Accidentaly Divine Page 12

  Yes. She had money.

  A lot of money. Money that mostly sat in an account with a money manager who tried to involve her in investments and stocks, and whom she promptly ignored. Everything she had—her house, her car, everything—had all been earned by her and her alone. She’d never touched a penny.

  Until tonight.

  Giving Nina a guilty look, George shrugged. “Usually when people find out about my money, they…”

  “Want some?” Marty tinkled a laugh as she crossed the entryway from the stairs and made her way to the couch in a fuzzy purple bathrobe.

  Reluctantly, George nodded. “Yes.”

  Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Marty sat down on the ottoman opposite her and nodded. “Well, we’re not billionaires, but I can pretty much guarantee we’re each easily multimillionaires in our own right, and Nina wants your money like I want the bubonic plague.”

  “What the fake blonde said. I have plenty of money. I don’t fucking need any of yours.”

  Reaching over, she gripped Nina’s cool hand, an apology in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you, Vampire Lady. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to my financial status in life. I didn’t choose it, but it is what it is.”

  “Yeah, I saw that when I read the article on you and your dad. You wanna talk about that shit, or you wanna keep pretending your entire entitled life didn’t happen?”

  Keep pretending it didn’t happen, thank you kindly.

  “I think it’s fair to say George doesn’t behave as though she’s entitled to anything, Nina,” Dex quite gallantly defended her, making her blush.

  “Nina!” Marty scolded. “Don’t be an ass. She’s never shown an inkling of entitlement. She helped someone out without saying a word. Rich people have problems, too.”

  Yet, she was familiar with this reaction when people found out she was an unwilling billionaire. “No. It’s okay. It’s what everyone thinks, and it’s fine. Plenty of entitlement comes with being rich. Believe me, I know that.”

  The trouble was, money didn’t always solve some problems. You could have all the money in the world and still fail at life. Fail when you needed the most to succeed.

  But Nina shook her head. “No. It’s not fucking fine, Wings. Don’t lie down and play dead. I read the flippin’ article. You had a shitty time of it. Say so. Then tell us why. We can’t help you if we don’t have all the damn facts.”

  “Which is it, Nina? Am I entitled or am I helpless?”

  Nina grinned at her, infuriatingly so. “Look at you. Fucking fighting back. You saucy minx. Don’t apologize for who the fuck you are. Ever. Your father’s not your GD fault.”

  Instantly, her eyes went to the hardwood floor. Her father, Houston Maverick of Maverick Industries, wasn’t a subject open for discussion. Not now. Maybe not ever.

  “Listen, I come from a lot of money, but I’ve never touched it until tonight for Joe-Joe. So yes, money talks, but he needed it. There was no way I was letting him go to a state-run facility. He was terrified and likely misdiagnosed. He needed help. I gave it. Otherwise, the money stays where it is.”

  Marty cocked her blonde head, her ponytail trailing over her shoulder. “But why, George? It’s yours, right?”

  She swallowed hard. “It is, but I don’t want it, and I don’t want to talk about it… If that’s okay,” she tacked on, watching Dex from the corner of her eye.

  He knew. He knew why she couldn’t talk about her father. She knew she needed to, if she was ever going to move from this dark corner her life was in.

  But…she couldn’t. It hurt. It hurt so much, sometimes it was like a physical pain.

  Marty leaned forward, tucking her hair behind her ear before she reached for George’s hand to rub her cold fingers and say, “No worries. I didn’t mean to upset you, honey. I’m sorry. Forget I ever asked. I’m just thrilled that you were able to help someone in need. Let’s see if we can keep that trend moving forward, yes?” Then she smiled her warm smile, and George relaxed a little.

  “You mean Effie Sampson, right?” she said, gladly willing to leave the subject of her family alone and focus on someone else’s problems.

  “Well, you do want to get those permies, don’t you?” Marty asked on a beaming grin. “I think helping Effie’s part of it. Have you figured out what she needs?”

  “Other than maybe a hand to hold when she passes over? No.” George shook her head, pulling the sleeves of her sweater over her wrists and hands. “I haven’t figured out what she needs, but I can’t help feeling like she needs more than just a hand to hold. It’s more complex… Or something.”

  “And your instincts are amazing so far. I think you’re probably right,” Dex commented. “She needs something more from you, and I hope Titus will tell us what that is—soon.”

  That’s when George sat forward, remembering the picture of the man on Effie’s Facebook page. She’d once said she didn’t use social media at all. So why was she looking up that guy?

  Maybe he was a lost love? Someone she needed to reconcile her feelings with? Damn, what was his name?

  David Eisen.

  The name popped into her head as though someone had just whispered it in her ear.

  Pulling her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, she went to Facebook and looked up his profile. There were several David Eisens, but the face she’d seen on Effie’s computer was easy enough to identify.

  She held it up to show everyone. “This name just popped into my head. It’s the same page that Effie had on her laptop screen earlier today.”

  Marty whistled. “He’s cute. Says he’s fifty-six and from Texas. Need a date, Nina?” she teased.

  “Shut the fuck up, Marty, or you’re gonna have a date with the Grim Reaper.” Nina grabbed the phone from George and looked at the picture. “Didn’t I hear Effie say she was originally from Texas?”

  “How did you hear that?”

  She tugged at her ears. “Vampire hearing. Remember? I was on angel babysitting duties today. I was right outside the door. I heard everything she fucking said because that’s what vampires do.”

  George clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Well, there’s not much to see unless we’re friends, and I don’t think he’s going to accept a friend request from someone in Buffalo. Most of his profile’s hidden, but there must be a reason his name popped into my head.”

  “That should have happened hours ago. Any and all information pertaining to the assignment should have been made available to you,” Dex reminded her.

  “Maybe upstairs is on the fritz and I’m getting spotty reception?” she asked Dex with a grin, grateful for the lighter mood.

  He rose from the couch and stretched his arms upward with one of his chuckles. “I don’t get it. But I’ll keep trying to get in touch. Titus needs to know someone tried to steal your wings, too. Until then, I’m going home to get a couple of things done before work tomorrow. You guys okay without me?”

  “Do you mean will we shrivel the fuck up and die without the big strong man to protect us from the scary bad guys?” Nina asked with thick sarcasm.

  He leaned down and kissed Nina’s cheek. “You know darn well that’s not what I meant, Vampire. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Text me if you need a ride to work.”

  Nina chuckled, pinching his cheek. “Get out. I’ll make sure she gets to work.”

  “Night, ladies. Thanks for everything.”

  Marty lifted a hand to wave goodbye before she went back to stroking Gladys with a soft smile, making George feel incredibly grateful these people were such animal lovers. They didn’t appear to care about the hair on the couch or the slobber on the throw pillows.

  As Dex began to take his leave, George hopped up off the couch. “I’ll walk you out.”

  She followed him to the door, pulling it open. The cold rushed in, glacial and biting, but she didn’t feel it much—which was still a pretty weird experience.

  “So, see you tomorrow? Maybe I’ll go with yo
u to Effie’s this time?”

  She smiled up at him, relishing the smell of his spicy cologne. “I feel like that’s a good idea. I’m not ready to go without my training wheels quite yet. I think I’ve proven that.”

  Dex entwined his fingers with hers, his face so close she felt his breath on her skin. “I think you were great today, and if anything, you’ve proven how awesome you are and how willing you are to tackle your new lot in life. That’s huge.”

  Her cheeks went hot. “Thanks, Dex. For all your help tonight.” And then on pure impulse, George stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, her lips brushing against the dark stubble of his jaw.

  He gazed down at her, his eyes swirling and intense, but he didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he simply smiled and cupped her cheek, making her knees weak when his palm made contact with her skin.

  Then he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, before he turned and trudged down the snow-covered steps, off into the velvety night, before he was gone.

  The kiss was far too quick, over before she could say a word.

  But it was significant. Just like she’d known Joe-Joe needed her help and Effie was in pain, she knew that kiss meant something.

  Something…

  Chapter 12

  “Dex?”

  Dexter stopped at the end of Marty’s driveway, whipping around at the sound of Titus’s deep voice.

  “Hey. What’s up, man, and where the heck have you been?”

  Titus took a deep drag of his cigarette, the end glowing orange in the dark of the night, before he promptly ignored Dex’s question. “I got your message about somebody trying to steal George’s wings. Any leads?”

  “On who’d want to steal them? No. None. Did you hear anything?”

  Titus clucked his tongue. “Nope. No clue, and we’d better hope no one upstairs finds out someone tried to steal them or we’re sunk. You do know what could happen if someone gets their hands on them, don’t you?”

  Dex blinked, driving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. This was new territory for him. “I’ve never heard of anyone trying to steal anyone’s wings. So I haven’t got a clue. What could happen?”

  Titus stared at him with an intensity rarely displayed in his eyes. “They’d not only gain full entry upstairs, they’d be able to steal your girl’s soul.”

  Dex could have punched a wall. Of course. Your soul was attached to your wings, for cripe’s sake. His chest tightened in worry. “Holy…”

  “Ships,” Titus finished. “That’s bad for biz, brother. An angel without a soul is poof.” He flared his fingers, making specks of snow spray in every direction.

  “Poof?”

  “Gone. Ceases to exist in any form. Dust in the wind.”

  Dex’s stomach rolled. “I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection.”

  “That’s because you’re all wrapped up in worrying about George. We have very few things to concern ourselves with. Losing your wings to a wing napper is bad. That and a rare knife designed specifically to kill us. Also, not good.”

  Dex’s eyes widened in surprise. “The knife is real?” He’d heard legends about the knife, forged in the pits of Hell or some such dramatic nonsense, but he’d never given it a lot of thought beyond it being nothing more than a story that had been embellished over hundreds of years.

  “Um, yeah. The knife is real, bud. Haven’t heard anyone talk about it in a long time, but I have it on good authority it’s real.”

  “So should I be looking for a guy with a knife, too?” he asked.

  “No one’s seen it in hundreds of years, so I wouldn’t put it high on the list of priorities, but I’d stay on my toes as a precaution. Now, speaking of, how’s our little apprentice?”

  He looked at his longtime friend and supervisor through the veil of falling snow. “I’ll tell you all about it after you tell me where the hell you’ve been. What’s going on upstairs? Why isn’t George getting the information she needs on her assignment with Effie Sampson?”

  Titus let his head fall back on his shoulders and rasped a sigh. “Because no one knows she exists, Dexie. That’s why. I’m dropping the four-one-one myself and it’s been hard to glean all the info I need from Gilbert. I had to trick him into saying Effie’s name out loud so the poor kid would know Effie Sampson was her assignment. Or did you forget we’re doing this on the sly?”

  Instantly, Dex was contrite. Titus was trying to save his ass, and he was bitching. “Sorry. Forgot about that.”

  Driving a hand into his robes, he pulled out his handy silver flask and took a long gulp, offering some to Dex, who declined. “So anyway, how’s it going with her?”

  “Well, as you saw, we had a bumpy beginning, but it’s looking up. You were right. She really is good at this. I never would have guessed how good until I saw her with Joe-Joe.”

  Titus nodded. “You bet she is. I’m usually never wrong about that. She has a huge heart, man. Huge. That’ll go a long way in this job.”

  Dex nodded. He’d always known that about George. “She appears to be empathic. When she touches someone, she feels what they’re feeling.”

  Titus nodded his head, obviously pleased. “I’ve never been surer I was right to cover up a mistake than I am with her. If she can just make peace with her past, she’ll be one of the best we’ve ever had. I’m talkin’ Gabriel status.”

  “Those are big words,” he said jokingly.

  “Damn right, and that means I gotta find a way to sneak her upstairs soon. Can’t afford to lose this one to bathroom duty.” He paused for a second and planted his hands on Dex’s shoulders. “So have you told her?”

  “Told her what?”

  “That you weren’t supposed to save her, and I’m trying to find a place for her where no one will see me sneak her in? She has to be in on this for it to work, you know.”

  Shit. “No. I haven’t. Not yet.”

  Titus gave him the look. “You know how I feel about total transparency, Dex. She deserves that much. Her life…man, her life has been some hellscape. Honesty’s the only way, bud. The only way, but I’m glad you opted to wait for a bit.”

  Titus’s words stuck in his gut. He knew he had to tell George he wasn’t supposed to save her, and he didn’t know if she was supposed to die that night, but the closer he grew to her, the harder that became. Their dynamic right now was comfortable—he didn’t want that to change.

  Selfish? Yes. But he found he couldn’t help himself.

  “Have you found out if she was supposed to die that night?”

  Titus’s eyes narrowed in disappointment. “You know that doesn’t make a difference one way or the other at this point. When the time comes, you still have to tell her you weren’t supposed to interfere with her fate, Dex. We can’t pull this off without her. She’s gonna find out anyway when she learns the rest of the rules of being a guardian.”

  She already knew she couldn’t interfere with fate, she simply hadn’t made the connection that he had interfered with hers.

  But she would, and Titus was right. He had to tell her.

  “I’d still like to know if I’ve only made her life more difficult, Titus. I owe her the truth. If she wasn’t destined to die, throwing her into this mess against her will makes it that much worse, but she still deserves to know the whole of it. I want to be ready for her anger. Anger I decidedly deserve.”

  Titus squeezed his shoulders before he let go. “Maybe that’s true if you look at it in a literal way, bud. But you can’t keep beating yourself up, Dex. You know that, right? We’ve all made mistakes.”

  Dex barked a derisive laugh. No one knew mistakes like he did. “Some more than others.”

  “I did ask you to hold off for a bit. Put the blame on me. And then as upstairs says, own the mistake. Move on. You didn’t save her out of malice, or greed, or any of the youge, bud.”

  Youge was Titus’s infuriating abbreviation for usually and what he’d listed was usually what angels broke the rules
for. Greed was high on the list, followed by lust, and revenge wasn’t far off either.

  He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “We’ve been through this before, Titus. I’ve messed up twice now. If not for you, I’d be upstairs cleaning toilets and scooping poop at the Rainbow Bridge. You shouldn’t be attached to this.”

  He should have refused Titus’s help. He should have left the moment she landed on the ground, hit the highway to Heaven and talked to their superior, Frank about what he’d done.

  “You know, you’d think with all the,” he held up his fingers in quotation marks and swiped the air, “magic we have, they’d have figured out how to take care of the poop so we don’t have to.”

  Dex laughed, but he sobered quickly. He knew the answer before he asked the question, but he couldn’t help needing to hear it out loud.

  “She was supposed to live, wasn’t she, man?”

  Titus peered down at him, his eyes searching Dex’s. “Are you in love, Dex?”

  “Love?” he said, trying to keep his tone light as he made shapes in the snow with his feet. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because you got the look, Dex. You’ve had it for a long time now. I know you’ve tried to hide it from me, but you can’t keep something so wonderful hidden.”

  Dex shook his head. “It’s not wonderful, Titus. It’s shit on toast. I can’t love her. I’m not worthy of her. I don’t deserve her. Not after I did what I did. And then there’s how I lost my permanent wings. I haven’t told her about that yet either.”

  “So you do love her.”

  “I’m taking the fifth.”

  “Can angels take the fifth?”

  “Can’t angels be constitutional?”

  “Point. But that doesn’t answer my question.”

  “And you didn’t answer mine,” Dex reminded him. “Was she supposed to die that night?”

  Titus let his chin fall to his chest with a sad sigh. “No. She was supposed to have some horrible injuries, though. Injuries that would have kept her out of work for months, Dex. Injuries that would have kept her from not only being with her seniors, but Gladys, too. Paralysis was a real possibility. She’s doing so much more good for people here as a guardian than she would’ve been laid up after brain surgery and in rehab for eight months. I almost feel like you did her a favor.”