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I stared at the ceiling again. “He was afraid of me.”
She looked at me for a while longer before shifting again and resting her head in the crook of my arm. After a while, I felt her breathing slow. She wasn’t quite sleeping, only snoozing, but in a state of relaxation again.
I didn’t lie to her. Tyson had jumped from the roof.
I had flown him from the apartment onto the roof and may have dropped him from higher than necessary when I let him down. With my eyes blazing white and my wings spread out, he had backed away from me as fast as he could. I had offered him an ultimatum, much like I had with one of his goons who had broken a chair over my back. But Tyson was full of much more darkness than that man was, darkness and stubbornness that ran deep within him. He had laughed it off, a maniacal laugh that edged on insanity, not an uncommon reaction people had at being faced with the truth of celestial beings.
He called me on my lie, claiming I couldn’t possibly be watching him all the time, and if he left the city, I had no way of knowing if he continued somewhere else doing what he was doing here.
He was right.
I saw him glancing over the edge of the building, calculating his chances. I told him what the chances were of his survival.
I guess he liked those odds, but that didn’t bode well for him.
I think I should’ve felt worse than I did.
But looking at Evie, I was simply thankful for her safety.
EVIE
Squeezing her close to me, I ignored her indignant noises at the overt display of affection.
“Heidi, I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
“It’s not up to you to protect me,” she mumbled against my shoulder. “You did what you could.”
Leaning back, I took her shoulders in my hands and surveyed her face. When she went to hold a hand up to her cheek and turn away, I grabbed her wrist, waiting until she looked back at me, dying inside at the tears that streamed down her face.
“Everything will be okay now,” I said.
She eyed Zaqiel over my shoulder. “For you, maybe.”
“For you too.” I shook her shoulders until she looked at me again. “For you too,” I repeated. Her eyes flooded with tears, but she nodded. I could tell she didn’t believe me, but she wanted to. I rubbed my thumb along the edge of her scar. Once the stitches were out and she was more healed, I’d ask her if she wanted to meet Clive.
It would be up to her after all. Even if they only stayed in touch for a short while, just long enough to show her she’s worth much more than she thinks she is, can do anything she wants, and doesn’t need to live this life.
Things I already knew and wish I had the power to do something about before. Maybe I did have the power, maybe I simply needed to be shown what was on the other side of the darkness. But playing around withwhat-ifswasn’t going to help me now.
For the first time in a long time, I needed to focus on moving forward.
With Tyson out of the picture, there’d be a power struggle amongst his remaining employees. I didn’t doubt someone would take his place, and there was every chance they would be as dark as he was. But by then, the girls would’ve scattered. Zaqiel had already expressed thoughts to me about showing them how to look after themselves. If they wanted to continue working, they could, but they didn’t need amanager. They could do it without a solitary character controlling their finances. Zaqiel had made friends with his landlord in the time he had been there and was sure he wouldn’t mind his building being full and receiving rent. He didn’t seem the type to judge the girls, and he might even be able to offer them a level of security.
Obviously, I wouldn’t go back to working, but I had no idea what I would do now. Perhaps I could be a waitress or a hostess at a fancy restaurant.
Maybe Clive knew someone.
I didn’t want to push my luck asking Clive for favors, but if I had learned anything, it was that there were times when you needed to reach out and ask for help.
And not everyone wanted to hurt me.
Heidi lived with Zaqiel and me in his apartment for a few weeks. During this time, Zaqiel made arrangements with his landlord regarding the rest of the girls to get them to safety before Tyson’s goons figured out what had happened and who would take over. Tyson’s entire business had collapsed quickly, and although there were many others around like it, there was good done in the world because of this.
Good which I had to constantly remind Zaqiel of because it seemed no matter how many people he helped and what difference he made in the lives of others, it was never enough for him.
So as I sat cross-legged on our bed, cradling a glass of white wine, I watched while he stared out the window.
“You’ve done so much good, Zaqiel,” I said to his back. “You can rest for a while.”
