Golden Angel: (Broken Angel #5) Read Free Page A

. Sammy wasn’t a little boy anymore. His chubby cheeks were slender now. There was a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose, and he was at least a foot taller.
    He looks just like his father.
    Sammy rubbed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
    “Hey, buddy. It’s me, Jeremy.”
    Peering closer, Sammy poked his bicep. “You’re real. You weren’t an imaginary friend.”
    “Of course I’m—what are you doing?” he asked when Sammy went around him and patted his shoulder blades. He stiffened when he realized what Sammy was doing.
    He’s looking for my wings. He remembers.
    “I knew it,” Sammy whispered hoarsely, facing him again. “I knew you were real.”
    Reaching for his hand, Sammy pressed his palm against his, staring at the hands as if they would disappear at any moment.
    “As real as chocolate.” Jeremy grabbed a napkin off the table and ran it along the side of Sammy’s mouth. “I see you still like to eat Sammywich.”
    Sammy’s face stilled and he let go of Jeremy’s hand.
    Jeremy winced when he realized what he’d done. He didn’t have to read minds to know what Sammy was thinking. The haunted expression on his face said it all. He was a reminder of Sammy’s painful past.
    Damn it! Why am I even here? All he did was bring pain to people he cared about. It was obvious Leilani and Sammy had moved on. He should have left them in peace instead of being a reminder of the worst day of their lives.
    “I’m sorry, Sammy. I didn’t mean to—”
    There was a loud whack and a thump followed by a chorus of laughs. Somebody squealed Leilani’s name, which was followed by a slew of curses. The audience laughed louder.
    Jeremy’s eyes flicked up to the stage. Candy lay flat on her back, her arms and legs flailing. Behind her was Leilani, her mouth slightly open as she started at him and Sammy.
    Emotions flooded her face. Shock, happiness, grief, and something else.
    That look. Those eyes.
    It pulled him to her.
    He wanted to push his way through the laughing crowd, forget he was an archangel, and take her and Sammy away from there.
    That look on her face was longing.
    Longing for him.
    Stop it! He dug his nails into the palm of his hand.
    She was a young, impressionable girl. He was a representation of a past that she’d lost. She longed for that past, not him. He had to remember they were friends. The least he could do was to make sure she was okay.
    He waved, smiling.
    Leilani blinked, and then her face scrunched into a scowl. A fire lit in her eyes that took his breath away. He latched on to the chair beside him, barely aware of the metal seat warping under the pressure of his fingers.
    Leilani marched off the stage, ignoring Candy’s death glare and pushing her way past an older man wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
    “Let’s give the beautiful young ladies a hand,” the man said. “And of course a special thanks to our lovely Candy Hu.”
    Candy bounced between glaring at Leilani and smiling at the crowd as she exited off the stage.
    Candy wasn’t the only one with laser-cutting eyes.
    “Uh oh. Leilani’s pissed,” Sammy said as she made a beeline straight for them. “Run, Jeremy.”
    If he weren’t an archangel, he would’ve taken Sammy’s advice. The closer she got, the scarier she looked.
    “I think it might be a little too late for that, buddy.”
    “What the hell are you doing here, Golden Boy? LA got boring for you?”
    “Aloha to you too,” he said, giving her his most winning smile.
    She paused. Her eyes glazed over, softening. It was the same expression most women wore whenever he turned on the full charm.
    “I was getting some R&R and thought I’d drop by and check in on you and Sammy. It looks like you two are doing great. So you’re dancing now?”
    There was an uncomfortable silence as she gazed blankly.
    “Leilani?” He waved a hand over her face.
    What was wrong with her? He’d never seen her so quiet.
    Her face flushed pink then red.