“You, you old goat,” Paloma said once she was able to get her laughter under control. “You don’t have to stay with us. One of our rentals is open, and the two of you could stay there,” she said, looking to Edward for confirmation.
He shrugged.
Apparently, Kristof had more going on than he knew about, and this turn of events might prove a bigger blessing than he would have thought.
“You call her back… tell her you have a place to live that’s outside our home. And you get on the phone with the airport and you make arrangements for her to come. After all these years, don’t let something like that stop you from happiness,” Paloma told the man as she moved closer to him.
And then, for the first time since he’d moved in, Paloma did something that surprised even Edward.
“You need to stop making excuses; that’s what you’ve been doing all these years; you’ve made excuse after excuse to keep from allowing someone who loves you into your heart, and it’s time to just stop,” she scolded. “So just stop. I know it’s a hard habit, but look where it’s gotten you. Sick and tired and alone, when you could be living your life with someone you care for. Someone that you well know loves you, and who would do anything for you. Even things that might hurt at the time, like setting space between the two of you until you come to your senses, you old goat,” she concluded, seeming glad to be able to call him something other than Kristof or guest.
And Edward smiled.
Old goat certainly fit, and whatever this was about, he’d stay out of it until he had to.
“Does this mean Mr. Sage is moving out,” Cherish wanted to know, speaking before a stunned Kristof Sage could reply.
“It means he’s moving out, getting married, still going with us to Israel, and moving into the plex your Papa and I lived in when we were first married, since it is now available,” Paloma said decisively as she picked up the glass that was still in front of her on the table, and then reached for the pitcher, half-full of orange juice.
“Good, ‘cause he’s getting to be a real pain,” Duncan said loud enough for Edward to hear him, and Chosen and Cherish nodded. “Even if he does go to Israel, at least he won’t be living here no more.”
And with that, Edward sighed, stood, and glanced at Kristof, who had turned pale. In his lap, Confetti was taking a bath, and Kristof was absentmindedly petting her scruff.
“Well,” the man said. “I guess it’s all settled, then. Boys, have your party on your birthday; I’ll go call Ruth and beg her forgiveness, tell her about all of this, and pray she will still marry me. And I’ll prepare to move out, either way.”
Edward watched the play of emotions on Kristof’s face even as the boys cheered and Paloma frowned, and then, in silence, made his way to the sink to wash his hands.
What had just happened?
And how would it affect everything else that had been planned?
Six
Jerusalem, Israel… July 2 2025
Chayyim Harel and Chesed Kravitz made their way toward the Western Wall, as was their custom each morning since the pair had come to Earth. As Ezer and Elihu, their primary jobs had been protection and praise; here, their post was as prayer warriors of another sort, altogether.
Chesed readjusted his kippah, taking a moment to wipe away some of the sweat that was beginning to form under the rim of it, and then made sure his tallit – or prayer shawl – was not askew.
“Your gartel is crooked,” Chayyim told him quietly, and Chesed nodded, doing his best to readjust the string-made belt, despite the fringe from his tzitzi and tallit.
How people could wear so much when it was hot astounded him, and he whispered a prayer of thanksgiving God had created him an angel to begin with, and not a man. Living like this all the time would surely wear on him, would it not?
He looked over Chayyim, who was not always so fastidious about his appearance, and chuckled low as they made their way through the crowd. “Your kippah looks like it was just pulled from the laundry; all wrinkled. you should have ironed it or something,” he murmured.
“Too late for it today,” his friend and fellow angel replied as they finally reached the wall.
For several moments, they stood in silence, and thought of what to write on the slips of paper they’d brought with them to place in the cracks of the wall. Chesed lowered his head, and sensed Chayyim do the same nearby, along with many other men who had come to the wall for similar purposes. And as he prayed, he began to gain an impression in his mind that only the Great I Am could give, and he wrote down in haste what he sensed the prayer should be; in five words, his prayer was complete: Safe arrival without more hindrances.
He rolled the paper and then creased it where the roll lines were, then folded the prayer up into a tiny square, looking for somewhere close by to put it.
The sense in the air was one of excitement, and yet of nerves and sadness and grace all rolled into one. Chesed spotted some room near Chayyim’s feet and, pardoning himself, made sure his prayer was firmly planted, then watched as Chayyim followed suit, his prayer placed by its side.
And then, saying one more silent prayer, he waited for Chayyim to turn around with him and they made their way through the crowd again to head toward the café they had often spent their days at getting to know others and praying for them. In silence, they walked the several blocks to their destination.
As they went, Chesed’s mind raced with possibilities of what was happening in the United States, and why there might be things getting in the way or blocking God’s will from taking place.
Whatever the hindrances were, he knew, God could remove and bring resolve. Of this, he was certain. God was always ready, willing, and able to help move things forward for His children.
Yet, Chesed also knew that people, stubborn as they are, must be willing to allow those hindrances, those obstacles to fall away. Too many times, people clung to them instead of letting them go. And it was time to let go.
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit… He was calling for the letting go and Chesed, for one, was praying that whatever it was would be removed as far as east was from west, just as the Godhead promised for sins.
May whatever is keeping Your will from occurring… whatever is still holding things back from progressing, O God, be removed. Tarry none to do this, but in Your good timing, make a way through every challenge and come, be victorious over their situation, in the name of the Son Jesus the Christ I pray, he thought within himself as they approached the café. For Your glory, now and always, amen and amen.
Sighing, he swung open the glass door of the café and let Chayyim proceed him into the little building. And then, moving to get in line to order sandwiches, he shook his thoughts away.
No good worrying like a human; it wouldn’t help him or the group they were waiting for. All he could do was pray, and fast if he must, and trust the Godhead to move.
For move, He would.
Seven
Seal Beach, California… July 2, 2025
Brice lumbered away from Felix and Jasmine Jenkins’ place, staring across the street to where the Fergusons had lived.
He missed having Romeo, Calico, and little Angus around. How he got stuck with Calico’s brother and sister-in-law, who were a mite of a mess, he’d never know for sure, but just that they were his responsibility rankled him.
He slammed his fist against the side of his vehicle, only to shake it due to the throbbing pain it caused. When he’d calmed himself, he slide into the driver’s seat.
Felix and Jasmine Jenkins’ stunt to go in search of the little family they’d tracked to California, thinking they wanted to be found, was too much. Even before all of this, they had sent a decoy to track Calico – who they knew as Rosemary – down, had threatened Portland-area residents who had known her, and then, finally, somehow located her under her new name. Then, they had moved in across the street from her without a word. And they’d been bold enough to do so under their own names. They hadn’t even
tried to hide what they were doing. They were brazen about it; stupid.
Didn’t they realize that if Calico had wanted to have them as neighbors – had wanted them in her life at all – she would have contacted them herself? They wouldn’t have needed to track her down, using money they didn’t really have in order to do so.
For Brice, it added all the more to his stress and responsibility now. In order to make sure that the pair didn’t leak information to those around them about HUVA, it was his responsibility to make sure someone was close by at all times. And if he were honest with himself, it vexed him tremendously.
None of them could well afford HUVA to become known to the general populace. Yet, the Jenkins’ most recent stunt had made it all the more clear that it was possible…
Brice didn’t care about all the excuses the pair had just made to him about why they’d tried to track Calico, Romeo, and Angus back down. He didn’t care about their fiscal woes, which they’d accused HUVA of complicating all the more by moving the Fergusons out of their reach again.
He didn’t care that they’d gotten themselves stuck in Denver and, poor souls, had to work in order make ends meet. He did, however, care that they told the people in Denver and the towns that surrounded it that they were on vacation even while inquiring about HUVA, with specificity. And that jeopardized their mission and covert operation.
He was thankful that Justice had been smart enough to create a few false trails in the event that the pair attempted to follow the Fergusons. From the time they’d tracked Calico down the first time, with their decoy, it had become apparent that the couple was doing their best to make things difficult. And Justice had verified the couples’ intent to tail the Fergusons by tracking their whereabouts for the first three days after they’d disappeared. After that, they had apparently switched to cask.
Had they found the true destination of the family in HUVA protection, who knows what could have happened?
Brice shuddered at the thought.
Felix and Jasmine hadn’t spoken word to Calico, or to Romeo when they moved in across the street, so what did that make them? How much of a threat did they pose? Were they dangerous, or just kooks? And why had they tried, once more, to follow the family, putting themselves in further debt and risking the possibility of a trespass order that HUVA really didn’t want to pose in court? It would expose HUVA, as well as those in their protection.
Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins had apparently done their best to find out where the Fergusons had moved before going in search of them again, but they had to know that the little family moved to get away. What reason did they create in their stubborn minds that the Fergusons wanted to be found?
Especially by them.
There was a reason the Hollywood Underground Victims Assistance program had moved Romeo, Calico, and Angus to Mississippi. And though they were no longer there due of weather concerns and better placement in St. Louis, the other family’s move had unhinged Jasmine Jenkins so much she had gone bonkers on her husband.
Why Felix hadn’t just walked away at that point and refused to go along with her idea to search the country to every city she thought plausible was beyond him. And who knew how long they’d have been at it if they’d had more money? If HUVA hadn’t intervened before they’d found a way to the next place next place to interrupt their operation in their search for the Fergusons?
Sighing, Brice turned on the engine and it roared to life. He put his head down on the steering wheel as the hot sun beat down on him.
Would he ever understand why people do such desperate things? Why couldn’t they just leave the family in peace, and therefore leave HUVA in peace?
There was a reason it was underground: that meant they didn’t associate with the people in their old lives unless those people happened to work for HUVA themselves, and even then, it was generally minimal contact.
And that had been rare; when Rosemary came and became Calico, she had known but had not seen the Morrison brothers in years; at least, not in the years that counted. For her, it had been days, but for Justice and Keith, it had been years of tears and frustration and prayer for her safe return.
The buzzing of Brice’s phone startled him, and he lifted his head quickly, pulling the phone from his pocket and reading the descriptor before he answered: speaking of Romeo Ferguson, he thought as he told the phone to answer and set it into the phone holder so he could back out into the road.
“Hey, I was just thinking of you guys,” he said by way of greeting. “Just leaving Felix and Jasmine’s place; how can I help you?”
“Wait, what?”
“Oh, Jasmine wanted to try to explain things and today was the first time we all had an hour or two to spare; more like five hours, and I’m late to the hotel now,” he said, turning west to head back where he belonged.
He could hear Calico sigh in the background, out of the line of sight of the holoscreen and forced himself not to sigh in return. “Tell me about it,” he continued. “You weren’t kidding; that pair sure are something.”
“Well,” she said as she moved into view for a moment, “I could have told you that, but… anyway, I’ll let you two get to your call,” she continued, waving as she moved back out of sight.
Brice pulled away from the stoplight and turned toward the outskirts of the city as Romeo got back on the phone.
“I was actually calling to let you know we’ve made a new acquaintance here that might need some checking up on,” Romeo said. “Seems like a great guy, and seems legit, but we found him talking with Angus at the park the other day. Says he’s from Walla Walla, Washington and in the childcare business. This is his card,” the man continued, holding something up that Brice couldn’t read in his peripheral vision.
“Just give me a second. I’m almost to the hotel, and I’ll write it down, unless you want to email me the details,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as irritated as he felt. “We have a client here that’s just… unbelievable, and I have a feeling something’s up we don’t know about, so we’re trying to double cover.”
“Understood,” his friend and former worker told him, nodding. “I’ll send the details off to you; just get it to Justice when you get a chance, if you would. I seem to have lost his number in the move.”
“Not a problem; email it to both of us with something stating what happened, and we’ll get right on it, even if we have to send someone to Walla Walla to do it, alright?”
“Thanks, man, I really appreciate it,” Romeo said, a smile lightening his face as Brice pulled into a parking spot at the hotel and picked the phone back up. “Like I said, I think the guy’s legit, but these days, and with everything else….”
“Yep, you never know,” Brice said, nodding. “Believe me, I get it after all the Jenkins couple and our new client have been doing lately. I’ll call Justice when we’re off of this thing,” he said as he got out of the truck and made sure it was locked. “It might be a few days, but it’ll be taken care of.”
“Thanks, again. Nothing against the HUVA team here, we just don’t really know them well enough to….”
Romeo’s words died again, and Brice nodded once more, moving toward the double doors of the hotel.
“Understood,” he said, then pressed his thumb toward the center of the holographic image of his friend to turn the phone off. “Call Justice Morrison, Andromeda number,” he said quietly into the device. “Screen off.”
The phone found the number and dialed, and kept the holoscreen from popping up. After five rings, he heard Justice’s voicemail, and he left a quick message with the situation, doing his best to keep his voice down as he strode toward the elevators.
“Even if you have to go out to Walla Walla yourself,” he concluded, “this is a priority. Romeo will email the man’s name to you within the day.”
And with that, he pressed 5 for the floor he needed, hung up the phone, and waited.
Malcolm Ridley moved toward Brice and Melody Marshall’s home, praying silently about
what he should say. As Hevel, he could have made a flashier entrance, but as short, nerdy, limping Malcolm – a man who liked tartan suits year-round and wore a bad wavy blonde comb over - he knew that, without the Godhead’s intervention, the couple and their daughter would not pay any attention to him whatsoever.
Step outside, already, he thought, wondering for the third time what he could say to help things. I can’t help you reconcile with that Jenkins pair, and them to you, if I can’t reach you when I’m here waiting.
He admitted to himself that, had he not gone over to the ice cream shop for an hour and a half to escape the heat, maybe he’d have been able to catch Brice, but there was nothing changing that now.
Besides, he thought, consoling himself, The I AM does everything in perfect timing. So now, it’s my turn to be patient.
For three days, Malcolm had followed Brice Marshall in order to better acquaint himself with his routine; his schedule. And in the hundred-plus degree weather and tartan suits – even though he wore them in seersucker for this weather – it hadn’t been easy.
In fact, since Brice spent more than two-thirds of the day inside, it was hard to gauge what he did at all. And Malcolm was thankful for the hints he’d gotten along the way as he’d free-fallen to Earth, since there would, otherwise, have been no way that he knew anything pertinent to his mission.
Thankful that his assignment was a get-in and get-out that only required a few days of him, he moved to the shadow of an oak two houses down from the Marshalls’ place, the leaves of which were half-baked from the heat and lack of rain.
If it hadn’t been for the abandoned house, he would have a more difficult time explaining himself if he was caught loitering; more so if someone discovered he was following California’s HUVA lead around like he was some private investigator.
Sudden movement at the Marshall home caused him to jump as he watched Brice hoof it across to his vehicle with quick strides, his wife and daughter trailing behind him.
The Angels' Mirror Pack 2: Books Four through Seven Page 94
