The Broken Angel Read Free Page A

she was working on an abuse case and was tense and tired after interviewing people the whole morning. The victim she was representing had just turned eighteen, which complicated matters for her and simplified them for the rapist who had taken advantage of a naïve teenager. Martina had been dabbing tears from the girl’s face when her lawyer had summoned her.
    As soon as she got on the bus, she spotted her sparring partner, Samuel, trying to remain upright while pushed and pulled by the sea of people crowding the narrow space. A sense of rage invaded her at the thought that nobody had given him a seat. Humanity must have reached its lowest point if a man with disabilities wasn’t given the courtesy due him. She pushed through and finally reached him.
    “Samuel!” She smiled and leaned in to kiss both his cheeks.
    He smiled back at her, and his lapis lazuli eyes lit with a light that always had the power to warm her inside. “Hi, Martina. It’s so nice to see you. Where are you going?”
    “Boring lawyer stuff.” The bus suddenly braked and she was pushed by someone behind her. She lost her hold on the handle above her head and ended in Samuel’s space.
    “A new case?” He cushioned her with his chest and free arm.
    She noticed how careful he was not to hit her with the cane she had never seen him without outside of the sparring ring. “No, the same case as always.” She stepped back and anchored herself to the side handle. “I need to kick someone hard.”
    Samuel’s dimples deepened. “One of those days, ah?”
    “One of those years.”
    The bus took a sharp curve and Samuel was thrown against the rail. He didn’t seem to notice. “I’ll be training at Alexander’s later. Care to join me?”
    “I’ll see if I can free myself.” She had come to treasure their sparring sessions.
    Last fall, Alexander Drako, the owner of the gym she frequented, had told her his friend Samuel needed a serious beating. After a brief glance at the frail man Alexander had pointed at, she had wondered why he would say such a thing about a cripple. Knowing Alexander wasn’t a bad man, she had decided to humor him and invited Samuel to the ring. Seeing the expectant look on Samuel’s face, she treated him as she would have anyone. He took all her kicks and punches with an open smile, and at the end of the session, he thanked her, saying he hadn’t had that much fun in a while. What had surprised Martina the most was that in the middle of their sparring, she had forgotten she was fighting against a man barely taller than she, probably weighing less than she did, and who couldn’t walk without help. Since that first session, any time their schedules coincided, they sparred together. They barely talked about their lives and had never exchanged numbers. Yet, Martina looked forward to that odd hour she spent in his company. Sometimes, she even forgot he belonged to the wretched race of men.
    “This is my stop.” She reluctantly released her hold on the handle, wanting to stay on that bus rather than meeting her lawyer.
    “I hope to see you later then.” Samuel kissed her on her cheeks. He seemed to linger a moment.
    She got off the bus and automatically looked up to wave at him behind the glass. He waved back, his big smile never leaving his face before the people getting in pushed him away from the window. She raised her left hand to check her watch. Her next bus was slowing to a halt by the curb, but instead of getting in, she turned away. The firm following her divorce was situated several blocks from the stop, but she had plenty of time to walk there. She loved spring in Rome. The air wasn’t cold anymore, but the heat of summer hadn’t crept in yet. The zephyr played with her hair, giving her the feeling she was about to be lifted up. Even on days like this, when she could almost feel the shackles pinning her to the ground, a walk through the ancient streets of Rome was enough to raise her spirits.
    She came to a stop