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“Thanks to Cora and the young boy.”
“But I’m still here, and I’m back living at Cora’s house again. I’m free to carry on playing matchmaker, and that’s what matters. On top of that, I’m even helping out with a murder investigation and apprehending criminals. Granted, I’m not in charge of your big plan. But, hey. If you want to give me extra points for good deeds, I won’t say no to a little boost now and then.”
Samael stared down his nose at Liam. “Boost?”
“Computer proficiency, for example.” Liam couldn’t think of anything worse than spending hours learning those machines. “Or maybe a faster car? You know, strictly for practical reasons.” That red convertible he saw the other day looked very practical. He could practically envision himself in it right now. “Or, here’s a boon I’d treasure above all others—take the blasted training wheels off, so I no longer have to feel like I’m boiling from the inside out every time Cora accidentally touches me.” He glanced hopefully between both angels.
Samael’s stern face grew granite hard. “We are not in the business of granting wishes.”
“Hey, lazy!” Cora called form the water’s edge. “Are you coming or not?”
Liam glanced toward the lake and almost swallowed his tongue. Cora was now wearing a bright red bikini. It clung to her curves for dear life and—from the looks of the flimsy straps—it wasn’t long for this world. Suzette was wearing something similar in black, except her bathing top had no straps at all. Liam stood shakily to his feet, managing a feeble wave as the two women ran splashing into the water. Perhaps a quick swim would do him good. Yes, it might be just the thing he needed. To clear his head. So he could really focus on his task.
“Where are you going?” Samael asked.
Liam found he’d taken two steps toward the lake. He glanced back at the angels and cleared his throat. “I think I should go...keep an eye on them. You know, like a chaperone. To make sure they’re safe.”
“Somehow, that does not inspire confidence,” Samael said dryly.
“Everything’s fine. Don’t worry.” Liam gave an absent wave and hurried toward the water, picking up speed and whipping off his shirt as he went.
The angels watched Liam charge into the lake in great splashes. He cupped his hands and sent arcs of water sailing toward the girls. Suzette shrieked. Cora laughed. The battle was on.
Samael sank down to sit beside Agon. “If he truly believes everything’s fine, then he’s not just a thief, he’s an utter fool.”
Agon watched Liam and Cora with a wistful look on his face. “But all men are fools in love, are they not?”
“We are the Department of Destiny. Love is not our domain.”
“Yet it drives his every action, and Cora’s destiny depends on him. Truly, this is a tangle. The more he’s with her, the more he wants more with her. How can someone like him, a thief who’s only ever known how to take, learn to give up the greatest treasure he’s ever had? It would take a miracle.”
Samael withdrew his clipboard and checked it. “Lucky for him, there are still a few miracles slated for this century. But Liam is as headstrong and arrogant as ever. He has to learn to see past his own desires.”
Agon watched as Liam tipped his head back and laughed at something Cora said. “I’m not sure he’s cut from that cloth. It would require a lot of self-reflection.”
“Mmm.” Samael’s face lit with sudden inspiration. “Or a reflection of self.”
Agon regarded the other angel with curiosity. Samael was ever the steadfast and stoic one, so the twinkle of excitement in his eyes surprised him, which, for an angel as old as Agon, did not come often. “Whatever do you mean?”
Samael flicked his wrist and the swirling mist appeared above them. Then he slapped Agon on the back and grinned. Grinned! There went one miracle.
“Come on,” Samael said, floating up through the mist. “I have a plan. Our thief is about to see himself in a whole new light.”
