Page 104 of Avenging Angel

Jack stands up and goes to pour himself a cup of coffee. While he’s fixing it up the way he likes it, he turns to the room and says, “I’m just glad it’s all over and out of our hands. Let the big dogs dismantle Dominion piece by piece.”

Before the conversation can go any further, there’s a delicate knock on the door. After Roger acknowledges the interruption, Grace pokes her head into the room. “There’s someone who would like to speak to you.”

“Have our guest wait in my office. We’re almost through here.”

Grace shakes her head. “He’d like to speak to all of you. I’m not sure who he is, but I’m under the impression that he’s important and has other business he needs to attend to.”

We all close the folders in front of us in case any information inside is confidential. If the assignments are routine, then learning what they are can wait a few more minutes. Roger nods and gestures for Grace to allow the man to enter.

My eyes become big as saucers as Uri fills up the doorway, while Angel’s jaw practically scrapes the floor.

“Uri,” I breathe out in a whisper that no one else but Uri can hear.

Uri smiles warmly at me. “Our paths cross yet again.”

Jack becomes protective when he notices that Angel and I have both gone silent. “Daisy, do you know this giant?”

At nearly seven feet tall, giant is an apt description. I nod slowly, returning the question with one of my own. “You can see him?”

Based on my question, Roger immediately knows that he’s standing in the presence of a divine being and rises to his feet out of respect. “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Roger Cavenaugh.”

Uri booms a laugh then shakes Roger’s hand. “We’ve met. For you, it was almost 30 years ago, but for me, it feels like yesterday. You asked God for proof of His existence while staring across a landscape that He created—mountains, rivers, wildlife, insects, and plants all working in harmony that couldn’t happen by chance. You were blind to what was right in front of you, but the Father got your attention, didn’t He?”

Roger laughs at that. “That He did. I was buried alive, but I thought it was Jesus who rescued me.”

Uri chuckles. “The Son will one day return, but the time has not yet come. The Father sent me, Roger. It was probably the beard and the long hair that confused you since we’re able to take any human form. I was going for a lumberjack look as I thought it was fitting for the occasion. Does an angel saving your life change your perception?”

“Not at all.”

Uri seems satisfied with the answer, turning his attention away from Roger and directing it to everyone in the room. “I’ve been watching all of you for most of your lives, providing protection and guidance when you needed it and nudging you all in the direction the Father needed you to go.”

Angel takes my hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze as he addresses Uri. “Is Daisy still in danger? Is that why you’re here?”

Uri shrugs. “God is the only One who knows the future, not me nor any other angel in His army. If Daisy is in danger, I have not been made aware. As for why I’m here, I’ve come with a message.”

His gaze moves across the room, landing on Scott, then finally resting on Jeremy. “Dominion took a significant blow with their science facilities being ransacked and stripped bare. Make no mistake, Dominion is far from being destroyed.”

Angel pinches the bridge of his nose. “Did Ludlow renege on his promise to stop the experiments?”

“No. Ludlow is fulfilling his promise to the American people and doing his part. However, Dominion is an operation that seeks to bring about global order. It has tendrils in every facet of human daily life from food production, commerce, drugs, politics, religion, technology, social welfare programs, and anything else that comes to mind.”

I grip Angel’s hand so tight I’m surprised his fingers aren’t purple from the loss of circulation. “Then it’s not over yet.”

“The abductions specifically tied to CIPHER will come to a halt for the foreseeable future, but Dominion is claiming that the CIA is the one to blame, as well as other governments throughout the world,” Uri says. “The money trail proves as much, and as such, Dominion will recover. I have that information on good authority. However, before they can be stopped, other facets of their operation need to be exposed. That’s where you all come in.”

Uri begins to walk around the room, and somehow the space feels even smaller as he does so. It’s not just because of his size or presence; it’s from the gravity of what’s about to come next.

“Dominion seeks to weaken the people of this world by drawing them toward anything that can take the place of the Word of God—drugs, pornography, gambling, and countless other temptations that offer only fleeting pleasure before giving way to despair. And when that despair becomes too much to bear, they return to the very thing that caused it, searching for relief and finding only another turn of the same destructive cycle.”

“What do you need us to do?” Roger asks.

“Nothing for now,” Uri replies. “Before Chelsea Ludlow assumed her new identity, she was Abigail Calvert. Abigail was abducted from her family, who were active members of the religious cult TRUST: Transformation Retreat for Universal Spiritual Truth.”

We bob our heads up and down to silently affirm that we are aware of this information.

“Grace is already looking into it,” Scott tells him.

Uri’s expression turns grim. “And what she will discover will lead you to the parent organization, one you are familiar with, Scott.”