Page 49 of Azrael

The photograph I’d been clutching all evening sat on the table between us now.Dakota glanced at it, a small smile touching her lips.“He’s good at what he does, Zara.They all are.”

“That’s what scares me.”I wrapped my hands around the warm mug, trying to absorb its heat into my suddenly cold fingers.“Being good at what he does means being the one they send in when death is the only language left to speak.”

Dakota nodded, understanding in her eyes.“The first time Charming went on a run like this, I didn’t sleep for days.Kept imagining every possible horrible outcome.By the time he got back, I was a wreck.”

“How do you handle it now?”I asked.

“I still worry.That never stops.”She reached across the table and placed her hand over mine.“But I’ve learned to trust.Not just in his abilities, but in the brotherhood.They protect each other as fiercely as they protect us.”

Rain drummed against the windows.I picked at the pastry Dakota had brought -- some kind of cinnamon roll -- but couldn’t muster much appetite.

“There’s something else you should know,” Dakota said after a moment of silence.“It seems they know quite a bit about Azrael, which means they’ve looked into him.”

I closed my eyes briefly.“I’m sure he didn’t like that.”

“He didn’t, and it’s made things more dangerous.Complicated.”

“The Angel of Death,” I finished.“They know who he is.”

“Yes.”

“But why would they care about someone from America?”I asked.

“Your man doesn’t just rescue women.He has a tendency to save Middle Eastern women.I have a feeling he’s saved some who were being trafficked by these assholes.”She took another sip of her coffee.“Charming told me once that he’s never seen anyone become so calm before unleashing hell.It’s like he steps outside himself.I’m sure the same will happen over there, if that’s what’s needed.”

I twisted the bracelet on my wrist -- a silver chain with a small angel wing and motorcycle charm Azrael had given me right before he left.

“When will they be back?”I asked.

“If things go as planned, they should be on a flight tomorrow morning.Back here by tomorrow night.”She hesitated.“If things don’t go as planned…”

“Let’s not go there,” I said quickly.

Dakota reached for her phone as it buzzed.She read the message, her expression giving nothing away.“Charming says they’ve made contact.The exchange is happening now.”

My stomach clenched.“Now?As in right this minute?”

She nodded.“Midnight in Tel Aviv.”

I glanced at the clock on my wall.Somewhere across the world, Azrael was walking into danger.I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening.

Dakota watched me with knowing eyes.“The first time is the hardest.Eventually, you develop a sense for when to truly worry and when to trust that they’ve got it handled.”

“And which is this?”I asked.

She considered the question.“Honestly?A little of both.The situation is volatile, but they’ve got good intel and backup plans.”

“What happens after?”I asked.“When they get Mom, I mean.”

“They’ll bring her here, to the compound.”Dakota’s expression hardened slightly.“And the men who took her will no longer be in a position to hurt anyone else.”

The implication was clear.Those men would be dead, if they weren’t already.There was a time when that knowledge would have disturbed me, but that time had passed.Loving Azrael meant accepting certain truths about the world -- some people deserved the violence they received.Just like the men in the alley the first night we met.

“Will they call when it’s done?”I asked.

Dakota shook her head.“Probably not.But Charming will know, and he’ll tell us.”

We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, the rain creating a soothing backdrop to our thoughts.Despite my anxiety, Dakota’s presence had calmed me somewhat.There was strength in the shared experience of waiting, of loving men who walked willingly into darkness.

---