Mercy for the Damned Read Free Page B

off?”
    “I thought you said before it was amicable?”
    “Well sure, there wasn’t any shouting or anything, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t both upset about it.”  I was about to suggest the idea that maybe he got jumped by muggers when he was all alone on the street, when Raziel stepped out of my bedroom as if it was the most normal thing in the world. 
    “I thought you said your boyfriend wasn’t around,” Santiago’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. 
    Super.  That was all I needed.  “No, this isn’t Parker…”
    “How many men are you juggling, Ms. Renault?”
    “No, it’s not like that…” I started to explain, but Raziel cut me off, gliding across the room with effortless grace, all smiles and polish.
    “Let me assure you, dear lady, nothing could be further from the truth.” 
    Santiago looked at him like he was something she’d scraped off the bottom of her shoe, and I had to admire her ability to resist his Grace.  Most women would have been fawning all over the handsome man. 
    I stepped up to intervene before he volunteered some tidbit of information that would land us in hotter water.  “This is my friend Raze, and he was using my bathroom, nothing more.  You didn’t spend the night here at all, did you?” 
    “No, I spent the night searching for the key to the prophecy I spoke of.” 
    “Prophecy?” Santiago blinked, and I could tell he’d thrown her for a loop.
    “He’s really into that doomsday stuff, you know, ‘the world is coming to an end’ predictions?  I’ve been telling him it’s a load of crap, but he’s been hooked ever since he saw that movie with the asteroid the size of Texas.  So, did you need anything else, Detective?” I smiled sweetly, hoping like hell Raziel kept his trap shut until after she left.
    Her eyes narrowed, but after a pregnant pause, Detective Santiago tucked the notebook back into her jacket pocket.  “No, that’s all for now.”  She didn’t give me her card or ask me to call her if any new information came up, instead she paused by the door.  “You should know, I’ve never lost a case.  It’s only a matter of time before I find out what happened to him.”  Her aura fairly crackled with menace, and I resisted the urge to shrink back from that steely gaze. 
    “I’m glad to hear it.  All I want is for Ben to come back safe and sound.”  Finally something I could tell her without reservation.  I don’t know if she believed me or not though, her expression didn’t change before she left.
    “Great,” I collapsed on the couch.  “As if I didn’t have enough to worry about.”
    “Something troubles you?” Raziel looked genuinely perplexed by my outburst.
    “Yeah, something troubles me.  Why did you start talking about the prophecy in front of the detective?  Why did you even let her see you?  What happened to not revealing yourself to humans?”
    “She did not know I am of the heavenly host.  Besides, she is with the police, is she not?  Aren’t the police on our side?”
    “Not when we have direct knowledge of the kidnapping of one of Seattle’s finest,” I lowered my voice just in case.  “She looked like she would like nothing better than to find a reason to pin it on me too.  Trust me, she is not our friend.”
    “I’m sorry, I had not realized…”
    “You have to be careful here.  You can’t go talking about prophecies or angels or anything that would cause anyone to look twice at you.”  Well, more than they would because he was smoking hot, like all angels were.  “In fact, if anyone asks, you’re my cousin visiting from out of town, say that back to me.”
    “I am your cousin visiting from out of town.  Mercy, I do not wish to lie…”
    “You’re not, you’re stretching the truth a little.  I’m part angel too, that makes me your relative of sorts, and you are visiting, and you don’t live here in town, right?”
    “Yes,” he allowed, though I could tell he wasn’t