"Aw s.h.i.t, I didn't mean..." Instantly contrite, I could see the regret wash over him. "h.e.l.l, sugar, you can't take anything I say at face value. I'm sure he'll turn up, he always does sooner or later."

Only what if it turned out to be much later? Angels measured time so differently from humans. What if he didn't turn up for a year? Or ten? Or a hundred? Pushing that thought away, I gave him a weak smile. "It's okay, it's not your fault he took off. You should probably get going though, go check out Adam's place. I'm sure you'll love it."

"It's barely the shank of the evenin' though," he replied, clearly in no hurry to leave. "You ain't even told me how things worked out for ya before, getting Azazael out of Midian. I bet that's a hair raisin' story to tell."

I wasn't in the mood to hash it all out at first until I caught the look behind his eye. Was Remiel lonely? Remembering how eager Sam was to chat when I first met him, I wondered how long it had been since Remy had been able to actually talk to someone about what he was and the world he lived in. Changing my mind, I filled him in on the epic tale, starting with Adam and I opening the portal and finishing with Ben disappearing with Azazael in tow, trapped in the pink jewelry box. Remiel proved an apt listener, and he enjoyed the story immensely, I could tell. When he wasn't acting like a pig, he wasn't all that hard to be around.

"Hang on a minute, I have your ring..." Leaving him in the living room, I dug the ring out of my top drawer, handing it over. "Thanks for lending it to me, we couldn't have done it without your help."

Remiel accepted the woman's ring, staring down at it for long seconds before he tucked it away in his pocket. "Welcome," he muttered, uncomfortable with my grat.i.tude by the looks of it.

"Have you thought about what you want? For lending it to me?" We'd made a bargain after all, and I was no welcher.

"Is that a trick question? I been thinkin' about it plenty since Adamiel asked me to look after ya," he smirked.

Just like that the smarmy bit was back, and I suppressed a roll of the eyes. "He didn't ask you to look after me like that and you know it. Besides, we agreed, it's a favor of a non-s.e.xual nature."

"You sure know how to wound a man." He rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "Alright, I know what you can do for me. Give me Azazael when you track him down."

Of all the things he could have said, that one knocked me for a loop. "What would you want with him?"

"It'd tickle me to think about burying him someplace he'd find particularly offensive." A malevolent grin stretched across his face and I felt my own lips respond in kind.

"Alright, that sounds good to me. If we find Azazael he's all yours. I don't even want to know where you bury him, as long as he's out of commission for good."

"You got a deal, gorgeous." He stuck his hand out and I clasped it warmly. It wasn't much for him to ask. In fact, it benefitted me plenty more than it did him, but he must have his reasons for wanting to see Azazael gone for good.

"Hey, do you mind doing me another favor?" I asked, recalling my project.

"You changed your mind after all..." The smile turned into a leer and that time, I did roll my eyes.

"Do you have a cellphone?"

"Course I do, why?" His brow furrowed in puzzlement.

"Can I see it?" If I could cross reference the numbers in his phone against my list from the lawyer's office, it should make my search for Adam's number much faster.

All of a sudden he gave me a knowing look. "His number ain't in there."

d.a.m.n, was I that obvious? "How do you reach him then?"

"Got everthing I need right up here." He tapped his forehead. "But I ain't givin' ya his number, that's part of the deal."

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can say to change your mind?" I sent a wave of soothing Grace through him. "He'd never have to know I got the number from you, it'd be our little secret."

Remiel swallowed uncomfortably, and I hit him with another burst of Grace. I could tell he'd never had anyone use the Grace on him like that before and I concentrated on making him as calm and relaxed as possible, circ.u.mventing his natural instincts. I noticed the instant his resolve cracked and tried to conceal my glee when he rattled off the number. "You are one dangerous woman." He swallowed again as I released him and he realized what I'd done.

"You'd better believe it."

Chapter Three.

Only once I knew the phone number, I wasn't sure what to do with it.

A quick check showed the number did appear as one of the incoming calls on Mr. Finch's phone, cementing the notion it actually was Adam's number, not a string of gibberish to throw me off track from Remiel.

For two days I thought about calling Adam, even going so far as to program the number into my phone and add his picture to the entry, but something kept me from pressing send. What if he changed his number once he talked to me? I was convinced I could bring him around to see cold reason if I had a chance to really talk to him, but a long distance call didn't seem like the most opportune time to exert my influence over him.

In the end I stored it away, leaving it as an option for the future, but not wanting to cross that particular bridge just yet. There were far too many other things to worry about anyway. My brother's wedding to Oriana loomed right around the corner, and I spent most of my free time hammering out last minute details with my mother and the bemused bride.

Matty and Oriana didn't seem to care too much about fancy churches or tons of guests, they just wanted to tie the knot on February second (a favorable day according to the witch). My mother ran roughshod over their tastes, dictating the style of the wedding cake down to the flowers. Matty, clueless about the details as most grooms were, was happy to let her take over the arrangements as a whole. The only thing his diminutive bride insisted on was the ceremony be held outside; she wanted to feel the Earth beneath her feet.

I shook myself out of distraction long enough to object when my mom wanted to dress Oriana in a frothy concoction of ruffles and lace that would've set Matty back half a year's salary, insisting simplicity fit the theme of the wedding much better. With Oriana's pale coloring, she would have looked completely washed out in stark white anyway. In the end, we settled on a bridesmaid's dress in a pale pink that brought out the roses in her cheeks.

We chose a local park, despite the cold weather, and we planned to have a small reception at a nearby Chinese restaurant (Oriana's favorite food since escaping Midian).

I'd counted on having Adam escort me to all the nuptial proceedings, but without him by my side I was strictly stag. Parker couldn't even fill in for me, as he'd already asked Luz to be his date. I briefly considered asking Remiel to come with me, but decided I didn't want to explain his presence to my friends and family, or listen to him make lewd suggestions all through the reception.

The Friday night before the wedding, we gathered at the park to do a quick rehearsal, and seeing the happy couple together, I started to think they had the right of it. Getting married under the open sky, the gra.s.s under our feet and none of the trappings of the wedding business to get in the way of the love they shared. I just wish they'd picked June instead of January to make us stand around in the park.

"Always a bridesmaid, never a bride," Daphne sighed loudly as she joined me under the canopy of a nearby tree while Matty talked to the minister. On the day of the wedding we planned to set up a camping pavilion, just in case we got more rain than drizzle.

I looked down at the ring on my hand. My odds of becoming a bride had taken a sharp turn off course, but I hadn't given up hope for good. "Don't say that, you might end up a blushing bride someday." As soon as I'd said it I snapped my mouth shut, wishing I could take it back at the hopeful look that lit up her face. The odds of Sam proposing were way worse than Adam coming back, but I hated to break it to her and crush her dreams.

All set to steer her away from the subject of our love lives, I froze as I caught sight of a man loping towards us from the parking lot. He was thinner than I remembered, with more gray hair than dark on his weathered face, but the way he carried himself struck an unmistakable chord within me.

It couldn't be...

"What is he doing here?" I murmured, squinting to make sure I wasn't having a weird flashback. It was him alright, dressed in dark work pants and a blue b.u.t.ton up shirt that had seen better days. His graying hair stuck up in strange angles when he whipped off his ballcap, in need of a trim.

"Who?"

He looked nervous, which almost made me think I'd made a mistake, until he approached Matty and gave his hand a mighty shake.

"Who is that, Mercy?"

"My father."

My initial reaction was to turn around and walk away, but I changed my mind at the last moment. Why should I be chased out of my own brother's wedding just because he decided to put in an appearance? My lips pressed into a firm line, I stalked across the gra.s.s to see what he had to say for himself.

"Thanks for coming, Dad. I didn't think you'd make it." Matty's grin was a mile wide and I wondered if he'd been the one to call him. I didn't even know he knew how to get ahold of the man.

"Well, it's not often my son gets married, is it?" Victoire Renault (or Vic as he liked to be called), looked fit to bust with pride, revealing a mouth full of nicotine stained teeth. His aura reminded me of nicotine stains too, the pale blue nimbus pocked with holes that showed a red core a sign of his quick temper. "And is this the little lady that stole my boy's heart?" He offered a wide smile to Oriana, who recoiled from his offered hand. I knew there was a reason why I liked that girl... an excellent judge of character.

"His hands are dirty," Oriana shook her head, making no move to leave Matty's side.

Matty's brows drew together in confusion. "No, they're fine, look."

"They're dirty on the inside," she said into his chest, voice m.u.f.fled as Oriana refused to look at him.

My father let his hand drop. "It's fine. I ah, guess I must be a little ripe from the trip."

"Or the bottle of Jack you drank on the way over..." I muttered.

"Merceline!" my mother hissed. "Don't speak that way to your father."

"Why the h.e.l.l not? I didn't say anything that wasn't true. He smells like a barroom floor." My mother backed down, but Matty looked embarra.s.sed. Well, what did he expect would happen if he invited the jerk? My feelings towards him weren't exactly a secret.

Vic's eyes narrowed at me, but his voice was calm as he replied. "I didn't have much time to haul my a.s.s up here, I didn't get to clean up as much as I wanted to."

"Won't wash clean no matter how much you scrub them," Oriana declared solemnly. "Perhaps in the next life."

Interesting. I resolved to have a chat with my sister-in-law-to-be about him sometime. "Don't worry, he won't bite you. But, I wouldn't lend him any money either."

"I have no money to lend, nor patience to give. Beloved, can we not begin the rehearsal? It grows cold."

"Oh, right... sure." Matty shook himself out of his daze. "We can have a good, long visit later over dinner."

My father had them charmed all through dinner, it's what he did best. Always the life of the party with a big, infectious laugh, Vic knew how to spin a tale that had even the waiters standing around listening until the end. Even Oriana lost some of her trepidation, smiling openly at his jokes. I wished Parker wasn't working that night, I thought he of all people could have understood my lack of kindness towards a man I shared a genetic link to. My mother was the only one besides me who didn't seem to be having a wonderful time. Uncharacteristically silent, she picked at her food, excusing herself before dessert was offered.

Chasing after her, I caught up with her near the front door. "Mom, are you alright?" I asked, worried to see her looking pale and drawn.

"I'm fine, just a little tired."

"You don't have to do that anymore," I stopped her, recognizing my own words. "You're not married to him, you can call him a sonofab.i.t.c.h and he can't do anything about it."

"It's better not to antagonize him. You never learned that lesson." She shook her head sadly. "Just seeing him again... it's brought back memories, you know?"

"I know." Boy, did I know.

"He'll be gone soon enough and we can get back to our lives. For now I think I'll go back to my hotel and have a lie down. I'll see you on Sunday, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then." On impulse, I pulled her close for a long hug, not sure who needed it more, her or me. "I love you, Momma."

"I love you too, Merceline." She hugged me back, looking a little brighter when she pulled away. I felt better too as I walked back to the table. She was right, Vic would be gone in a couple of days and then I could go another decade without seeing him again, no sweat. I clung to that thought as I retook my seat at the table.

"Matty, do you remember that time we drove down to Ensenada, and you tried lobster for the first time? That sucker was two feet long at least, I s.h.i.t you not." Vic held his hands up in the air. "d.a.m.n, that was a good trip."

"Yeah, I remember," Matty grinned. "I don't think I've ever seen a lobster so big since."

"Mercy was too picky though, said it looked like a G.o.dd.a.m.n c.o.c.kroach, remember?" Vic wagged his finger at me accusingly.

"I remember." Oh, did I remember...

"I told you to quit your b.i.t.c.hin' and eat it, and you loved it, didn't you? You should listen to your old man more often."

Daphne shot me an uncomfortably sympathetic smile, she'd heard the story before. Oriana listened with interest, her head going back and forth like she watched a tennis match. "Actually, the way I remember it is, you didn't listen to me when I reminded you I'm allergic to sh.e.l.lfish," I said dryly. "And then you yelled at me the next day for slowing you down when I was out of breath and covered in a rash." I met his gaze squarely. "Good times."

"You were fine, you just liked to make a big deal outta nothin', you always did," he waved it off, unconcerned.

"Oh, like the time the police confiscated all of our Christmas presents for evidence? Something about stolen goods, I think, wasn't that it, Matty?" I turned an innocent look to my brother, who became fascinated with the bottom of his gla.s.s. "Yeah, I think that was mostly me making a big deal out of no presents until you gave me something to really cry about, wasn't it, Vic?"

"Don't you take that sa.s.s tone with me." My father growled across the table at me. "You're not so old I can't take you across my knee if the occasion calls for it."

"Oh, I'd love to see you try it, old man." My eyes blazed with anger. He must have seen something in my face because for the first time ever, Vic backed down first, laughing weakly.

"G.o.d save us from uppity women, huh, son?" He raised his gla.s.s to Matty. "I hope you got yours in hand."

"Oh yes, he is wonderful with his hands," Oriana sighed dreamily, oblivious to the context my father meant.

"I think Matt knows how to treat a woman with respect and kindness." I raised my gla.s.s to my brother. "Though G.o.d knows where he leaned that from, 'cause it sure as h.e.l.l wasn't from you," I added under my breath.

"I know how to treat a woman with kindness, when she deserves it," Vic replied, swaying in his seat from the drink, and I decided I'd had enough.

"I think I need a little air..." Pushing myself away from the table, I rose to my feet.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Daphne whispered, but I shook my head.

"I'll only be a few minutes, finish your ice cream, it'll melt." I got as far as the hall to the bathrooms when Matty caught up with me.

"Jesus, Mercy, don't you think you're being kinda rough on the old man?"

"Are you kidding me? After the way he terrorized our childhood?" I had to remember Matty hadn't suffered all that badly. As the boy in the house, he hadn't been subject to the same injustices my mom and I had, and he'd been too young to see what it did to our mother before she left him. "Why did you invite him up here anyway?"

"Because he's family, Mercy. He's the only father I've got. It's not like Oriana had much in the way of family either. I thought maybe he could walk her down the aisle or something," he shrugged.

"Maybe you should ask your bride about that and see what she has to say about the idea?"

"Oriana sees things... a little differently sometimes, but she'll come around."

"She's got good instincts about people, you should try to remember that." In her own twisted way.

"Can you cut him a break maybe while he's here? For me?" Matty gave me a lopsided smile that tugged at my heart strings, remembering a little boy with that same smile. My mother's words echoed in my head. If you can't say something nice...

"I will try to keep my mouth shut, alright?" I relented. It didn't mean I wouldn't still think those things on the inside though.

"Thanks, sis. I'd better get back, are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute," I waved him off, wanting a few minutes of peace and quiet to let go of some of the pent up anger I still had swimming around inside. I had the women's restroom to myself, and took my time, not at all eager to get back to the table. It was only a matter of time before Vic degenerated into bawdy songs (it was coming, I knew all the signs) and we got kicked out of the restaurant. At least it was nice to know some things didn't change. If he'd turned over a new leaf, I might have had to think about forgiving him and that wasn't something I wanted to get into.

Deciding I'd put it off long enough, I left the bathroom, b.u.mping into someone pa.s.sing by just outside the door. "Ow," I scowled as a manly shoe stepped on my foot. Looking up, my mouth dropped open at seeing who stood before me. "Hey... what are you... ow!" I flinched as his arm flashed out and a sharp pain struck my left hip. Had he just pinched me? "Wha...?"