by CC Bridges
Jeff had left the table to help get the old jukebox in the corner working. He’d had the entire thing in pieces by the time the crowd started to build. Jeff always seemed at home when he was surrounded by tech and wires, and Gabe found himself mesmerized by the way Jeff’s hands moved as he worked.
A heavyset man with a dark beard and a monocle replacement for one eye ended up helping Jeff put it all back together. After the first song started to play, the two stood around it, chatting up a storm.
Gabe didn’t want to go over there, in case that modded monocle could see the one wing beneath his heavy shirt. He didn’t even have Kayla for entertainment. A group of kids around her age and younger had wandered in to grab food, and they’d all gone off together, Trixie trailing at her mistress’s heels. Ronnie and Mattie seemed to have their hands full getting the food together, all in steaming dishes along one wall. He’d offer to help but knew from experience Ronnie would refuse.
“We have arrived, the party can officially start,” Hank called as he came through Ronnie’s front door.
Gabe grinned and walked over to greet him and Ian. Finally, people he knew well enough to impose his presence. “I didn’t know it was the Hank and Ian party,” he teased.
Ian slapped him on the shoulder. “Every party is the Hank and Ian party.”
Gabe wondered if this little gathering seemed tame after the wild nights at the seedy clubs on the other side of town. Apparently Ronnie always held this before the weather turned colder, one last celebration before people hid themselves away for the winter.
Ronnie stopped her preparations long enough to greet them, reaching up to peck Hank on the cheek. “You boys behave yourself, now.”
If Gabe hadn’t been watching, he wouldn’t have seen the very slight wince that ran across Hank’s face when he bent to meet her. Hank just didn’t look like himself. His eyes were sunk behind deep circles, dark against pale skin.
“Don’t we always?”
“Go on and sit. It’s just about time to eat.” Then Ronnie flitted away, moving so quickly Gabe nearly forgot she had been there.
“If you don’t mind sitting with Jeff and me….” Gabe gestured to his table.
Hank and Ian exchanged grins. “Still living at Jeff’s?” Ian kept smirking.
Gabe could feel the flush rising in his cheeks. Now that they knew his secret, he didn’t have to hide himself at the junkyard if he didn’t want to. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready for everyone to know about him and Jeff.
“Um, yes.” He ducked his head, pulling out a chair for Ian to take.
“Even though he was so pissed off when we brought you back?” Hank slid to his knees next to Ian, though his movement was stiff, without his usual grace. “I don’t know. You gonna take that from him?”
Ian sat in the chair, one hand catching in Hank’s hair. “Hank only takes that kinda thing from me.”
Gabe dropped into his own seat. “Do I have to say it?”
“Say what?” Ian winked. “That when we call you Jeff’s boy, you won’t deny it?”
“Not anymore.” Gabe might as well give in. If he were to make any sort of life here, he needed to stop hiding. Hank and Ian were the closest he had to real friends now.
Jeff slid into the seat next to him just as Ronnie announced that the food was ready. He grinned at Gabe, his face looking lighter than Gabe had ever seen it. “Perfect timing. Come on. You have to try the nutricube casserole. You won’t believe how good it actually tastes.”
Gabe laughed. He looked down as Jeff squeezed his hand under the table. Ian gave him a knowing look when they stood to take their place in line. No, Gabe decided, he didn’t have a problem being Jeff’s boy.
Although a few hours later, Gabe realized being Jeff’s boy meant meeting Jeff’s friends. He’d known Jeff did work for nearly everyone in Old Trent, but he hadn’t expected to meet them all today. Gabe slipped away down the narrow hallway that led to the bathrooms.
He splashed water on his face from the tiny ceramic sink welded to a water purifier, grateful for the moment to himself. Meeting Jeff’s other friends meant lying to them, hiding himself. It was necessary of course, but it took a lot out of him. Even the man he had been two hundred years ago hadn’t liked crowds or meeting new people. It turned out some things didn’t change.
The door swung open as he was drying his hands on the towel that hung from a hook screwed into the mismatched ceramic wall. “You all right?” Hank asked, letting the door shut behind him.
Gabe snorted. “I could ask you the same question.”
Hank stiffened. “What do you mean?”
He stepped closer to the other man and touched Hank above the small of his back. Hank hissed but didn’t move when Gabe pulled up his shirt. His pale back was marked with bruises and dark red stripes. Gabe’s own back ached at the sight.
“Why do you let him do this to you?”
Hank pulled away, snapping his shirt back into place with a quick movement. “I beg him for this,” Hank said, his words as clipped as his motions. “You’re not an angel anymore, Gabe. You don’t have any business in my sex life.”
Gabe opened his mouth to reply, to deny Hank’s words. But the memory came back unbidden—Metatron’s voice in his mind intoning, “perverts, sodomites, whores,” just before a raid. Gabe himself had never been a part of them, never enforced the decency laws in Heaven, but he’d seen it done, back when the actions of every angel had been open to him through his halo.
“I’m sorry.” Gabe folded his arms on his chest. “I just don’t want to see you hurt.”
“It’s not that kind of hurt.” Hank took a step backward, and Gabe hated how he seemed to be retreating. It was like Hank had suddenly remembered Gabe had once been a threat to everything he loved. “Not having Ian in my life. That would be true pain.”
“I don’t understand.” Gabe tried to call up memories of his life before, if he and Rocco had known anyone as kinky as Hank and Ian. Daniel buying fuzzy handcuffs didn’t exactly count.
Hank’s eyes softened. “You don’t have to. Just trust me to say something if—” He looked away for a moment, his throat working as he swallowed. “—if things go south. All right?”
Gabe nodded. He left the bathroom feeling worse than ever. How bad had it been up there for Hank and Ian? Had someone discovered them? Threatened to turn them in? But Hank was an Abraham. Surely he’d have the influence to do what he wished.
JEFF HADN’T seen Left Eye in ages, probably since the last time Ronnie had held this little gathering of hers the winter before. The old man was living on the southern edge of the city with his brood. His eldest son was old enough now to think about setting out on his own. Time had gone and passed without Jeff noticing. So many of their original group were gone, either dead or moved out of Old Trent, though Jeff still didn’t know what had happened to a few people he’d once called family. He supposed he’d never know. Ronnie just kept finding more lost souls to add to her circle.
“Stop that,” Ronnie said, coming up from behind Jeff while he messed around with the jukebox.
He’d managed to fix the thing, but Jeff always needed to fiddle with something. “Stop what? It’s working now.”
“Stop thinking dark thoughts. I could see that cloud over your head from across the room.” She smacked him playfully on the arm. “Don’t make me send Mattie over here.”
Jeff laughed. “No, anything but that.”
When they were kids, Ronnie had taught the much younger Mattie to tickle Jeff out of his bad moods. It had gotten to the point where Mattie just had to wiggle her fingers in his direction to send Jeff laughing and running away. ’Course, they’d all gotten too old for playing around like that, but Ronnie would still trot it out every so often, usually when Jeff least expected it.
“Besides,” she said, leaning on the jukebox. “There’s no reason for you to mope. Heard you got that boy wrapped around your little finger.”
Jeff ducked his head to hide
his smile. Sometimes Ronnie was too good at making him feel like a kid again. “Might be the other way around.”
“Jeff,” Ronnie started, looking worried. “You haven’t heard anything from….”
Jeff shook his head quickly. “No. Hell no. Hope they forgot about us.”
“You should have a plan, just in case they haven’t forgotten.” She tilted her head over toward where Ian was sitting, though Jeff didn’t see Hank immediately. “Boys might have some friends in high places who can help.”
It wasn’t that Jeff disagreed with her exactly. He knew Hank’s contacts were all midlevel heavies. There was no way they’d be too fond of a man who’d made a deal with demons. Any plan that ended with Gabe having to go back to working for Heaven would be unacceptable. Jeff couldn’t trust anyone in midlevel not to want to send Gabe back.
Jeff only shrugged and changed the subject. “If I remember right, you just about had a fit when Mattie brought those boys home.”
“That’s because I thought she was more than friends with them both. Some things a sister really doesn’t want to know about.” Ronnie grinned at his continued blush. “Wish she would find herself someone nice to settle down with. Gabe got any friends looking for a girlfriend?”
Jeff laughed at the idea. Wouldn’t that be the thing, setting up an angel matchmaking service?
“Hey, Werth!” Edie shouted from across the room. “You gonna play any music any time soon, or are you gonna sit on that thing?”
“I’m gonna do more than play music,” Jeff called in retort. He pushed the button on the jukebox so it would play the songs he’d lined up. “I’m gonna dance.”
Ronnie laughed at the selection but didn’t resist when he pulled her out into the open area in the middle of the room. Least she could do was have a dance with him.
COMING BACK into the main room as everyone participated in some strange dance had Gabe shaking his head at the dissonance. The music had a thumping lively beat, and Ronnie had hold of Jeff’s hand, leading him around the circles of partners all clapping their hands. Gabe backed up until he hit the wall, not wanting to be dragged into it.
Mattie joined him soon after, laughing at his discomfort. “Jeff hasn’t taught you the moves yet?”
Gabe shook his head. “Thankfully.”
She looked at him a moment, then tugged on his arm. “Come on. Let’s steal some dessert before Ronnie puts it out.” Mattie tossed her red-and-gold scarf over her shoulder and led the way back to the kitchens. She wore a knee-length skirt to match and a pair of tall brown boots that made her look ready to take on Heaven Corp itself.
Gabe let his shoulders slump as the door shut behind him. The music dulled enough so he could finally hear himself think. Sweet aromas tickled his nose, more intense than the food in the main room.
“That smells good. What is it?”
“Ronnie’s chocolate cake. Don’t ask me where she got the chocolate.” Mattie bent and opened one of the ovens, inhaling deeply. “I think we deserve a slice.”
“Anything is better than dancing.” Gabe pulled up a stool and sat while Mattie cut two thick slices of cake. He just looked at his piece for a moment, trying to remember the last time he’d tasted chocolate cake.
The taste exploded on his tongue, tart and sweet at all the right parts. Gabe closed his eyes, not expecting to be brought back so suddenly to the past, when chocolate wasn’t rare, when he could buy a cupcake at the corner store if he wanted to.
“It’s good,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Ronnie bakes a good cake.” Mattie licked her fork, catching every crumb.
“Won’t you miss that when you move uplevel?” Gabe didn’t mean to goad her, but he honestly didn’t understand why Mattie seemed so bent on getting out of Old Trent.
She let the fork drop back on her plate. “What makes you think I won’t take Ronnie with me?”
“The way Jeff tells it, she’s not exactly eager to go.”
“You lived up there. You don’t think she’d be happy once uplevel?” Mattie seemed like she really wanted to know.
Gabe considered the question. What he knew of Ronnie, she was always taking care of other people. He imagined the shining spires and bright lights of the city above and just couldn’t picture her in it.
“Not when she’s put her heart and soul into this place.”
Mattie continued to gaze at him. “You wouldn’t go back if you could? I’ve never been to the highest circles. They must be amazing….”
“They are,” Gabe admitted. “You’re so close to the sky you think you could touch the sun. It’s all light, with delicate glastic work on all the buildings.”
“And no scrounging for food. No demons to deal with.”
“Just angels,” he reminded her. “And that’s an entirely different price. You can ask Hank and Ian.”
Gabe did want to fly again. He watched Jeff’s progress with the replacement wing and prayed to a god he didn’t entirely believe in that it would work. But he knew he couldn’t go back. Gabe would not give up Jeff and his life here to be an agent of Heaven again. There he might soar the skies, but here he walked with his own mind and memories.
“Hank and Ian haven’t been here long enough.” Mattie snorted. “Sure, there’s a halfway decent demon in charge now. But they weren’t here when my parents died. Weren’t no demons to deal with then. S’why Ronnie raised me. Jeff’s family didn’t last long neither. And Kayla’s already lost her momma.”
The cake turned to ashes in his mouth. Gabe realized he was lucky to have been dropped into Jeff’s care. Without Jeff and Kayla, without the safety of the junkyard, he’d have been at the mercy of demons. Gabe shuddered at the thought, knowing there would have been nothing but pain if that had happened.
“I never thought it was easy down here,” he said. “But, Mattie, what makes you think you won’t find it just as hard up there?” Gabe touched her hand, the same arm where he’d seen a glimpse of her implants that morning after his kidnapping.
Mattie didn’t say anything for a moment. “Girl’s gotta dream.”
The kitchen door swung open, revealing Jeff and Ronnie. “Don’t even tell me you got into my dessert already.”
Gabe stood and gave her a little peck on the cheek. “Couldn’t help myself, Ronnie. It was delicious.”
She smacked his arm. “Just for that you can help me bring it out.”
“What do you think I came in here for?” Jeff slid his arm around Gabe’s waist.
Gabe flushed at the contact, still not comfortable with public displays. Such things were unseemly in Heaven. Did Jeff want everyone to know? The people out there were almost his family.
“To steal some cake?”
Jeff nuzzled his face against Gabe’s jaw. The stubble scraped with delicious friction. “Sure. Cake.”
Mattie made a disgusted noise. “I get enough of that with Hank and Ian.”
“Not quite the same,” Gabe choked out, unable to get the sudden picture of himself at Jeff’s feet out of his mind. When Jeff’s lips curved into a wicked smile, Gabe guessed the other man was picturing the same thing.
Chapter Twelve
JEFF GUIDED Gabe’s hands, positioning them carefully on the projectile rifle. “It’s got a kick, nothing like the laser weapons you’re used to.”
Gabe nodded. Jeff couldn’t see his face, pressed close against Gabe’s back like this. Jeff kept his fingers over Gabe’s, knowing the former angel wasn’t ready for the recoil of the rifle.
“Now focus on the targets.”
“Like I can focus when you’re standing so close.”
Jeff smiled, his lips against Gabe’s neck. He’d decided Gabe needed to learn to defend himself down here. Now Gabe knew how to fight, but he didn’t know how to shoot a projectile weapon. They had those fancy laser weapons uplevel. But using one of those in Old Trent screamed foreigner to anyone who saw them.
“Be good now and you’ll get rewarded later,” he said in a low wh
isper so Kayla wouldn’t hear. She stood off to the side behind a forceshield for safety. Jeff didn’t quite trust Gabe’s aim yet. Hell, right now Kayla was probably a better shot.
“How ’bout I be good now and later?”
Jeff laughed. “Now you’re going to squeeze the trigger, like making a fist.”
This, teaching Gabe survival, was the best way Jeff could stick it to the demons. It might be cheating, but they never said he couldn’t. He had to keep Gabe around and in good condition. Nobody said anything about giving the guy a gun.
Gabe followed his directions, firing the rifle at the targets Kayla had set up on the body of an old car. They both stumbled backward a bit, mostly due to Gabe’s surprise at the kickback. The shot missed the target but took out the glass window.
“Well. Not bad for a first try.” Jeff stepped back and tried to hide his smile.
Gabe rubbed at his neck. “You weren’t kidding about the kick.”
Jeff nodded. “Try doing that in midflight.”
“Don’t know how the demons do it,” Gabe agreed. “Speaking of that….”
When they put down the rifles, Kayla came around the shield with Trixie, running to their sides. Jeff put his arm around her shoulders as he waited for Gabe to finish.
“How’s the wing coming?”
Kayla looked up and made a face. “Did you tell him all you need is a battery?”
“Well, now I don’t have to.” Jeff looked over at Gabe, who awkwardly cradled the rifle in one arm. “I need to figure how to power the thing without a mini nuclear cell.”
Gabe shrugged. “Well, I’m not the mechanist.” He reached up to touch his forehead with one hand before pulling away suddenly. “But couldn’t you use the battery in the other wing?”
Jeff blinked. “I’m not sure. I’d have to look at the design. It would involve some hours in the workshop, if you’re willing to sit still and let me poke at the one wing you got.”
He could tell by the way Gabe was biting his lip that he was trying not to laugh. Jeff didn’t think Gabe would mind Jeff’s poking, not at all. However, he knew it would be torture to have Gabe shirtless on his worktable while Kayla and Trixie looked on.
