My Sweet Escape: A Touched by an Angel Novel

by Roselynn Reyes

  I quickly got to my feet and looked back at Angel, who was aiming with his automatic ready to fire. “Go!”

  I stared at him but began running as soon as I heard the gunshots. My body felt like it couldn’t function any longer. It sounded as if a thousand firecrackers were exploding behind me. I didn’t know where I was going, I just ran. I thought about Angel. With all those gunshots there was no way he was still alive. I took a hard right into a small alley and began to sprint up some stairs. There were clothes hanging from strings in the alleyway, which made it harder for me to see if there was anyone standing in front of me. I smacked them out of the way and took the steps two at a time.

  Then I remembered something. I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around to see Angel running as fast as he could so he could catch up to me. There were about six or so terrorists behind Angel, following us.

  I turned right again as another man wearing long robes tried to cut me with a machete. I ducked as it clinked on the cement wall and Angel shot him down. I jumped over him and began to run again. We kept running until we made it to an outdoor market. There were people everywhere. The outdoor market was huge. There were dozens of small little huts built with cloth and sticks, just enough to provide shade from the broiling sun.

  Women were walking around with large containers in their heads. Some women were covered from head to toe in black, looking both mysterious and breathtakingly beautiful with only their eyes exposed.

  We dodged everyone in our way and ran away from the men who were trying to kill me. We passed thousands of onlookers for what seemed like hours. Their faces were grim and emotionless as they saw us running for our lives. As soon as I saw an opening in the outside market, I made a hard right into another alley; this one was a dead end. Angel was right next to me and ran towards the wooden door at the corner bolted with wooden sticks. He kicked it in and we entered an abandoned shop with cobwebs all over the place.

  He closed the door and peeked through a small opening in the door, automatic in hand. I closed my eyes and leaned against the dirty wall, letting my feet lose all their strength and collapsing on the floor, a deep breath escaping my lips. I removed the duffle bag and my shoulders screamed with pain.

  After a few long minutes, Angel sighed and came to sit next to me saying, “I think they kept running. But we need to stay here for a few hours to make sure there isn’t anyone around. We’ll move after sundown.”

  I just looked at him overwhelmed by everything that had been going on. I had nothing to say. I looked the other way and decided to explore the space we had here. I walked towards the front of the store where large store windows once stood and saw that there were giant roaches running to hide from us. About two months ago, this would have made me scream like a spoiled girl. But the last few months, roaches and rats were the only living things that weren’t trying to harm me. This place was absolutely deserted; the only things here were broken glass and lots of dust everywhere.

  “I lost my earpiece,” I heard him say. I walked back and sat on the floor next to him. “I have no way of reporting to my Captain now.” He had his head down as if he’d just failed the whole mission.

  “We can do this on our own.” He looked at me as if I was crazy. “Whose idea was it to name me ‘The Ruby’ anyways?” I asked, looking at him.

  “Your father’s. Your favorite stone is the ruby, so he thought it was a great name.” Of course, I couldn’t even remember the things I love. Could you blame me though?

  “How old are you?” I asked curiously.

  He looked at me and removed both straps from his thighs, guns clanging hard on the floor. “Twenty-four.”

  I couldn’t hide my astonishment, “That’s it?”

  “Yeah, that’s it.” He gave me an aggravated look.

  “Are you always this smug?” I asked, keeping eye contact.

  He gave me a shocked face with wide eyes. He opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Finally, he gave me a half smile, exposing the dimple on his right cheek. “No. Not always.”

  I looked down and mumbled, “I was beginning to worry.” I saw him roll his eyes with annoyance. I began to play with the dust on the floor. “So what’s your family like?”

  I saw his jaw clench before he looked away. “I don’t have a family.”

  “I’m sorry. I was just wondering where you got your eyes from.” But he ignored my comment.

  I looked at him, not willing to push him further, so I just dropped the interrogation. This was getting too personal. And I didn’t want to get into detail. But surprisingly he continued, “I lived at an orphanage in Delaware until I was fifteen. I graduated from high school at that age and got emancipated so I could join the Navy. I wanted to have the family that I never had. And I do.”

  I couldn’t hide my curiosity, so I continued, “But don’t you want to search for your biological parents? At least to get some answers? You have the power to have someone help you find them.”

  “No,” he answered sternly. “They didn’t want me. So why should I waste my time with their presence?”

  I could see that this conversation was agitating him, so I dropped it. For the first time he sounded completely immature. So I changed the subject out of curiosity. “What about a special someone waiting for you at home?”

  This time he looked at me and pierced me with his eyes. “Nah.” He smiled his charming smile and looked as if he was reliving a memory. “A few here and there, but nothing serious.” He touched the tip of my nose with his fingertip and looked towards the door before he walked towards it.

  A few here and there? Dangerous as I suspected. But I wouldn’t blame any female who fell for him because he’s gorgeous.

  I looked at the guns on the floor. I picked one up to examine it more closely. The gun was heavier than I anticipated, and I dropped it by mistake, making an extremely loud thump in the quiet room. I quickly covered my ears because I thought it was going to fire. Angel turned around and looked at me. I dropped my eyes to the floor to avoid his.

  He didn’t say anything, so I looked back at him. His back was towards me again. His black army pants fit his physique perfectly. His small waist and broad shoulders could not hide underneath his tight black shirt.

  “So what are we going to do now?”

  He was silent for a while, so I assumed that he was ignoring my question. “I don’t know. But we need to get away from Afghanistan or the attacks will never end,” he finally answered.

  He turned around and looked towards me. “Something’s not right here. No offense, but usually terrorists won’t go through so much trouble to get a hostage back once they’ve escaped.” He examined his fingernails through the gloves as he thought. Then he took out his combat knife and began cleaning his fingernails with it. Seriously? “Unless there’s something extremely important about that person.” He studied me intensely as he brainstormed. I felt like a science experiment as I looked at him.

  He walked towards me, slid down to the floor and closed his eyes again. So this was how I’d spend my twenty-first birthday. Instead of going to a club and getting drunk, I’d be touring the Middle East.

  I began to remember some things. I was in Italy on a summer vacation before I entered my senior year at NYU for forensic psychology. My friend Hunter and I decided to get away from everyone and spend my birthday in an unknown location; unknown to all of our friends, at any rate. Our parents knew very well where we were. The last thing I remember was leaving the hotel with my camera in one hand and holding Hunter’s hand with the other. I didn’t even know if she was okay and safely back home. I was sure she was though. She was probably the person who called my father to report me missing. Hunter is a smart girl.

  I looked at Angel as he closed those beautiful eyes. “I don’t know where I got my eyes from. My mother’s eyes are brown and I never met my father.”

  He didn’t even open them for me to look at. And he must still be thinking about what I’d said to him. I
must have brought up some old memories.

  He opened his eyes and I looked straight at him while he was examining my face. I looked into his most beautiful feature, his eyes. The feature that reminded him everyday how alone he was in this world. He might have many beautiful women around, but he doesn’t have anyone who honestly cares about him. That was when I realized that I wasn’t the only person suffering because of my parents’ poor decisions. Angel suffered too.

  Chapter 4

  As everything slowly began to surface, I wished it wouldn’t. One thing about oblivion is the beauty of not remembering the bad things in life. If only I could remember just the beautiful times of my life, not the bad ones…

  After a few short hours of daydreaming, Angel tapped me on the shoulder, bringing me back to reality. I looked up to his face and he said to me, “The sun is beginning to set. We should move.”

  He pushed the door open and the alley was quiet, the only thing that could be heard was an eerie calm wind. We walked back to the outdoor market only to find a long deserted alley. I had no clue what we were planning to do now. It’s not as if we could walk all the way to India. Especially because we didn’t necessarily blend-in; we’re both clearly Americans. Angel was walking around with ammunition all over his body, looking as if he was going to start a war here in Afghanistan. In a way, he kind of was. And I was walking around barefoot with cuts and bruises all over my body. We were clearly calling attention to ourselves.

  I tried to keep up with his steady pace, but my body felt worn out. I’d rested enough today, but I just didn’t feel right, and I was hungry. Beads of sweat began to tickle my forehead.

  We’d been walking down the quiet alley for twenty minutes. The only thing we were able to hear was our footsteps and the wind. I began to walk slower; my body was beginning to give up. Angel didn’t realize that I was lagging behind.

  Suddenly, everything became foggy around me. I couldn’t see past a few feet ahead of me. I began to wobble, so I shook my head a little to stay focused. I’m so cold, I thought to myself. I ran my hand over my forehead and it was covered in sweat.

  “Angel,” I was able to breathe without passing out.

  “What!” He turned around, a little frustrated because I was slowing him down. But as soon as he saw my face he caught me before I went down. My body began to tingle and my vision went black for a little bit. I couldn’t hear Angel saying my name.

  “Samantha! Say something to me.”

  I looked up to him and a tear escaped my eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  He felt my face. “Shit! You’re burning up.”

  He picked me up and began walking the rest of the way with me in his arms, along with the duffel bag already on his back. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled deeply. He didn’t sound tired. His heart wasn’t racing. I’d never felt more comfortable in anyone else’s arms. I felt protected. The world couldn’t get me; as long as I was in his arms, I was safe. His arms tightened around me and I looked up to see his face.

  He looked straight ahead, with no emotion on his face. I was only inches away from his lips. And I just stared. I brought my shaky fingers up to them and brushed them against his lips. They were as soft as feathers. Is that how they’d feel if I kissed them? Would he take my breath away?

  He looked down at me and I gave him a weak smile. I just rested my face on his cheek and closed my eyes. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep.

  I woke up the next evening feeling like I was run over by a tractor-trailer. My entire body was in worse pain than when I was held captive. My head felt like there were hundreds of people inside playing the drums.

  “Mmmm.” I couldn’t say anything more. I was shivering. I was cold. My teeth began to chatter. “Ahhhhhh.”

  “Hey,” I heard the sweetest voice say.

  I opened my eyes and he was sitting next to me drinking something warm. He was wearing shorts and nothing else. As if he wanted me to pass out again. He leaned forward and felt my face.

  “You have a fever. We need to stay here another few nights so you can rest.” He pointed at the bag on the wall. “Don’t pull it out this time. You’re very dehydrated.”

  I looked around the room. The room was small, with a queen-sized bed that I was laying on. There were no couches, just a TV stand with an old TV on it. The four walls were painted in orange, and the bed sheets were a soft blue.

  “Do you want to try some warm soup?” he said, getting up.

  I looked over to him and I couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying. He was just beautiful. He looked tired, but that doesn’t hide the perfection that he had been gifted with. Me as well since I got to look at this man in front of me.

  I nodded and he walked towards the warm cup on the corner. He brought it back to me and I began to drink it quietly while he pulled a shirt over his head. Thank god. The soup tasted good. But my stomach was doing flip-flops so I decided not to finish it. He saw me just staring at it so he took it away and finished it himself.

  He folded his arms and said, “Try to rest. You fever needs to break.”

  I lay back down and pulled the covers up to my chin. “Aren’t those guys around still?”

  He didn’t understand what I meant at first. “They probably think that we’re far from here. We should be. But I can’t force you too much, knowing that you’ve already passed out on me.”

  He began to say something else to me but I was falling asleep. “Don’t leave me,” I said, pulling my arm out and reaching out for his. “I’m scared.”

  I heard him sigh while he walked around the bed. Then I felt him sit on the bed. I looked over at him and he sat back on the bed with his eyes closed. He took my hand and I closed my eyes once more.

  I woke up the next evening confused and a little scared. I didn’t know what was going on and I felt lost. My throat was burning and I was more exhausted than the night before. I spread my arms around looking for Angel, but he was sitting on the floor, staring out the window.

  “Angel,” I said, on the verge of tears.

  He walked over to me and sat on the bed. “Are you okay?”

  I looked down at his hands and began to cry. I didn’t know exactly why I was crying, but I felt emotional. He wiped my tears away. “We’ll be away from all of this real soon. I promise.”

  I looked up to him and he smiled. I mean, he actually looked sincere.

  “Let me pull the IV out so you can shower and freshen up.”

  He got up and set out everything I needed for the shower. He also pulled some gauze and tape and removed my IV. He walked around and helped me out of bed. I was a little wobbly and my legs felt like I’d run a marathon. But other than that, I was able to walk fine into the bathroom.

  I grabbed a few inches of dental floss while the hot water filled the tub and spent about ten minutes trying to remove as much dirt as I could, followed by brushing and washing my face, letting my hidden tears stream down now that I was alone. Once the tub was full of steamy water, I removed my clothes and unbraided my hair before sinking inside the tub. The hot water felt like multiple stabs wherever I had a bruise. But once I got used to it, my body became numb to all the pain that those men have caused me these last few months. I immersed my body completely in the water and closed my eyes. When I was feeling dizzy and couldn’t hold my breath any longer I came back up coughing and gasping for air.

  I sunk back into the hot water and washed my long blonde hair, trying to untangle as much as I could with the small comb. I cleaned as much as possible, closed my eyes and began to cry again, letting the tears mingle with the water. I cried for what seemed like hours, feeling the pain of the abuse that I’d gone through. I must have gotten tired somehow because I closed my eyes and dozed off into a quick nap.

  I woke up again when Angel knocked on my door softly. “Are you okay?”

  I splashed water in my face before I answered, “I’ll be right out.” The water was cold, so I must have slept for a while.

  I finished
my necessities and dried off with a small towel. I looked at my face in the long mirror for the first time in months. My face looked pale instead of burned from the intense sun. My body was swollen and purple in more places than I’d thought possible. The wounds on my wrists and ankles looked better. But looking back at my face, the swelling on my right eye had gone down a little, though it was purple all the way around the rim. My lip was busted, but the swelling there was also down. My eyes were red, and I had dark circles around them, either from the lack of sleep, the crying, or the lack of food and nutrition. My neck looked better, though it was still purple. My back looked horrible. I would have deep ugly scars for the rest of my life. I wrapped the small towel around my body and covered as much of my bruises as possible.

  When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw Angel sitting on the floor by the window, with all of his guns scattered around in pieces. He was holding a dirty rag, cleaning each piece meticulously. He would turn a piece this way and that way, making sure all the angles were shiny. He heard my footsteps and looked up at me. His blue eyes traced my body from head to toe, looking pained for a reason I couldn’t understand.

  He looked away and got up from the floor. “I’m going to shower,” he stated and walked into the bathroom without another word.

  I looked again at his clutter and turned towards the duffle bag. I spread the clothes I’d washed in the bathroom on the floor and pulled out one of his tank top and a pair of underwear he must have gotten me in a market. They were a little tight and very uncomfortable. But at least I had some to wear. I climbed into bed and sighed heavily because the bed was extremely comfortable.