“This is such a mess,” I moan, covering my face with my hands.
“There was really no way we could put a halt to all of this without there being some kind of mess involved.” Beckett’s voice is calm, but his eyes churn as he focuses on the scene below. “The human government will cover up the aftermath. Just like when the portal first opened, they’ll brush this under the rug to keep mass panic from spreading.”
“Like that’s gonna keep people safe?” Ford snorts. “You heard her. There are a bunch of other fucking portals that are gonna open. And who the fuck’s gonna handle it? You think Above gives a shit about what happens on Earth? If they did, they would’ve sent their people long before now, not just Trin.”
I jump a little in surprise. I never would’ve expected Wrath to call me a nickname. Not unless it was an insulting one.
Worried that he’ll notice the expression on my face, I step closer to the roof’s edge, turning away from Ford to peer down at the street. The sun has risen fully by now. Down below, people are talking to one another, obviously still trying to figure out what happened, or maybe just gossiping at this point. I’m not sure. I can’t tell what they’re saying from way up here, but I’m sure it can’t be good.
“So… what do we do now?” Phoenix asks. I can’t see who he’s talking to since I’m still watching the scene below, but I’m guessing he’s looking to Beckett for an answer.
Sure enough, I hear Greed sigh, like he’s mulling the question over in his mind.
“Well, the first thing we need to do is get cleaned up,” Remington says. “I don’t know about all of you, but I’m covered in so much disgusting shit I don’t even want to think about it. I’ll be taking a shower before I do anything else. I’m sure Trin wants to as well.”
I feel him put his hand on my shoulder in a comforting kind of way. I’m tempted to reach up with my own hand and cover his with it, to squeeze a little. Should I do that? I mean, we’re almost friends after this, right? Remington seems to genuinely like me at least.
But I shouldn’t. I’m already compromised enough where these men are concerned. If I’m going to redeem them, I can’t be having all of these… emotions about them. I’m supposed to be the angel who helps them. Who redeems them.
Not their friend.
Not anything else.
Even if I’m starting to think that I want to be something else to them. Something I’m scared to even think out loud.
I look back down, trying to distract myself from the confused feelings running riot in my chest, and my blood freezes.
Anderson’s down there.
Oh, sure, his wings are hidden so that he looks human, but even from way up here, I can easily tell it’s him. I’ve known him long enough to recognize his stature, his profile, the way he walks. And that’s definitely him, standing on a street corner taking in the scene while wearing a slightly old-fashioned but dapper taupe-colored ensemble.
He can sense me watching—he must, because almost as soon as my gaze settles on him, he looks up and makes eye contact with me. My heart skips a beat, a rush of fear pouring through me.
Even from five stories away, his gaze is penetrating.
It’s also far from pleased.
The portal wasn’t my fault, I want to scream at him. I didn’t open it!
Okay, so one could argue that all of those other portals opening could be my fault, since it happened after the men and I tried to close this one.
But I didn’t know about that.
I was only trying to do the right thing, to protect the people of New York from being overrun by demons. I didn’t cause the first portal either. I didn’t make the mess, I’ve just… tried to clean up the mess that was already here.
Anderson won’t see it that way though. And I doubt any of my other angelic superiors will see it that way either.
I quickly back away from the edge of the roof.
Shoot. I don’t know how close of tabs Anderson has been keeping on me as I’ve gone about my mission, but he just chose a really bad time to check in on me.
Somehow, I’ve landed myself in even deeper trouble than before. If I don’t find a way to close these portals, then I can say goodbye to going home anytime soon. I’ll be stuck on Earth for at least another thirty years.
But the truth is, even if I didn’t mean to do it, I made this a bigger mess.
I have to fix it. And although the idea of doing this alone isn’t fun, I have to.
My stomach dips and twists a little as I turn to face the four men gathered on the rooftop behind me. “Thank you for helping me close the portal. I… I could be wrong about what I saw, but I don’t think I am. I think there are more portals out there, just waiting to open, and I’ve got to try to stop them.”
I have nothing more to offer these men to buy their help. Our agreement is complete—they helped me do just what they said they would. I can’t keep promising favors left and right, which means I’m on my own now.
Offering them a small smile, I shove down the weird ache in my heart at the idea of leaving these men behind. I haven’t finished the mission Anderson gave me, but I can’t worry about that now. First, I have to get the portals closed.
I turn and open my wings, ready to take off and get started.
“Where are you going?” Remington asks.
I freeze, then peek back over my shoulder.
The four sins are standing there staring at me, all of them looking confused. Even Ford. None of them look like they’re glad or relieved to see me go.
“You have to shower,” Remington says. “And I’m going to make pancakes.”
“I… I have to close the other portals,” I say dumbly. Why are they inviting me back to Beckett’s place?
“That can wait until you take a quick rest.” The sweet-faced man shakes his head.
“Angel, you weren’t about to go off and do this on your own, were you?” Beckett drawls. He has that amused tone in his voice that he had when we first met in his office.
Ford snorts. “Now that, I’d like to see.”
I glare at him. I want to ask him if he thinks I couldn’t handle this by myself, but… well, he’d be right if that’s what he thinks. I definitely couldn’t have handled this all on my own. I need the sins, and I probably will keep needing them—or some other ally, but what other possible allies are there? The other fallen from my support group? Yeah, right, like they’ll want to help me.
These four are all I’ve got.
“If you’re sure,” I say slowly, looking at Beckett. “I’m not going to make you guys do anything. I said I’d owe some of you a favor if you helped me to close this portal, and you guys stood by that agreement. I’m going to close these other portals, but you don’t have to go with me. I’m not going to force you to do anything.”
The brothers all look at each other. Ford shrugs, then Beckett nods.
“We’ll help you,” he says, looking at me. “As you once pointed out, it’s bad for business if we let these portals stay open.” His expression hardens. “And I don’t like people encroaching on my territory. Whoever is behind this is a threat.”
Hope flutters to life in my chest, even though I do my best to ignore it.