“My name is Gabriel Seeker, and I’d like the finest suite available. Money is no object, and privacy is of the utmost importance. I’ll be staying for a while.” All too ready to oblige, Caleb, a sprite young man in his mid-twenties, quickly accommodated him. This enigmatic man’s god-like stature and demeanor told Caleb in not so many words that if he did his job well, there would be a very nice tip at the end. Spurred on by this notion, Caleb decided to step away from the registration desk to see Gabriel personally to his suite.“I’m sure you’ll find everything to your taste and requirements, Mr. Seeker. If not, rest assured that I will personally see to it that all is rectified. For a guest such as yourself, I have included complimentary breakfast and dinner for the length of your stay. If there is anything more I can do for you, sir, all you need to do is ask.” Caleb gushed, knowing his boss would be thrilled with the big
On the other, he was scared witless. Manny was unpredictable, and could make trouble for him if he felt like it. Given how much money Caleb had made for him over the past ten years, he figured Manny was not going to be saying congratulations, and giving him a big send-off. He was leaving a major hole in Manny’s secret, illegal enterprise set up at the resort, and now he’d have to put someone in his place. That would be very tricky, since nobody at the resort knew about Manny or his people, and management was extremely diligent and thorough about checking out who they hired. Manny just happened to be better at forging documentation.Picking up the house phone, he dialed up his friend Mack in the operations department. “Hey Mack, how much do you know about state-of-the-art computer systems?”“You know me. I’m always up-to-date with the latest news. What do you need?”He gave him a rundown of Gabriel’s requirements an
Caleb paced the floor of his living room, flipping his cell phone open and closed every few minutes. He checked the time. His watch said seven o’clock in the evening, two minutes later than when he checked it two minutes ago. Stir-crazy didn’t even begin to explain how freaked out he was at this point. He’d been waiting it seemed like hours, though it had only been one since he’d left Gabriel his dire plea for protection. Had he gotten his message? Maybe his voicemail isn’t working. Not likely. Maybe he’s in a dead zone for cell service. Not likely, either. Maybe I should just chill out.Did he remember to lock the front door to his apartment? He didn’t know. So he rushed over to check. He’d locked it, thank goodness. He slunk over to his only window in the apartment and peered out from behind the frayed window blinds, watching for anyone he knew skulking around outside. Not a soul was around, but that didn’t mean anything
He arrived at the hospital in a minute and a half, alighting near a stack of dumpsters to obscure his landing and transformation. Putting on his shirt, Gabriel then proceeded to the Emergency Room entrance. His imposing posture always lead others to believe he was a man of importance and someone to be handled with all the respect a dignitary would command. And so it was now, as he walked up to the nurse’s desk to find his friend.“Can I help you, sir?” asked one of the nurses.“I’m looking for two people, around twenty-two or so, man and woman. Woman’s pretty beat up. Her name is Phoebe…”“Oh, yes. She’s here, poor thing. Are you family?”“I’m all she’s got,” he replied. It wasn’t a lie. Saying yes would have been a lie, and something an angel couldn’t do.“She’s right through those doors, room 3A,” she said, pointing to a room i
The dams broke and tears streamed down her face. Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a linen hanky. A bit old-fashioned, he knew, but it was always there when he needed it. He handed it to her and she dabbed gingerly at her face.“I’m sorry. This has been happening ever since I woke up in the hospital.” She blew her nose.“That's okay, I completely understand.”“Caleb told me you offered him a job as personal assistant if he did real good with some jobs for you. I hope he's doing okay.” She paused, shuffling her feet. ”Do you think you might have an opening for a secretary or something like that? I took typing in high school and was the top in my class. I'm done with Manny, too. I've gotta get my life together, and working for you would help me do that.”“I'm glad to hear that. I believe I can find a suitable job for you at my company.” The worry lines and wrinkles that had taken
Storm clouds gathered in the early morning sky. Unusual for Arizona since they usually gathered towards evening. Perhaps they were reflecting Gabriel's thunderous mood as he finished his “business” with Marco de LaGuardia. He had completed that task successfully, but he felt no sense of joy. Satisfaction, yes. Joy, no. If there weren't scum like Marco on this earth, then there'd be joy.No, these clouds portended something truly evil brewing. Gabriel had pissed off Satan by plucking at the sanity of one his minions. And Manny, Satan's tool, was next on the list. Once Gabriel identified all of the kids being exploited and sold by him for lurid, depraved acts with sick, twisted adults, Manny's time would come. There would be a showdown, of this Gabriel was sure. And he was just as sure that he would claim yet another victory against Evil. Over many millennia, Gabriel's record had been stellar.Gabriel returned to find Caleb staring out the window at the roili
Ancient GaulRaphael charged into the Temple of Sirona. “Where is she? Where is my wife?” He asked anyone and everyone who would listen, but no one seemed to know and shook their heads solemnly. “Aiden,” he called to one of the guards.“Yes?”“Something’s wrong. I haven’t been able to sense Sirona all day. Now, tell me where she is, man. Tell me so I can see her and know she’s all right.”“I can’t tell you something I don’t know myself.” Aiden worried the short beard on his chin. “We’ve been looking for her since after midnight when she fooled us into thinking she slept. She’s wanted to free herself of the guards for hundreds of years now, even though she knows we are here to protect her gift at all costs. Looks like she finally succeeded. Everyone who can is looking for her, I promise.”Raphael glanced around at the hordes of followers bringing the day’s offerings to the temple, and a sudden chill ran up his spine. He unfurled his wings and took flight, praying he’d find her safe som
Sedona, ArizonaEighteen months ago“Yo, Serena. Get a load of this!”“Get a load of what?” Serena shouted as she jumped down from her Jeep and poured the waiting bucket of cool water over her head. “Ahh, just what the doctor ordered.” She breathed in deeply, dragged her fingers through the tangled mess of honey-kissed hair, and sighed. It had been a brutally hot tour of Sedona’s most popular vortex sites this morning.“You got one heck of a package delivered earlier. It’s sitting on your desk. Why don’t you go to your office and check it out?” Callie had mischief in her eyes and a shit-eating grin on her face. She’d changed her hair color, again. Shocking pink waves framed her pale face today. It matched her lip color and complimented her bold personality. Serena shook out her hair and wiped her face with her shirt sleeve as she walked past her best friend. Giving her a playful shove, she stuck her tongue out and pushed her way through the door to her office. She froze a moment and s