CHAPTER 24

“Stay down,” Paul ordered as he tried to calm the racing of his heart, before he began speaking to the agents outside on his radio. His face was set in grim determination, his hopes mounting that this would be the last time; that they would catch him.

“Are you all right?” Andrew uttered, turning his eyes to his friend, who only continued to stare up at the cracked glass, “Monica?”

But the little angel didn’t answer. A sudden coldness had consumed her body and she couldn’t take her eyes off the glass and all that it implied. The wind had just blown in a new direction and it was one she had barely considered, but now the absoluteness of it filled her completely.

“Don’t move. I’ll be right back,” Paul instructed as he stayed low but headed to the door, his gun drawn as he headed out to the porch.

“Monica,” Andrew stated her name again, more firmly this time, his concern for her deepening and not just because of this latest attack.

The hardness behind her name snapped her from her shocked reverie as she looked over at him from her position on the floor, “Andrew, I want you to go Home. I don’t want you here anymore-.” Her voice shook with urgency as she met her eyes squarely with his.

To say he was bewildered by her words would have been an understatement as Andrew struggled to focus on this new situation despite all the emotions that were already running through him, “Monica, what-?”

“Those shots weren’t meant for me!” She cried out, as if she was unable to believe he hadn’t noticed what she already had, “They were meant for you and Paul and no one is getting hurt for me, especially not you!”

Looking up at the window, he realized what she was referring to and couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. The shots had seemed to come simultaneously, indicating that there was more than one person firing and by the placement of the bullets, it was clear that McArthur and his friend were intent on picking off Monica’s protectors. Turning his head back to her quickly, he saw the desperation in her eyes combined with stubborn resolve as he tried to find words that would soothe her panic, “Angel, I’m not going anywhere and I think you know that. I’m fine and Paul is fine. God was watching out for us, just like He always does.”

“I don’t want you here! This is my problem! I’m the one who stayed that night…I’m the one who saw him!” Tears wet her eyes as she thought about what could have happened only moments ago. She knew he was an angel and couldn’t die, but for him to suffer any pain because of this would be unbearable to her, “Andrew, please…just go…please go…”

Her pleading ripped through his very soul while at the same time, his heart was filled with love just knowing her love for him would make her sacrifice her own security at having him here in order to keep him safe. Reaching over, he took her chin into his hand and whispered gently, “No.”

The little angel looked positively crushed at his response as in a blink the tears spilled over onto her cheeks, “Andrew…”

“No, honey. We’re in this together. You, me, Paul and the Father,” He never released her chin as he spoke softly to her, “Nothing is going to happen to me and nothing is going to cause me to leave you. Monica, I’m not only here because God sent me here, but because I want to be. I want to be with you.”

“But I don’t want you hurt,” She insisted tearfully, her voice catching in a sob, “You or Paul. Paul isn’t an angel, Andrew and I don’t want him dying for me.”

“His job is to protect, Monica. If it weren’t you, then it would be someone else.”

“Then I’d rather it be someone else!” She lowered her head as the tears overtook her. She longed to be able to pull herself together and be strong, but this last threat was quickly overtaking her. Her own fear of this man was hard enough to deal with, but trying to cope with what he could do to Andrew or Paul was something she didn’t want to face.

“He got away,” Paul’s disgusted voice stopped Andrew from replying to her as he looked up at his partner, “But we’re leaving. Now.”

Feeling as if he was suddenly having trouble keeping up with how quickly things changed of late, Andrew tried once more to clear his mind, “But I thought-.”

“He’s getting too aggressive and I’m not willing to risk this any further. You were probably right to begin with; we shouldn’t have stayed after the other night,” Paul’s voice held unbridled fury as his patience with this situation was quickly getting out of hand.

”What about our crooked agent? If he knows where we are heading…”

But Paul shook his head firmly, “No one is going to know until they have to. We’re being accompanied to the airport by local police officers as I don’t trust anyone other than you at this point. The agents who will be at the new destination will be from that state and it is doubtful they are involved with McArthur. They are all being briefed now by the head of the department and this mission has become even more secure as there are to be no leaks to anyone else in the agency.”

Andrew rose to his feet and moved to help Monica, who appeared to be completely inconsolable at this point, “When are we leaving?”

“Right now. The car is just outside the door.”

“Let me gather up the kittens and I’ll be right with you both,” Andrew knew there was no way he was leaving without Monica’s little charges, regardless of how urgent it was and he received no argument from his partner.

“Leave them,” Monica uttered firmly, though it broke her heart even more to say the words.

“No,” He replied once again as he headed for the steps, not seeing the panic that immediately overcame his best friend.

“Andrew!” She cried out after him, terrified that something would happen to him once he was out of her sight, but she was stopped from following him by Paul’s arms securely around her.

“I know what you’re thinking, honey,” He whispered to her, “He was trying to rid you of our protection this time, but I assure you that he is gone now.”

But his words did little to calm her as she briefly struggled to get away from him before giving up the fight. She only wanted this over. She wanted her angelic existence back and to know that her best friend and Paul were safe. She felt as if she wanted so many things right now and they all felt completely out of her reach.

*****

Everything was slightly less frantic this time, and Paul breathed a sigh of relief as they drove away from the house, hopeful that this move would be their last. He spotted Monica in the rearview mirror, and then concentrated on the road, unable to bear the blank look of acceptance on Monica’s face. He had made her lie down across the back seat, and she had one arm dangling inside box of kittens on the floor in front of her, but her eyes were dull and lifeless, hardly noticing the little animals batting at her fingertips.

After the initial shock she had calmed down considerably, to the point where he was almost worried about her. Last time they had been forced to move she had clung onto Andrew, and spent a good portion of the trip on the edge of hysteria. This time she had skipped that, and the air of resignation that surrounded her now made him afraid that she was giving up.

Sharp little teeth finally brought Monica out of her reverie and a fleeting look of amusement swept over her face as she tapped Sam on the nose after pulling her pinky finger from his mouth. She hadn’t known that it was possible to feel so incredibly tired and forlorn. She wanted to scream and cry, but there were no tears left, and her throat had long since closed. Ever since she had been hustled into the car she had spent the time going over plan after plan in her mind; plans to keep Andrew and Paul safe and to end the assignment once and for all.

Maybe if she could just talk to McArthur… maybe she could reason with him… maybe if she revealed who she was… A myriad of possibilities floated through her still sleep-deprived mind. She asked God over and over again to just allow her the chance to appear to the killer, or to at least leave Andrew and Paul behind and run away. She closed her eyes as He rejected her request yet again. It wasn’t even a vague, non-answer, either, it was a firm ‘No, my child,” and her heart sank just a little lower.

She was about to rephrase and ask once more, but before she could she felt a warmth cover her like a blanket.

“Please, my child, do not ask Me again. Rest your mind and your body, and trust that My plan will overcome.”

The words released something within her soul, and her mind quieted, while her heartbeat evened out. It was as though she could feel His very hand stroking the worry lines from her brow, and only moments later she was asleep.

“I guess it’s a good thing we had a few things already packed,” Andrew commented, referring to the overnight bags they had each stored in the trunk, “although I was hoping we wouldn’t need them.”

Paul’s knuckles whitened as he tightened his hold on the steering wheel. “Yeah, so was I… at least not this soon. I just hope this isn’t going to be the last straw for her.”

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence and Andrew looked over his shoulder at the sleeping form of his best friend. Her devastated words still rang in his ears… her frantic pleas for him to leave… as if he would ever be able to abandon her. He was thankful that she was sleeping, and he had felt the Lord’s presence in the car, and knew that He was the one deserving those thanks. Unfortunately, His presence also indicated that Monica had been speaking to Him, and Andrew worried about what she had been said that had caused Him to intercede in an almost physical way.

“You know I don’t think those bullets were never meant to kill us,” Paul said, never taking his eyes off the road, though the muscle of his jaw clenched, and his anger was almost palpable.

“What? How is that possible… and how do you know?”

“Those shots were fired from sniper rifles, Andrew… coulda’ been a quarter of a mile away, but those things are accurate. If he’d wanted us dead, we’d be dead… and more importantly, so would she.”

Andrew’s skin began to crawl, his feelings for the killer coursing through him. He had been trying so hard to control them, and he wondered if, like Monica, this would be the last straw for him. “Then why didn’t he? It doesn’t make any sense, Paul. If he wants her dead then why in Heaven and on Earth is he playing with her?”

“I told you before, and you’re exactly right… he is playing… and it’s a big old game for him. A game he feels like he just can’t lose. He made those shots to get to her mind, not her body. I saw her looking at that window… and I don’t even want to know what she said to you after I left,” Paul was still clenching the wheel in a death grip, his words coming out like shards of ice. “She was bad enough when she was just worried about herself and her kittens…” he trailed off, but Andrew didn’t need to hear the rest. He already knew it by heart.

Monica was one of the most caring creatures he had ever known. She already felt guilt for Josh’s death. She had told him she felt badly about monopolizing his time when he could be helping others. He had a feeling that he knew what she had been asking the Father, and he sent up his own prayer to let Him know that he didn’t want to leave her side, and would stay and protect her for as long as it took.

It was a much quieter scene at the airport this time as only the two patrol cars that had blanketed them on the drive, pulled up to the plane with them. As angel and agent got out of the car, Andrew opened the back door and as carefully as he could, lifted the sleeping angel into his arms, hating to wake her. But thankfully, Monica seemed to be out for the duration, at least for now, and this came as a great relief to both he and Paul. Her head rested against his chest and he felt her nestle just a little closer as a sad smile played on his lips. He watched as Paul grabbed the box of kittens and carried them on board, before he laid a tender kiss on the sleeping angel’s forehead.

He passed Paul once more as he headed up the steps to the small private plane and he moved to place his friend on the sofa, before reaching for a blanket to cover her with, grateful when she never stirred. The Father had given her rest, which He had known she had needed, despite the long nap she had earlier and the sleep had come at the perfect time, allowing her mind to ease from all the things that currently clouded it.

After checking on her feline family, Andrew looked up just as Paul boarded and sealed up the plane after depositing the bit of luggage they had prepared in the event of an emergency on the floor. “Paul, do we have a pilot?” Andrew asked, having not seen anyone else enter the plane.

“You’re looking at him,” The agent replied with the faintest of smiles, though it was quickly replaced with seriousness, “No one and I mean no one from here is going to know where we are heading. McArthur isn’t working alone and from here on out, we’re going to try and make sure that he doesn‘t stand a chance of finding us.”

“So where are we headed?” Andrew asked, taking a seat near Monica’s sleeping form.

“You let me worry about that for right now,” Paul stated softly. “We have a few options and I haven’t completely made up my mind of yet. You take care of her and let me get us off the ground and out of this state.”

Andrew sank back in his seat as Paul disappeared into the cockpit, and he gazed down at his best friend unable to resist reaching down to stroke her hair with a loving hand. He was thankful for the time alone with her while Paul flew the plane, even if she was sleeping and he kept a firm hand on her as the plane taxied down the runway and began is ascent.

The pressure in the cabin caused the little angel to stir a few minutes later and she lifted her head slightly to look up at him through exhausted brown eyes that were overflowing with sadness.

The older angel patted his leg inviting her to use it as a pillow and she obliged, too weary to argue or to try to fully awaken and his hand moved to stroke her pale cheek, “I talked to Paul, angel. Those bullets weren’t meant for us, all right? They were meant to upset you. He’s trying to mess with your mind, Monica, in the hopes that you will do something foolish and he is sadly mistaken if that is what he thinks will happen.”

She gave a brief nod as a sigh escaped her, knowing it all made sense. For both shots to have missed their targets would have been a miracle and though she knew God worked those each and every day, she also understood that He didn’t interfere with free will, “I’m sorry I asked you to leave,” Monica whispered, closing her eyes against the soothing feeling of his hand, “That’s the last thing I want. I can’t imagine doing this without you, Andrew.”

“You don’t have to,” He assured her, rearranging the blanket over her small form.

There was silence between the two friends for several minutes and Andrew thought she had drifted back off to sleep when her voice once again filled the void, “Andrew?”

“What is it, honey?” Physically feeling the heaviness of her heart weighing down upon his own.

Keeping her eyes closed, she replied in a voice so small and blighted, “I’m…I’m afraid I may be starting to hate him. I don’t know how to forgive him for any of this and I don’t have any understanding for anyone so cruel.”

Her words left him speechless and completely unsure as to how to answer her as he had been wrestling with his own feelings about McArthur. He hadn’t given much thought as to how Monica had to be feeling about him as he had been wrapped up so tightly in his own anger at the man. But as the loving and trusting little soul that she was, he knew now that she had been searching for any shred of goodness in this man who was continuing to torment her. He also knew now that she had come up empty handed and that had to be breaking her heart. She wanted to believe in the overall goodness of the human race but for weeks now, she had only been faced with evil and violence and probably more of it then she had ever experienced in her existence and all coming from one person and she was fighting not to allow him to change her heart.

“Angel, I don’t believe you have it in you to hate anyone, not even this man,” He told her truthfully, hoping that would bring her some small comfort.

“I feel dangerously close,” She whispered sadly, clutching his knee with her fingers, “I don’t like the way this feels, Andrew.”

Andrew closed his eyes, forcing himself to keep stroking his hand through her silky hair. He thought that he was possibly the worst angel to be talking to her about hate, but there was no one else. “I know you don’t, Angel,” he managed to say, though his throat was growing tight. “Think about all of the words of love you’ve said to so many people. Those words are a part of you, they define who you are. Don’t give in to what you’re feeling now… hang onto that love you know so well.”

The Irish angel moved just her eyes to gaze into his face; a face that reflected all the love he felt for her. She didn’t know if she could pull that feeling from her own heart, but she decided to take strength from his.