Page 14 of A Chip on Her Shoulder

“No.”

“She doesn’t have anything, then.”

Mr. Lemon scowled. “While we are aware that the household she is intended for has blood ties, we would like to take a few precautions to ensure she does not become a victim. With an archangel expressing concern, we have cause. However, it requires some paperwork, and there are some fees for the handling of the situation.”

The fees would be a problem, but I had my brother’s annoying car, and I already planned to make the mafia he’d tangled with kiss my pretty spotted ass. “How much?”

“A hundred a year.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. It mostly consists of a legal requirement for an agent to verify the whereabouts of the child until the age of sixteen, at which point she will be considered old enough to handle most matters on her own. It will require any future guardians to meet with the agent, with her in attendance, to ensure she has not been unlawfully sold. The penalties for violating this are quite severe. Considering the circumstances, it would be wise.”

“I’ll pay that. Can I pay the entire amount in advance?”

“Yes, you can do that. The payment will be due in thirty days.”

I did the mental math. If I scraped together every penny I had from every account I had, I would have enough—barely. I’d be stuck on paying for anything else, but I could make the payment on time. “Okay. That’s good. Where will I need to pay?”

Mr. Lemon pulled out a slip of paper and offered it to me, and I discovered it was a printed invoice for the first year of the service, a list of what the government would do in exchange for payment, and a file number. “Call the number on this invoice, and they will direct you on how to make a payment. If you’re paying by check or cash, you can bring it to any CDC or FBI building. Either agency can handle the payments for this. You may also take your payment to any United States courthouse for processing. If you’ll follow me, we’ll handle the signing of the paperwork, issue her passport, and take care of everything else she needs to ensure her general protection.”

“May I ask a question?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Isn’t this a little excessive? I mean, I tried to get my passport once. It was not easy.”

“You don’t have your passport?”

I shook my head. “My original birth certificate isn’t readily available, and I was a minor at the time I requested it. Seventeen. They needed a parental signature.”

“Estranged?”

“Orphaned.”

“What’s one additional passport being processed tonight? We have the ability to pull up vital records as necessary, so we’ll take care of that upstairs. We have angelic verification of your identity, so you won’t need a parental signature or supporting documentation. There will be a small fee to process the passport, but as there’s an angel involved, you’ll get to skip the expedition fees.”

Huh. For the first time in my life, was I actually experiencing the reward of having done a good deed? If I ever crossed paths with Michael again, I’d have to ask him about that. Aware of the archangel’s claims about the baby’s treatment, I kissed her head and rocked her. “Can I ask a possibly strange question?”

“Of course.”

“Is it possible to pay for more frequent checks on her? I don’t know the household she’s going to, but I don’t trust them.” I hesitated, but as I toed lines anyway, I added, “Michael gave me reason to believe there will be problems. But I can’t keep her.”

I wanted to.

I didn’t even understand why.

Mr. Lemon’s expression darkened. “Normally, I would say it’s not, but I will make an exception. The fee may be higher, but we have learned to trust the word of angels—and archangels. And archangels do not interfere with mortal affairs without good reason. How often would you like her to be checked on?”

“I would pay to have it done once a month if I could.”

If anything, only to make certain her future guardian walked a narrow line.

If something happened to her, I wanted to know—and I wanted to know immediately.

“I think an arrangement can be made, and I have a few ideas on how to make sure the guardian doesn’t do anything inappropriate. But the day she turns sixteen, she’ll be on her own. And if she were to run from a potential situation earlier? Well, arrangements can be made to make certain she is able to take care of the necessities. That can be extended later into life as well.”

“What do you mean?”