CHAPTER 10

Friday 2:04am

“As soon as we left the farm, it was searched,” Paul explained, running a tired hand through his hair. It was now two ‘o clock in the morning and he wanted a hot shower and eight hours sleep, but was settling for the hour nap he and Andrew had caught and the splash of cold water on his face that followed.

Andrew’s eyes widened in surprise, “I didn’t notice anyone pulling in after we left.”

“They came in a back way and are still there in the event that Jackson comes back. I’m sure he’ll want to monitor the progress of his two hostages,” His eyes flashed with anger as he said the words. He was trying not to think of what the next day would bring for Monica and Alex, but he knew that they had to find this man and fast, “But between you and me, they aren’t going to catch him there. He’s too smart for that.”

The angel continued to pace, unable to sit down. His entire body was in a state of high alert as worry plagued him. He had checked on Monica three times already and though she was still sleeping, it was restless at best and he didn’t know if the almost constant movement was from whatever was surging through her system or from nightmares. Each time, his touch calmed her somewhat, but each time, his heart broke just a little bit more. She was feverish and the cough continued to torment her in sleep. The knowledge that she would soon feel even worse was hard to swallow.

“We need to get some information from Alex and Monica once they wake up. Actually, I think we need to wake them soon,” Paul was loath to do so, but they were working against the clock right now. He needed to know what Jackson had looked like, and what he had been driving. When he had been there and the things he had said. He also needed to explain everything to his partner.

Andrew nodded his head as he turned and walked towards the kitchen, “I’m going to fix them something to eat. They haven’t had anything in three days.”

The angel looked up in surprise as he walked into the kitchen, “Tess.”

The older angel looked up from stirring the large pot of soup on the stove, her dark eyes taking in the weariness and tension that were present on the younger angel’s face, “Hello, baby.”

“What are you doing here? Do you know what has happened?”

Tess nodded her head, “Yes, the Father has told me everything and I’m here to help any way I can, even if it is by reminding certain angels turned agent that God is still in control of this situation, grim as it may seem.”

He was quiet as he retrieved two bowls from a cupboard as if contemplating her remark, “I know that…”

“In your head you know it, but your heart is doubtful at the moment from what I can see,” She informed him sternly, though her eyes remained warm as they met with his.

“I don’t understand this, Tess. I understand Monica being there for Alex, but I don’t understand her having to go through this with her.” His voice was tight though he managed to contain the anger.

“Sometimes to truly understand, we have to place ourselves in another person’s shoes, Angel Boy. Monica is exactly where she needs to be and though I don’t like the thought of what is to come anymore than you do, we need to keep our minds and hearts focused on the One who does understand.” She sighed softly, seeing the great sadness in his eyes and she moved to wrap her arms around him in a tight, reassuring hug.

He accepted the gesture before he pulled away, “She’s handling this better than I am, Tess.”

“She’s afraid as well, Andrew, but will do anything to keep from upsetting you and she knows you are already upset,” She explained as she ladled out soup into the bowls before retrieving a few more so everyone could eat, “There are sandwiches in the refrigerator, baby. Grab them, please.”

Andrew obliged, trying to draw his strength from the older angel’s calm resolve. Even when his own emotions seemed beyond his control, Tess, at least on the outside, always maintained it and this was one of those times it left him in awe. He managed a smile in her direction, “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too, baby.”

*****

Friday 5:18am

“Alex.” Paul looked up in surprise as he saw her slowly coming down the stairs. He could tell her movements were stiff and still laden with exhaustion, but he didn’t move to assist her. She was independent as hell and though she had not argued with him carrying her out of the barn earlier, he was not about to push his luck.

She managed a slight smile as she sat down on one of the sofas and reached for the throw that hung over the back of it in order to wrap it around herself, “What have you found out?”

“First things first, Bennett,” He stated as he sat down next to her, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m tired and have the headache from hell, but at least the feeling of being Jack Frost’s latest conquest is better. The doctor wanted me in bed, but she doesn’t know me all that well,” A tiny grin crossed her lips then faded, “She thinks the headache may be the first of several side effects we’ll be experiencing.”

Paul looked down at the floor, reigning in his emotions, “Or it could mean you are just hungry. Andrew is fixing either a very late dinner or a pretty early breakfast.”

“Who is he, anyway?” She inquired as she pressed her fingers to her temple for a moment, trying to ward off the throbbing.

“An old partner. He…retired, but came back to help with this case as a personal favor. Monica is a friend of his; a good friend.”

“Yeah, I found out she is your cat woman,” She joked lightly, feeling another surge of relief that Monica had denied romantic involvement. She wasn’t sure why it mattered at this moment. Unless they worked fast, she would not be around to ponder what could evolve between her and her partner.

He chuckled, wondering if there had been anything else she and the little angel had discussed, but he would hold those questions for later. He turned serious once more, “What do you know that will help us, Alex?”

“Blond hair, shaven, his eyes were almost black from what I could tell,” She pursed her lips as she thought, “He had on jeans each time, but he was getting changes of clothes from someplace and not there at the farm. Wherever he was he had the ability to watch the news. He didn’t know Monica when he first kidnapped us, but the second day, he knew who she was…he said she was the one you were able to save,” She raised her eyebrows slightly in his direction, knowing she would be holding her own question session shortly, “It was me he was after, poor Monica just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, though she is tough for a little bit of a thing.”

“Yes, she is,” Paul replied softly, even as he made notes of the things she was telling on the notebook that was in his lap, “What else do you remember?”

“He was doing it to get even with you. He said he already killed someone that was important to you; she was quiet. You broke his arm…you must have been the one to put him behind bars,” She closed her eyes as she thought, “As far as the injection goes, he has a connection in the penitentiary. He said it acted slow, that there would be symptoms. It’s a foreign substance and deadly. There were two syringes, but he only used one, half of it injected into each of our arms.” She drew in a tired breath, “That’s all I can think of.”

“That helps a lot and you know it,” He informed her, “We’ll get someone down to the state pen to find out who he hung out with. We could get a lead on this injection. Mills and Benkert can break anyone’s silence.”

“Who is he?”

Her question hung in the air as Paul looked up at her, knowing he had to tell her the truth, “His name is Devin Jackson. He escaped the night of your parent’s party. Six years ago, he killed one of my witnesses; one I was going to marry.”

Alex sucked in a deep breath, seeing the raw pain in his eyes. The words “I’m sorry” were on the tip of her tongue, but she knew he had probably heard that more times than he could count. Sorry didn’t bring her back. “What was her name?”

“Lauren.”

“We’ll get him, Gatlin,” Her words were earnest and despite all that was probably wrong with her body at the moment, she found herself reaching across to lay a hand on his arm in comfort. She could tell the gesture surprised him briefly. Yes, they would find him, though she might die trying, “I don’t think I ever thanked you for finding us.”

His eyes held hers as he tried to find his voice. Her hand on his arm felt warm and right. He would be disappointed when she pulled it back, “You and Monica are important to me, Alex. We weren’t stopping till we did. Whatever he did to you both, we will beat it. I promise we will beat it.”

She felt a fearful lump rising to her throat as she nodded her head, deciding to choose to believe that the words he said were true.

*****

Sandwiches and soup were spread out on the dining room table, and Alex was in there with Paul and a few other agents, trying to act as if she didn’t know that she was living life on the clock.  Andrew managed a sad smile as he passed the doorway carrying a tray.  Monica had shown no signs of waking but she needed to eat and he knew that she was going to be every bit as stubborn as Alex about finishing her job, no matter the cost.

He walked down the hallway, his footsteps silent on the plush carpeting.  Monica’s door was opened a crack and he slowly pushed it open the rest of the way.  Then, as he entered he let out a little sigh of relief.  She was awake, and sitting up in bed, her eyes focused on him, hands folded on top of the green and blue plaid comforter.

She had woken up when Dr. Pelletier was examining her, and between the two of them she had managed to take a short bath and change into one of Alex’s mother’s nightgowns.  She was still far too pale, and her hair hung ragged and uneven around her face, but she looked much better than when they had found her, especially now that her eyes were open.

The words stuck in Andrew’s throat and he said nothing as he crossed to the bed and set the tray down on the bedside table.  Monica followed him with her eyes and self-consciously reached her hand up to finger the cropped ends of her hair.

“I guess I look pretty bad,” she said with a tiny shrug.

Andrew turned to her immediately, the color rising in his cheeks as he saw what she was thinking.  He grabbed her hand and held it in both of his.

“Monica, you look more beautiful right now than I can remember, and your hair has nothing to do with it,” he said as he leaned forward and cupped the side of her face, letting his fingers move into the shorter strands.

She let out a massive breath and he saw tears close to the surface and sat down on the bed, pulling her into his arms.

“Thank you,” she murmured.  “I know it’s stupid and not very angelic… I think I feel worse about what you must think… what you are thinking…”

“What I’m thinking?  Monica I’m just thinking about how grateful I am to have you back.”

She shook her head and he felt the movement against his chest.  “No… I know you… I know…” She moved her hand to his chest.  “You’re hurting as much as me… and I know how hard you’re trying not to let anger overtake you again… and every time you look at me…”

Andrew covered her hand and was able to feel his own heartbeat transmitted through it and into her.  She was right.  She always was when it came to him.

“I don’t want you thinking about me right now.  I’ll be fine, I promise you.  You’re right.  It does hurt when I see what a vengeful, hate-filled man has done to you, but I swear, when I look at you now I am only seeing my closest friend and the incredible strength and love inside you.”

“Not that strong,” she muttered.  “I didn’t help Alex… I was even more frightened than she was, and I knew that God was watching over us.  Every time he came… it felt like my heart stopped beating…”

“Alex lives with dangerous situations every day, and you weren’t sent there to save her from Jackson.”

“No, I was sent to help lead her to God… and I don’t think I did a very good job of it.”

Andrew hugged her tighter.  “I think you’d be surprised.  You can be very persuasive… just look at Paul.”

She grinned and pulled away slightly.  “Well I’m not done yet.  There’s still time…” her voice faded.  “Four days…”

The blond angel looked her right in the eye, his gaze stern and determined.  “You are going to have a lot longer than that.”

“I know that God is watching over us, and He will keep us safe, either here or at Home… but I am a little bit afraid… It feels like there’s nothing I can do…”

“Then don’t think about it, angel.  Let us take care of it.  We’ll find him and you and Alex will both be fine.”

A brave little smile flitted across her lips.  “I’ll try, Andrew.  What I really want is to be able to talk to her some more.”

“You’ll get that chance, but right now you need to eat something.  You need to get your strength back.”  He didn’t mention how much lighter she had felt when he carried her out of the barn and into the house.

“I know I should eat, but I’m not that hungry…”

“Monica, it’s been three days!  You should be starving!”

She leaned back against the pillows and bit her lower lip, a sure sign that she was anxious.  “My head hurts… the doctor gave me something, but my stomach feels strange too…”

“It’s probably the pain from your head affecting how you feel… and an upset stomach from going so long without food.  Come on, you have to at least try,” he insisted as he lifted the tray onto her lap.  “Tess will be very disappointed if you don’t.”

“Tess?”

“Yes, she’s downstairs right now.”

The relief was visible on Monica’s face.  Just having them all together was enough to make her feel more secure and confident.  She sent a quick thank you up to God for sending her supervisor.

“All right… If Tess made it then I’m sure I’ll be able to eat it.”  She looked up sharply as Andrew stood up.  “You aren’t leaving yet, are you?”

He pulled a chair over to the side of the bed.  He sat down and reached over to squeeze her knee through the covers.  “I’m not going anywhere.”

*****

“Hello!  Anyone home?”

Alex’s head shot up at the sound of her brother’s voice.  She had just finished her second bowl of soup and was deep in the middle of a strategy session with Paul and three agents from her old Violent Crimes unit.

“In here,” Paul shouted, wondering if Rob would try to deck him again.  He hoped not.  The younger man had a wicked right hook.

Rob entered the room and stopped dead for an instant as he saw his sister.  It was just an instant though, and then he was moving towards her as if there was absolutely nothing in the world wrong although he had already been told exactly what had happened.

“I hope I’m not around when Mom sees your hair.  You know she’s always loved it long,” he said with a wink and a broad smile, designed to set her at ease.

It did the trick.  “Yeah, well I was thinking of starting a new fashion trend,” she shot back.  “I expect the weed-whacked look to be all the rage in Paris next spring.”

Rob laughed, and Paul watched the two interacting and smiled.  He was glad that Alex had someone she could be so comfortable with.  A second later he was hoping that someday that person could be him, and then he mentally slapped himself.  Now was certainly not the time for that.

“Well, just in case you decide to change your mind, I took the liberty of bringing Pauline along with me,” Rob continued.  “She does all the girls’ hair over at the Post, and she’s setting up in Mom and Dad’s bathroom.”  He leaned forward to kiss Alex on the cheek.  “You look great to me, but maybe she can just even it up a bit,” he said quietly.

When he stood back Alex’s eyes were shining and she quickly looked down at her bowl and blinked rapidly.  Nothing like a brother to think of such things.  She looked up when she felt a gentle pressure on her hand, expecting to see Rob holding it.  Instead it was Paul, looking at her with concern and affection.

“Just for the record,” he said, “I think you look great too.”