Angel
Four hours?
Angel bit his tongue, gripping the phone tightly, and listened to Sarah as she went on and on excitedly, telling him about the long ass video chat she’d had with Leo last night, something she said she was going to talk to him about last night until things heated up and moved into the bedroom. She said she’d kept waiting for the perfect moment to interrupt all the things they’d done but there never was one. She knew once her mom was home it’d be a while until they could enjoy her bedroom that way again. He’d give her that she’d made a good call there but still. Four fucking hours? And that’s why she’d ignored all his calls and texts?
“I forgot to ask him if he ever gets insomnia as bad as I do,” she said in the midst of her excited banter. “Since my mom’s never had a problem falling asleep, I always assumed it might be something passed down from my dad. I’ve been writing other things down that I forgot to ask, and I’ll ask when I we chat tonight because—”
“Tonight?” Angel finally spoke up. “You’re chatting with him again tonight?”
“Yeah, well, when he asked when was the best time to chat I told him in the evenings when I was likely home from school, done with work, or spending time with you, so he said he’d call again tonight.”
This is her brother, Angel reminded himself, taking a deep breath and trying not to think about the near-naked photo this near stranger sent Sarah.
“You’re not gonna chat for another four hours, are you?”
“No.” Sarah laughed softly. “I admit that was kind of ridiculous. I guess we just got carried away because we both had so many questions—questions I didn’t even realize I needed answered until I spoke to him—and I guess he felt the same way.”
Angel had a few questions of his own. Was this going to be an every night thing? What else had Leo said that might prove he was actually her brother and did he call her beautiful again or was he shirtless during the chat? But he refrained. He said he was going to be positive, and as much as it worried him that Sarah was already too excited about this, he’d trust that she’d use her head if the guy did anything questionable again.
Football season was about to begin and then school. For once, Angel was glad summer was over. He welcomed the distraction of the new school year. The last month alone had been too much to deal with. He needed to relax—unwind and set his sights on other things. He was almost pissed at himself for letting this bother him so much. He trusted Sarah, and that was all that should matter. Unfortunately, he was cursed with the almost obsessive need to protect his loved ones. He didn’t think she needed protecting from Sydney. That was a whole other worry and curiously one he preferred now. He finally accepted that other guys’ falling or being in love with Sarah, especially ones who knew her as well as Syd, was inevitable. As long as he trusted that she’d never hurt him—and he did, completely—he’d just have to deal with her admirers. He was determined that as long as they didn’t step over the line or do anything to piss him off he’d do his best to keep his cool.
He’d attempted to be unfazed by Sarah’s fast growing relationship with Leo, but she knew him too well. He hadn’t asked her to, but for the following couple of weeks, she kept the details of her conversations with the guy to a minimum, telling him only what he needed to know. Being busy with school, practice, games, and work helped.
Then, just three weeks after having that long ass chat with her brother and then a few with her dad, Sarah announced the inevitable. “I think I’m ready to meet Leonardo in person.”
They’d been sitting in a back booth of the restaurant after their shift, having dinner. Angel stared at her for a moment, curious that she didn’t say her dad also. “Just Leo? What about your dad?”
She shrugged, moving her food around on her plate. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him in a while.”
It wasn’t until that moment that it occurred to Angel she hadn’t mentioned her dad in the past week or so. Just Leo. “Why? Did something happen?”
Her eyes shot up and met his. “No.” She shook her head quickly. “We had a few three-way chats, and I spoke with Dad privately twice. The conversations with him never felt quite as comfortable as when I talk to Leonardo. I don’t know. It was weird, almost as if he were more interested in asking questions about my mom than me.”
“Your mom?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “He asked a lot about stuff I didn’t remember. Like where we lived when I was very young and if we’d ever lived with anyone else. He wanted to know if it was always just the two of us or if there’d been anyone else helping us out financially. Stuff like that. I don’t know if he’s feeling guilty for not being there and needs some kind of confirmation that we didn’t suffer too much or what. But the whole time I could sense my answers weren’t satisfying him. Quite honestly, even though I really tried, I don’t remember that far back.”
“He can’t expect you to, Sarah.”
Inhaling deeply, she continued. “He mentioned some jewelry he’d hoped my mom had held on to so she could eventually pass it on to me and asked if she had, but she never has. The second time I spoke with him he brought it up again. I guess he thought I’d ask her, but I didn’t.” She frowned. “I know things were tough for us, and she mentioned needing to pawn stuff to get by. If she had to pawn the jewelry, so be it. I’m not gonna make her feel guilty for doing what she had to do. So why bring it up? If she still had the jewelry, I’m sure she would’ve mentioned it. Anyway”—she shrugged—“it’s been almost two weeks since I last spoke with him. No emails. No nothing. When I’ve asked Leonardo about it, he says he’s not sure what’s up with him either, only that the last he heard was he was working a lot of overtime.”
That still seemed odd. Almost two weeks? First, he’d gone out of his way and had even driven out to Flagstaff to hunt her down, and then once he found her he just disappeared? Not that Angel cared if her dad ever resurfaced again. Angel was still of the belief that the guy didn’t deserve to be a part of Sarah’s life, but he hated that he sensed Sarah’s disappointment. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of when she first told him about her dad looking for her. As much as he still didn’t trust Leo completely, at least his interest in meeting her hadn’t fallen through.
“So when did you wanna meet with Leo?”
“I don’t know. We’re all so busy. I’ll talk to him about it tonight. I was thinking maybe we can meet halfway somewhere to make it fair to both of us,” she continued. “But he said he’d be willing to drive down here to meet me.”
Angel chewed slowly, mentally going over his tight schedule. Sarah would choose the busiest time of the year for him to want to do this. But he’d be damned if he was going to let her go without him. He needed to meet this guy himself.
“So talk to him tonight and get a plan going, but give me some time so I can work something out.”
“Oh, yeah, I know,” she said, setting her fork down on her plate. “My schedule is pretty crammed as well. And now I’m training for that marathon to boot.”
“Check my game schedule when you decide. My work schedule is pretty flexible, but games and practices aren’t, and I really wanna be there with you, babe.”
Sarah reached over and touched his hand. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Pleasantly surprised by the sudden change of topic, Angel smiled. “I’ll never get tired of hearing it, but, yeah, I think you have.”
“Well, let me say it again because I don’t think you realize how much I appreciate having someone so incredibly special in my life.” She squeezed his hand and she smiled, but her eyes pinched and her lip began to quiver as her eyes welled up.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Angel asked, sitting up and feeling the ease he’d begun to feel sucked out of him.
She shook her head rapidly even though he could see it was a struggle for her not to cry. “It’s just been so overwhelming.” She wiped a tear away and reached for a napkin. “Everything that’s happened lately has been so surreal. Every conversation I’ve had with Leonardo and my dad. I know it hasn’t been easy for you. It’s hard for you to trust, and I totally understand why you’re skeptical, yet you’ve been so supportive and patient. I know you, my love.” She shrugged, taking a deep breath with a teary but very genuine smile. “I’ve seen it in your eyes and felt it in your mood changes. You’re not thrilled about this, but you’re trying so hard to stay open-minded for me. Even today I was worried you might think it’s too soon, that we might argue, but, instead, you’re being just as wonderful as always.” She startled him by getting up suddenly then coming around the table and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I just don’t know how I got so lucky to find you.”
Angel wrapped his arms around her waist, thankful that he hadn’t said it was too soon like he’d been so tempted to. “I’m the lucky one,” he said, kissing her cheek then pulling away. “But you’re right. I am happy for you. I really am. I just worry. I always will.”
She had no way of knowing that, after seeing just how emotional she was becoming about this whole thing, his worry level just shot up a few hundred notches.
“I know you do,” she said, sniffling, and Angel reached for another napkin, handing it to her. She took it and wiped her nose. “And that’s why I wanna make sure you’re there when I meet him. I could take my mom or Sydney or even Valerie or my aunt and uncle, but I want you there. I wanna give you that peace of mind I know you’re dying for. So I promise I’ll work around your schedule even if it means pushing it out. I can wait.”
Angel wrapped his arms around her, inhaling deeply. She’d said exactly what he needed to hear.
She did that a lot.
No wonder he was so hopelessly in love with her.
~~~
Finally they’d gone a few weeks with neither the mention of meeting her brother and dad nor any irritating revelations about Syd. Angel was enjoying a rare lazy Sunday afternoon watching football with the guys when his phone rang. Sarah had been out shopping with her mom and had texted him earlier to tell him they were going to catch a movie while they were out.
He glanced at the time on his phone before answering. It was around the time he’d expected to hear from her. “Hey, babe,” he answered.
“Are you still watching football?”
Angel walked out of the family room where the guys were being way too loud and into the kitchen. “Yeah, it’s still on,” he said, opening the fridge.
“Oh, okay, well just give me a call when it’s over.”
He finished taking a swig of milk straight from the jug and put it back in the fridge. “I can come pick you up now if you want.”
“Not if you’re gonna be watching football. You know the only games I ever get into are yours. Besides, we can’t talk with your friends there. Just give me a call whenever they leave. Doesn’t matter if it’s late. I’m home now and probably just gonna work on that paper I have to work on.”
“I can talk now, “Angel said, sensing something was up. He walked out into the backyard. “The Charger game is over. Only reason we’re watching now is ’cause Romero bet on this game and we like watching him lose his ass.”
“You sure?”
He took a seat on one of the patio chairs and sat all the way back. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“Well, first,” she said, her words taking a bit of an excited tone as if she had something juicy to share. “Guess what I found out today?’
“What,” Angel asked, glad this didn’t sound serious.
“There was a jewelry heist in the movie we watched, and the thieves made off with millions. Afterwards, when we went to eat, we talked about the movie, and my mom said she never would’ve believed jewelry could be worth so much but that among the things in the bags my dad left behind with the money she found when I was a baby there was some jewelry. She said my dad never even mentioned the jewelry, not to her or my grandmother, who used to deliver his messages. She held onto it for years, but when money started getting tight, she did exactly what I imagined she would and started pawning the jewelry off piece by piece. One day she took in the one she called the big one to get appraised. She thought it was silver, but it turned out to be platinum, and the stone on it was this rare blue diamond.” The phone got a little muffled, and she lowered her voice even more. “It was appraised at more than half a million dollars, but because she couldn’t explain how she’d come to have it and it was very likely stolen, they offered her just under a quarter of a million. Of course she took it. That was the year she told me we’d be staying in Flagstaff for good.”
“That’s crazy,” Angel said, the wheels in his head beginning to turn.
“I know. I mean she did finally get a stable job, but this was ultimately what gave her the courage to stay in one place. She said she felt bad that she’d moved me around so much all those years.”
Secretly, Angel had always wondered how long her mother had been taking funds from her boss. Now it made sense that maybe she hadn’t for too long if she’d made out with this much cash early on. And then it hit him. Is this what her dad was after? But why now? Why would he wait all this time? And was her brother in on this too?
“When’s the last time you talked to your dad?”
“What?” she asked, obviously not expecting this question now. Then she went quiet.
“Sarah, babe, I’m not saying that—”
“No, no,” she said quickly. “The thought did cross my mind. Was this the jewelry he’d been talking about? It could be, I guess, but he said he told my mom he’d hoped she’d hold onto it for me, and she said he never once mentioned any jewelry.”
He wouldn’t say it, but her mother’s words didn’t carry a whole lot of credibility as far as Angel was concerned. Luna had already proven she made bad decisions when desperate, not that he thought selling the jewelry was a bad decision. He agreed with Sarah that she’d done what she had to as a single mom with no other means. But it did make sense that she’d chosen to deny knowing the jewelry had been meant for Sarah.
“You’re not gonna tell your dad or Leo, are you?”
“No.” She was quiet for a moment then said, “What good would it do, right? My mom says the money’s gone.” She went quiet again then spoke again, sounding a little somber. “It’s why she started taking money from her boss. She’d blown through the first twenty thousand she’d found in those bags really fast and was afraid she’d be in that same bind soon. When her co-worker showed her how easy it was to slip a few hundred in her pocket every week and no one was ever the wiser, it just was too tempting, and little by little she started taking more.”
Angel didn’t comment. He knew this was a sore subject for Sarah—knew she felt people still judged her mom—and he didn’t want her to think she was judging now.
“Regardless,” she said with renewed conviction. “If that’s what Omar was after, it’s gone. She made it stretch for a long time, but then when she got into that trouble, a big chunk of what was left went to lawyers’ fees. She managed to hold on to the rest and used it for the down payment on this condo. Besides. . .” She exhaled softly. Angel didn’t miss the fact that she was back to calling her dad Omar, only this time he didn’t encourage her to refer to the asshole as dad. “I still haven’t heard from Omar since the last time we spoke over two weeks ago, and I get the feeling Leonardo is upset with him. I’m not sure why, but he’s been pretty cold and short about it whenever I ask if he’s spoken to him. I don’t know,” she added. “Maybe I will ask Leonardo. The last couple of times we’ve spoken our conversations have gotten a little personal.”
Angel sat up a little straighter, tensing up instantly. “Personal?” He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. “Yeah? Like how?”
“He asked me about when I’d first moved out here. I’d already told him about how suddenly I’d moved out to California my senior year but never really got into the details of why. So I decided to just tell him. The conversation went on until I got to the part about Coach Rudy. He wanted to know more about it—more about how it affected me emotionally and how long it’d taken for me to get over it.”
“Why?” Angel asked, sitting up slowly.
“He said his stepsister recently went through something similar, only hers was a date rape. Like my situation, it was someone she trusted who she went out with, but then he took advantage of her and she kept it to herself for months. I told him how stupid I’d felt for trusting Coach Rudy and putting myself in that danger even after everyone had warned me, and that made him even more upset. He said I shouldn’t feel stupid because that’s what people like the coach and the guy who raped his sister are so good at—gaining your trust. And people like me and his sister with trusting hearts were susceptible—easy prey.” She paused for a moment. “In other words suckers.”
“He said that?” Angel asked, his tone a little less restrained.
“No, no,” she assured him. “That’s just what I was thinking. I’m just wondering now, given what happened to his sister and what happened to me in the past, if maybe Omar was only interested in finding out about that ring. Leonardo says he hasn’t heard from him either. Maybe Omar mentioned to Leonardo that his only interest was the ring, and that’s why Leonardo’s irritated with Omar. When all this first started, Leonardo seemed as excited about having Omar in his life as he was meeting me. Now anytime I happen to bring up Omar he changes the subject pretty quickly, not at all interested in finding out what’s going on with him and why we haven’t heard from him.”
If that were the case, if Leo were even a fraction as pissed as Angel was beginning to feel about her dad, then the guy may’ve just earned some points with him. “So are you gonna ask him?”
“Who? Omar?”
“No,” Angel said a little too strongly. “I wouldn’t even call that fu—” He caught himself and cleared his throat. “I’d wait for him to call or email you first. Even then it’s up to you. I personally wouldn’t say anything to him about it. I was talking about Leo. Are you gonna ask him if Omar mentioned the ring?”
She was quiet for a little too long, which had Angel clenching his teeth in annoyance with himself that he nearly snapped.
“I don’t know. I’ll just wait for now,” she said. “If the time comes for me to meet Leonardo and I still haven’t heard from Omar, I’ll ask him then.”
“About that,” Angel said, standing up. “Any mention of when he might wanna come down and meet with you?”
His interest in meeting Leo had just spiked tenfold. From the moment Sarah first told her about this whole thing, he’d been suspicious. Regardless of what exactly Omar intended to do if he’d found the jewelry, Angel was certain of one thing now. It was the sole reason behind his sudden interest in meeting her. Maybe once he figured he wouldn’t be getting anything out of her, he let it go—let her go. He’d gone back to same disinterest he’d had for Sarah her entire life. Fuck him.
But Leo was still talking to Sarah daily, and Angel wasn’t sold on him yet. He needed to make sure the guy—brother or not—wasn’t in cahoots with her dad in any way.
He sat back, feeling a bit aggravated, and thought about how his worries about Sydney seemed so insignificant now. At least with Sydney he knew the guy would never do anything to hurt her. As much as it irked him to think any other guy could care for Sarah as much as Angel did, he had to admit Syd genuinely did. Ironically, at that moment, he felt more comfortable with Sarah around Syd, the guy she loved like a brother, than with Leo, the guy who may in fact be her actual brother.
Maybe Leo was a good guy. Maybe he didn’t know what his dad had been up to in the beginning, and when he got wind that Omar was interested in meeting his sister for his own selfish reasons, he dropped the asshole like he deserved to be dropped. If this were all true, it might be a good thing. Angel couldn’t always be around to protect her, so knowing she had a defensive brother who didn’t take kindly to anyone messing with his sister was a damn good thing. But until he knew for sure, Angel would be keeping his guard up. He trusted no one.