My Sweet Escape: A Touched by an Angel Novel

by Roselynn Reyes

  He laughed and said, “I’m not part of Turkey’s tourist spots. I’m Irish.”

  “You are?” I asked, afraid of demolishing his mood completely.

  “Yeah, my father was American, but my mom is Irish. That’s about everything I wanted to find out about my past.”

  I turned off the camera and looked at him. “You’re a bit more cheerful than usual.”

  He glanced at me quickly before turning back to the road, a hint of joy still in his face. “I was trying to keep professional this whole time, but it’s impossible when we’ve gone through this much together. Besides, it’s very difficult to ignore you when you talk so much.”

  I rolled my eyes and stared out the window. He was right though. I do talk a lot. I didn’t know anything about his life, but I hadn’t gone through anything this tough since my mother died. And when she did, I experienced that on my own. My father avoided the conversation of her death, which made it harder for me to deal with. Going through so many different emotions with Angel had brought me closer to him. He’d been my shoulder to cry on from the very beginning. And I felt really bad about the way I treated him yesterday.

  “Angel,” I said, loving the way his name sounded on my lips. He looked over at me. “I’m sorry I was mean to you yesterday. I mean like down at the street and then again when I woke up.”

  He looked at me quickly before turning back to the road. “I was being inconsiderate with you as well. I need to remind myself about everything that you went through and not let my arrogance take over.” It wasn’t exactly an apology, but for Angel, it was the closest thing to it.

  “But I need to keep in mind that you are the one person who came for me when everyone else turned their backs on the mission. I mean I know it wasn’t what you preferred to do. But I want to thank you for taking the job when nobody else would.”

  He smiled at me with warm eyes. “I was not going to let you die like that, the way I found you back there. I’ve been in war, and many of my friends died out here, not able to say goodbye to anyone, it can destroy you.”

  He had a point. Many people died in the Iraq War every day. I couldn’t imagine receiving a family member in a coffin with an American flag covering it. That isn’t something nobody person should receive as if it was some sort of UPS delivery.

  “So is Angel your real name or is it just like a code name like mine?”

  He laughed a little at my code name remark. “No, it’s not a code name, it’s my birth name. Black Angel is my code name as you call it,” he responded, gripping the wheel with one hand and taking hold of mine with another.

  I look down at our entwined hands and then back at him. This was where the line was being crossed. I mean, there was no doubt that Angel was mouthwateringly hot, and he could leave me speechless with just one stare of those intense eyes. And the kiss back at the hotel almost sent me into a coma because it was just that damn good. But I’d thought that he was just doing it to get me back to reality. Was he? Because he was leaning in a second time before he was interrupted. What would have happened if we weren’t interrupted? How far would I have gone? How far would he have gone?

  But now he wasn’t holding my hand for moral support, or to help me in a tough situation; he was holding my hand because, well, I don’t know why. That’s why I felt that he was crossing the line, because this is where confusion comes in. Maybe approaching him about it wasn’t a bad idea.

  “Okay, so don’t feel weird about this, but why are you holding my hand?” I looked straight at his tired eyes.

  He looked over at me and blinked a few times. “Um, I don’t know. Why am I holding your hand?” he questioned himself in wonder. But when I thought I’d ruined it and he was going to remove his grip from mine, he just held me tighter and drove silently for a few minutes.

  I didn’t even realize that he was stopping until he turned the truck off. I looked out the window to see the most beautiful view I have ever seen. The mountain we were standing on was pure green, and the buildings before us were a mixture of ancient and modern. Indian and Greek. It was an amazing clash of culture. “Where are we?”

  He got out the car and waited for me, “We’re in Adana, Turkey. It is the fourth largest city in Turkey.”

  I walked up next to him and he held my hand again. I looked down at it and then up at his eyes. He just smiled before he pulled me towards the view in front of us. We drove for hours. Much of it reminded me of Greece and their arenas. Another building reminded me of the Taj Mahal in India. Turkey was a mixture of all its surrounding countries, and that made it beautiful.

  I looked at him most of the time while he was teaching the history. He looked confidant and assured that all his facts were correct. Everything around us had history written all over it. We drove for another hour around the city until my body ached from sitting in the small cabin, so we headed back to the border, or so I thought. But somehow, we ended up crossing the Greek border.

  Angel turned towards me, stroking my cheek, leaving it red when he let go. “I don’t know if you noticed, but your face is almost healed.”

  Of course I hadn’t noticed. My face was the last thing I had been worried about. Back home, this would have been my number one priority. I looked in the rearview mirror. He was right. The swelling in my right eye was completely down, along with my lip. It was as if it had never happened. The marks were gone, but the memories would be there forever. However, the marks on my neck were still there, looking as if they might never heal.

  After hours of driving and sightseeing in Greece, I asked Angel to stop by the garden where Hunter died, in Kavala. I snapped pictures of all the statues, in the same order we did that dreadful day, leaving the fountain of Zeus for last. Angel stayed behind and watched me from a distance, giving me space. I could hear her laughter through the statues. I even thought I saw her running though the park, black hair flowing around as she ran, light blue dress flowing with the cool wind. I smiled at myself. Memories of her were the only things that would keep me going and living the life she wanted me to live. I let tears flow, because they were the only things that reminded me of the reality of it all. I picked up a few lilies and walked towards the fountain. I looked down to where she had stood; there wasn’t even a slight indication that it had happened. I placed the flowers down on the ground where she collapsed and walked away. I made it to Angel’s side without looking back.

  “Are you okay?” he asked when I walked up to him.

  I just nodded. He felt my sadness; because he did the one thing that I needed the most. He pulled me close to him and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around his narrow waist, buried my face in his chest, and let the tears flow freely. He didn’t say anything, he just held me, smelling my hair and kissing my forehead. I could get through this, as long as Angel was with me.

  “We should get away from here.”

  He held me by the shoulders and directed me back to the car. This whole day was as if nothing had happened back there in the Middle East. I forgot about everything until we made it to the park. Hours and hours of sightseeing and walking had made me exhausted. We drove in silence for about an hour until we pulled into a small fancy inn called Park Hotel.

  “I thought we would be heading to Egypt?”

  He parked in a corner where the trees would be covering most of the car and killed the engine. He turned to me, his eyes were a little red, and so I immediately knew the answer to my question.

  “I’m a little tired.”

  I looked into his eyes and didn’t argue. This was the first time that I’d seen him looking exhausted.

  “Angel, I have a question.”

  He took a deep breath and turned to me waving his gloved hand, “Ask away.”

  “We passed a few American embassies throughout our time together, including one here in Turkey. Why haven’t we entered one of them and asked for help? I mean, we’re Americans. They would help us in a heartbeat, especially when they figure out I’m a missing person.”

>   He put his head back and pinched his nose for a few long seconds. Then he turned to me. “Samantha, I told you that your father didn’t want to go public with your disappearance. Of course the world knew terrorists captured an ex-lieutenant’s daughter. But they don’t know the motive or the reason. I wondered this myself, but refrained from asking your father that same question. Why? Then we saw his logo on all those guns and ammunitions back there and it got me thinking that your father might have been doing something that he didn’t want the U. S. to find out about. Treason maybe. I don’t know. That’s why he hired me and paid me an unimaginable amount to bring you back alive, and an added bonus when I came back home. It was as if he was trying to buy my silence.”

  I glared at him and became furious. “My father would never betray the Americans. What would be his motive? Why would he do this? How dare you accuse him of this?”

  “I didn’t accuse anyone of anything Samantha, damn it!” He took a deep breath to calm himself down and continued, “All I am saying is that it’s suspicious that I was sent here practically alone to save a girl from men who were trying to kill us with your father’s machinery!”

  I wanted to yell at him some more. But he’d made a few fair points.

  Angel took a deep breath and looked at me with sincere eyes again. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you. I know this is a lot to take in. But we need to stay sane and just take this as it comes. Thinking about all the inconsistencies we have witnessed is just going to make us crazy.”

  Angel was right. For now, I was going to forget about everything involving my father. I need to just concentrate on my escape.

  We got out of the car and walked towards the hotel. The street was quiet with only a few sightseers walking around. The area was simple and timeless.

  The hotel was a beautiful and simple white building at the corner of the street. The inside was decorated with a hint of luxury. There was a small chandelier hanging above the front desk, which was made out of cherry wood. A small sitting area to our right boasted beige leather sofas that matched the walls exactly. Replicas of paintings by DaVinci and other artists were displayed all over the room. The carpet that surrounded the room was a deep red with black designs.

  We walked in and the concierge greeted us immediately. She was striking with long black hair and emerald eyes. She had a beauty mark on the right side of her lip. I stared at it for a while, debating if it was real or fake.

  “Welcome,” she said with no accent at all. She immediately looked at Angel. “How may I help you this evening?”

  “Can we get a room with a queen size bed?”

  She smiled, showing a chipped tooth at the front. “I’m sorry, but we only accept reservations. Did you make one?”

  I sighed and looked at him. He licked his lips and lowered his voice, “We didn’t. But we’ve been sightseeing all afternoon and I completely forgot about making reservations.”

  She looked down and began clicking away in her computer. She looked up again and saw that I was looking a little ragged and Angel had weapons all over, but was wearing his dog tags. “You’re in luck; we have a small room with a kitchen that might work for you two.”

  I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. “Thank you so much.”

  She smiled and handed us the keys. “No, problem. Enjoy your stay.”

  She handed Angel the key and we took the elevator to the second floor, which continued the same decoration as the main lobby. “I think we would have gotten the room without your extra flirting. I saw her slip her number in your hand.” I pulled the paper from the pocket where he’d slipped the number. “We don’t accept international calls back home, sorry.”

  “Are you jealous? Because you know I can’t help it when women flirt with such a handsome man,” he teased with a combination of a sneer and a laugh.

  I looked at him and smiled confidently. “Why would I be jealous? We’re not a couple,” I retorted and continued to walk towards our room as I heard him laugh lightly.

  Once we made it to room twenty-five, he unlocked the door and stepped aside. I gasped in surprise because everything was white. The bed sheets, the curtains, the carpet, even the coffeepot and the microwave in the small kitchen.

  Angel walked in first and dropped the duffle bag on the floor and turned towards me, “So, are you going to just stand there all night?”

  I just looked at him and gave him a smirk before I walked towards the bed and sat down. He sat down next to me and gave me an arrogant smile. I answered, “You don’t have to get smart with me.”

  He snorted but continued to stare at me.

  “Thank you for trying to make me feel better. Thank you for today.”

  “My pleasure,” was all he responded.

  He looked down at me and all his amusement faded away, just the pool of blue eyes and clear translucent skin looked before me. I looked away. I had to. His look was intimidating; I didn’t understand how any woman could just stare at his eyes and not feel self-conscious.

  I got up and decided to hit the shower without looking back at Angel. I dug through the duffle bag and gathered everything I needed before closing the bathroom door behind me. The bathroom was just as beautiful. The room was also white, but the faucet on the sink and on the shower was gold. There was a painting of a sunset, mimicking the golden tints in the room. I ran the steamy hot water and jumped in quickly. I closed my eyes and let the hot water stream down my face.

  Hunter. The person I needed the most was not with me anymore. Just thinking about going home and meeting up with her would excite me right now. Instead I would be going home to an empty dorm. My father was going to go back to run his company and hide behind his desk. My stepmother-to-be has probably convinced my father to let her move into our home before their marriage in September. I had it all planned out. I was going to avoid her until their stupid wedding, then get an apartment in the city with Hunter once we graduated college. That way, I didn’t need to spend one day in that house with her.

  But that wasn’t going to happen anymore. Hunter was gone. I hadn’t even attended her funeral. Did they choose her favorite flowers? Tulips. Did they dress her in one of her favorite outfits? Her floral cocktail dress with her yellow pumps? Instead of crying with depression or sorrow, I was crying from anger. I had always trusted my instincts, but that time I tried to ignore it so we could have a good vacation. I should have dragged her out of there even if she’d hated me for it. I shook my head and finished my shower. I needed to concentrate on getting out of here alive. This war wasn’t over. These men wanted my father to suffer. I wanted him to pay for Hunter’s death.

  And there were still many unanswered questions. I felt like these terrorists were after something deeper besides my father’s money and me. There was something missing and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Why were they still chasing us? What did they want from me in particular? Could it be that my father was selling his merchandise to terrorists after all? I would get some of my answers once we headed back to the campsite. I never get a chance to brainstorm like this and I kind of liked it better when I didn’t. All these unanswered questions were annoying me. I hated to be left in the dark.

  Frustrated, I turned off the shower and dried off. I put on the shirt and walked out of the bathroom. Angel was hunched over on the kitchen table. He turned to face me and smiled. His eyes were dark. He was definitely tired.

  He moved out of the way so I could look at the table. “I got us some garden salad, macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, and garlic bread. I know, weird combination, but I tried to choose only what would seem normal to you.”

  Still shocked from all of the food, I walked towards the dinner table and sat down. He smiled and said, “Start eating, I need a shower,” and walked into the bathroom.

  I decided to wait for him so I turned on the TV. There was news on the war in Iraq, so I quickly changed it to a movie with Jennifer Aniston in it, I didn’t know which one. In the meanwhile, I microwaved some of the stuff so i
t wouldn’t get too cold.

  The man grabbed me by the hair and dunked my head completely into the large bucket of water. At first I would hold my breath long enough for him to bring me back up and laugh in my face. But then he realized my strategy. With his other hand, he punched me in the ribs, knocking the wind out of me. I was surprised that my ribs weren’t broken.

  ‘WHERE IS IT?” He screamed in broken English. I had no clue what he was talking about.

  This time when I went under, I swallowed water. He brought me back up and I coughed convulsively. He punched me one more time on the lip and let go of me.

  I sat stiffly on the white leather chair, trying to get a hold on myself. I shook my head and looked around. Everything was white. I wasn’t in the shack anymore. I was in a safe place. That wasn’t real. Those were just old memories resurfacing. I took a few deep breaths as I tried to regain control of my body.

  Angel walked out of the bathroom with a change of clothes. He came to the dinner table and sat down. He looked at me briefly as if he was going to say something, but then turned towards the door to make sure it was still locked. We began to eat in silence. I stuffed my face with as much food as I could eat. The salad was delicious and I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had macaroni and cheese. The food was so yummy that I forgot about what just happened a few minutes ago. Angel looked up at me and laughed. But he didn’t distract me. I put the macaroni and cheese in my mouth and closed my eyes so I could savor every taste in it. It didn’t taste like the ones back home, but it was good enough to indulge.

  Once I was done with my meal, I felt extremely exhausted and sleepy. I closed my eyes and moaned with gratitude. I felt his cool hand slip underneath mine and he gave me a quick squeeze. I opened my eyes and he pulled me to a standing position next to him. He wrapped his fingers around mine and pulled me closer.

  He looked into my eyes and said, “Let’s take a walk on the beach.”

  I just looked at him and nodded. I was afraid that if I tried to say something my voice would fail me, or worse, squeak like a mouse’s. I was already nervous just from looking at him, so I let him pull me away. He pulled me out the hotel room and we exited through the back emergency doors. He let go of my hand and we crossed the semi busy street to meet the sand on the other side. I kicked off my sandals and we slowly walked towards the shoreline. We didn’t say anything to each other. I just sat down and looked out at the ocean. Angel came up and sat next to me. I lay back on the ground, not caring about getting sand in my wet hair.