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Guilt made him nauseous. Daniel rolled over and sat up, hugging a pillow to his chest. How the heck do you say to God, “Thanks, but are you sure?”
I probably just did, he mused.
He checked the time on his cell and groaned. All-nighters sucked balls. Big ones. He still had some time until the salon opened, which meant he could actually get an hour ofzzz’s under his belt if he went straight to bed.
Daniel dragged his butt into the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes in his wake. After a fast toothbrushing and face washing, he tucked himself under the blankets and got comfy.
Sleep eluded him for a little while longer. He daydreamed of Theo sleeping beside him, arms wrapping him tight. The angel’s warm breath on his neck made him drowsy, but it was the imagined soothing cadence of heartbeats that tilted him into sleep.
????
The alarm on his cell woke him at eight. Daniel debated tossing it against the wall, but money barely filled his wallet most weeks since Bull put him in the hospital. He wasn’t poor, but Troy was definitely worse than March in the percentage game. He’d once had a tiny nest egg, waiting for the day he could walk away. Maybe with divine help, once and for all, he’d truly be free.
Daniel rolled out of bed and paced across his bedroom.Okay. Okay. Some way, somehow, I gained God’s attention, and He sent me Theo. It’s an assist. I still gotta do the hard stuff. I still need to deal with today.
After a quick shower, snappily dressed in a suit and tie, he set out across the city. Buses, cars, and jitneys crowded the streets. Rundown shops lined the sidewalks, their gates tucked into cubbies, but bars still covered many windows. The occasional diesel truck spewed its noxious fumes, in competition with the rising scents of cooking meat or exotic spices from the various hole-in-the-wall restaurants already filled with folks eating breakfast. His stomach turned, and he choked down the bitter taste of bile.
He passed The Walk filled with shoppers enjoying the day’s miserly warm sunshine, most hoping to grab a holiday bargain in the outlets, others just along for the ride or mules to carry their loved ones’ purchases. Daniel chuckled under his breath when he got stuck behind one downtrodden fella schlepping his wife’s many bags. He, himself, wasn’t much into fashion, other than a well-fitted suit. Theo, though, had looked great last night, even if he was only in tight-fitting dark jeans and a black Club Haven T-shirt.
Daniel gave the man a sympathetic half-smile as he moved past and got an eye roll and grin in return. With a mock two-finger salute, he carried on until he reached the small salon a block further from the end of The Walk.
He glanced in through the large front window and frowned at all the people he saw inside. The owner, Mary, was speaking with a young man. An older man, the father perhaps, stood nearby, joining in the conversation, while a third man waited in the seats. The elderly gentleman barber wasn’t present.
Now or never. Daniel pulled on the handle, setting the hanging bells clanging and gaining all of their attention.
Mary glared at him, her nose wrinkling. “You’re late.”
“Mary?” The waiting man rose from his seat. He was smartly dressed in a white button-down and chinos. Daniel’s gaze caught on the rolled-up sleeves showcasing a scroll of tattoos that circled the man’s forearm from his fabric to wrist.
“He’s one of them,” Mary spat venomously.
The man held out a calming hand toward her and the teenagers. “Are you by chance Daniel?”
Hackles up, Daniel stepped back. “Who are you?”
“A friend of Theo’s.”
Daniel blew all the air from his lungs. “He sent you.”
“No,Hesent me.”
“I see.” Daniel nodded. While his outside features showed only solemnity, inside he threw a fist into the air.Yes, more angels.
The man laughed. “Nope, I’m not one of them, just married to one. My name’s Gabriel, that’s my son, Elijah, and Locke is Judah’s partner.”
Daniel frowned.Wait… What good will another human do me?
“Gabriel!” Mary shushed him. “You shouldn’t be giving the devil’s man your names.”
“He is for Theo, Mary.”
Her mouth dropped into a silent O. “Really?”
“So it would seem.”
Locke stepped closer, brow furrowed. He peered at Daniel and sneered, projecting disdain. “I know you. You were one of March’s men. How could He pair Theo with you?”
Bells jingled, and a slender man of average height entered. Spiked hair, pierced ears, and tattoos decorating exposed skin.
