Page 62 of Angel

“They saved me, to be honest. When I was sent to the orphanage, I was so scared. I’d just lost my mom and was traumatized. My adoptive parents came the next day. Apparently, they had just signed up and were ecstatic to find me. The paperwork was in place, so I left the next day with them. At first, it was hard. I cried—a lot. Mom was so patient, though. She listened, never judged, and encouraged me to talk about my parents. She was the kindest person I had ever met. Dad held back; he didn’t really know how to deal with a grieving young girl, but he was always there with a soft smile, a warm hug and a strong sense of protection. I fell in love with them; it wasn’t hard, but they weren’t my mom or my dad. They were strangers.”

“I can’t imagine how you got through that.”

“What about you? You lost both your parents too. What happened to you?”

He says nothing, and it’s as if the air turns colder, the atmosphere darkening, and I stop breathing.

I say nothing and wait for him to tell me to mind my own business, and then he speaks, his voice dull, emotionless.

“Mom died of cancer. It was the aggressive kind. One minute she was fine, just complaining of a few aches and pains, and the following month she died in her sleep.”

“I’m so sorry.”

I am full of compassion because that must have been a hard watch.

“I didn’t realize how badly she was hurting. She hid it well, but was apparently receiving a heavy dose of chemotherapy while I was at school. She still made cookies, dinner every night, and life was normal until it wasn’t anymore.”

He stares into the distance; his features set in stone and his husky whisper devastates as he carries on.

“Dad couldn’t cope. He idolized her; he always had. He no longer had a reason to live. He withdrew from me. I couldn’t reach him, and my father died before my eyes. I was sent to live with a family friend. Somebody trustworthy and I was raised by him.”

“Him?”

“Yes, he was unmarried. There was no female influence, no emotion or softness in the house. Merely existing. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy in my own way. I accepted that not every kid gets to enjoy the perfect childhood, and I focused on my skills instead.”

“Computers?”

He nods. “Yes, I majored in it and used to write code for fun. It didn’t take long to realize I had a gift for it, and I started Power Tech from college. I suppose I was in the right place at the right time, and AI has exploded. It seems to have endless uses and business is booming.”

“I can tell. You must be very proud.”

“I am.”

He turns and smiles, but I note there is no emotion in it. He is withdrawn, slightly aloof, and a little lost.

It strikes me how similar we are. Both alone, preferring it even, and yet when we’re together, it’s as if two powerful forces collide.

“Perhaps we can help each other.”

I offer up a warm smile, and he nods.

“Perhaps we can.”

CHAPTER 24

ANGEL

Gabriel is angry. He gets angry a lot, so I’m not surprised.

“What madness is in your mind right now?”

I shrug, resisting the urge to walk away. When he’s in this mood, nothing I say will placate him.

“Are you really prepared to blow everything we’ve worked so hard for, for a piece of pussy?”

“She’s more than that.”

I don’t rise to his challenge. That’s what he wants me to do, and I was done playing his games a long time ago.