had to do something to fix this.

“I feel your anger. It’s mine too. I convinced Michael to send me down to get Jeremy. He agreed to let you go with me.”

“I’ll go with you!” Naomi cried. She’d been the reason why he left. She knew she could convince him to return.

“You can’t,” Uri said. “Michael specifically forbade you to have any part of this.”

Naomi looked to Rachel, who was crying now, soft tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You thought you could distract me with tea?” Naomi sobbed along with her.

“I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry.”

“Shh, Naomi.” Lash pulled her into his arms. “Uri and I have this. We’ll bring Jeremy back and we’ll find a way to argue his case. He’s the best archangel they have. Everybody loves him here. Everything will work out fine. You’ll see.”

J
eremy was back
.

Leilani didn’t want to think about Jeremy returning to the island. She was tired and sticky.

She tossed the damp sheet aside, peeling herself out of bed. The house was hot as hell. She couldn’t sleep, and every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was Jeremy.

She padded through the kitchen and to the back door. Opening it, she leaned against the doorway, gazing out at the backyard. A soft breeze hit against her sweaty face.

Why did you have to come back?

And why couldn’t she get him out of her head?

She had more important things to think about, like how to get the air conditioner working. She’d have to work an extra weekend shift to get the money to fix it. Or maybe Kai could work his magic on it again.

Why did you have to come back? And why do you have to be so beautiful?

She looked up at the moon, remembering her childish dreams about Jeremy holding her, kissing her. That was all she’d thought about since the day she’d met him.

Why couldn’t he have been the stuck-up asshole she had thought he was when she’d first met him? Life would have been so much easier. But no, life wanted to torture her and make Jeremy as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside.

He was kind, sweet, and considerate. Everything he’d done, from trying to cheer her up when Candy had stolen her job to being friends with Sammy, had made her fall for him, and hard.

He hadn’t changed at all. He was still handsome and incredibly strong. And those eyes. Oh my god, those eyes. They spoke to her, intoxicated her to the point where she was lost in a pool of blue.

She sighed, closing her eyes. Those lips. Oh, how she remembered those dreams and how it felt to have them pressed against her own. Soft, firm, sensual. Her heart twisted with yearning.

Gah! She thumped her head against the door frame over and over.

Get over him. Get over him. Get over him already!

Stop it.

She wasn’t a kid anymore. She didn’t have time for froufrou girly crap.

Her eyes flashed opened at the sound of someone whimpering.

Sammy was having his nightmares again.

It was Jeremy’s fault for bringing back the memories. She just knew Sammy was dreaming about that day. It was the same whimpering sound he’d made every night for a year after their parents had died. It was no coincidence that it started up again at the same time Jeremy showed up.

She wasn’t exactly sure what had happened after she’d lost consciousness, and she couldn’t believe everything Sammy had told her. Sammy had made Jeremy into a superhero who swam through fire and tore off car doors. It was all he’d talked about for days. When the kids at school had taunted him about his imaginary superhero friend, he’d dragged her to all the beaches on the island, trying to find Jeremy so that he could prove that Jeremy was real. After weeks had passed, realization had finally hit him. His so-called friend was gone. He’d stopped talking about Jeremy and the whimpering at night had started.

Damn you, Jeremy!

Hot or not, she was so over him. That’s right, no more wasted brain cells thinking about that butthead. What she needed to do was focus her attention on Kai.

Kai had manned up the moment he’d found out her parents had died. She liked him. With time, she could maybe even grow to love him. After all,
he
stayed.
He
took care of Sammy when she or Auntie Anela couldn’t.

So what if his one kiss hadn’t made her toes curl? It had been high school prom. Those kisses didn’t count.

She still remembered how sweet Kai had looked that night with his dark hair slicked back and his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously as they stood on the front porch. He’d leaned in slowly, unsure of how’d she react. She had arched her head back, inviting his kiss. And then he’d kissed her—a deep, sweet kiss.

She had rested her palms against his chest and waited.

And waited.

Waited for the Earth to move. Waited for her knees to buckle or for the butterflies to swarm into her stomach.

Nothing. She might as well have been kissing a rock.

“Pretty moon! Pretty moon!”

Leilani was startled by high-pitched giggles.

“Oh, you’re still up. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just putting Giggles back in her cage,” Auntie Anela said as she headed to the bird cage sitting next to the door. A white cockatoo sat on her shoulders, bobbing its head excitedly.

“Pretty moon! Pretty moon!”

“Yes, Giggles. It is a pretty moon tonight.”

“I’ll take care of her.” Leilani reached for the bird.

Giggles flapped her wings and squawked. Leilani snatched her hand back.

Giggles laughed.

“That’s not nice, Giggles,” Auntie Anela scolded.

Leilani rolled her eyes. She loved Auntie Anela for moving in with them. But that bird was driving her ape-shit. It was no secret that Giggles wanted to take her down. It had been war since day one.

Auntie Anela had warned her that Giggles was smart and liked to repeat everything she heard. She hadn’t been kidding. Leilani had learned the hard way.

When she and Sammy had helped Auntie Anela move in, she’d banged her elbow on the kitchen counter. She had let out a slew of curses that would’ve had her grounded for a month if her parents had heard. Giggles had been in her cage, playing with one of her toys, acting like she hadn’t heard any of it. She didn’t say a word, not even a giggle, until Auntie Anela stepped into the kitchen, and then bam! Those swear words had flown right out of that damn bird.

“Is something wrong?” Auntie handed Giggles over to her.

Leilani gazed at her, taking in wise and crinkled chestnut brown eyes. Her short, dark hair was flecked with gray, giving her a salt-and-pepper frame around her wrinkled face.

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just a little hot.” She turned away, placing Giggles into the cage.

She wasn’t really lying. It was hot.

Smooth hands touched her shoulder, turning her back. Leilani’s eyes flashed down. She couldn’t look at her. Auntie was like a psychic or something who could read minds. Sometimes she knew what Leilani was going to say even before she’d thought of the words.

Even though Auntie wasn’t related to her and Sammy, she was `ohana—family. Auntie had practically raised her mother and then herself when she was small. Auntie had been with her family through everything—when her father had left for LA, when her mother had remarried, when Sammy had been born, and when her parents had died. She’d even sold her own home to pay off her parents’ mortgage so that she and Sammy could stay in the home where they’d been raised. Leilani owed her everything.

“Something happened. Sammy was talking in his sleep again, calling for someone named Jeremy.”

A lumped formed in her throat at the sound of his name. She wanted to forget him. Auntie was making it hard.

Forcing a smile, she went to fridge and pulled out a pitcher.

“Jeremy? Oh that’s nothing. He’s just some tourist Sammy used to hang around with a few years ago.”

“Is that all?”

The room was quiet as she poured lemonade into a couple of glasses. When she handed one to her, Auntie held on to her hand.

“Are you sure that’s all?”

Leilani gripped her cool drink. She should tell Auntie about Jeremy. Maybe she could tell her how to stop dreaming about a man she could never have.

I can’t.
She shouldn’t be worrying Auntie about her drama. She’d already done so much for them.

“Yep,” she replied, keeping her voice light. “Oh, by the way, you’re still going to help me choreograph a new hula, right?”

She gulped down her drink as Auntie studied her.

“You’re not ready to talk yet. That’s fine. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

“Are you going to bed?”

“In a minute.” She kissed Auntie’s cheek before she headed out of the kitchen.

When she heard a door close, she gazed outside again at the full moon. She hoped Auntie would be so distracted with the new hula dance that she wouldn’t remember to ask again. And maybe it wouldn’t matter anymore. Golden Boy was bound to disappear again. Soon, she hoped.

“Why do you have to be so damn sexy?” she whispered into the quiet night.

He’d make it a lot easier for her if he stayed away from them. Sammy was going to be a challenge. He’d want to see his old friend.

“Oh, Jeremy,” she sighed.

“Sexy Jeremy!” Giggles squawked.

“Oh my god!” She swatted the bird cage as Giggles continued yelling the phrase.

“Shh! Stop it!”

“Sexy Jeremy! Sexy Jeremy!”

Leilani snatched a cover and placed it over the cage. Muffled “Sexy Jeremy” continued for a few seconds before they finally stopped.

Was she ever going to stop hearing his name? Leilani sank to the floor. Folding her legs to her chest, she dropped her head into her hands. Everyone was torturing her—the gods or fate, even the damn bird!

Giggles cried, “Sexy Jeremy,” one last time followed by her high-pitched laughter.

Leilani chuckled with her.