Fallen Angel (34 page)

“Were they working together?”

“Apparently.” She mumbled.

“I am going to need you to give me a statement.”
Angie nodded.

“Not right now.” Luke said.

“It’s best to do it while everything is fresh in her mind.”

“I said no.” Luke said cutting him off.  He pulled Angie with him and walked toward the house.

“Where is he?” She whispered. Luke stopped and looked around.

“James, where did you put him?”

“Locked him in the wood shed like you said, Boss.”

“Thanks, take care of Blaze for me would you?”

“Sure thing Boss.”

Luke led her inside and then into the bedroom. She moved in a daze
she took of his coat and her torn clothes and began putting on new ones. Her mind was blank she refused to let herself think about anything that was happening afraid she would break if she did. She felt Luke kiss the back of her shoulder and the air rushed out of her lungs she turned and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet.

“I love you.” She breathed against his neck.

“I love you too babe, don’t worry everything is going to be alright.”  She lifted her head and managed a shaky smile.

“As long as you’re here with me I don’t care about anything else.” He smiled and kissed her and she felt like he was healing her wounds. 

Matt was waiting at the dining table when they reentered the kitchen after he helped her dress. Angie took a deep breath and sat down across from Matt.

“Alright, I am ready, what would you like to know.” She held her head high feeling like her strength had been renewed.

“How long have you known Mr. Mann?”

“I believe he has worked for my father for about five years
.”

“And what was the nature of your relationship?”

“What kind of question is that?” Luke asked, he was leaning against the counter a short distance away.  They both looked at him.

“Maybe you should wait outside while we do this.” Matt said quietly.

“Why?” Luke frowned.

“It will just make this go faster.”

“It’s alright Luke.” Angie said even though it didn’t really feel alright. Luke sighed and pushed off the counter and headed for the door.

“Mr. Mann and I were civil to each other but we were never friendly. I am afraid I reall
y don’t know much about the man,” she said as Luke was leaving.  Matt looked back over his shoulder as the door closed and then he looked back at her.

“You can tell me the truth. I won’t tell him.” Angelica frowned.

“I just did tell you the truth.”

“Were you romantically involved?”

“Of course not!” The idea made her skin crawl and she shivered involuntarily.

“Alright, tell me what happened here tonight.”

“He must have been hiding in the house because Luke left and I locked the door and I didn’t even have a chance to turn around before someone hit me in the back of the head.”

“And then.”

“And then I woke up on the ground in the dark.”

“So when did you write the note?”

“What note?” She asked frowning again. He produced a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. She read it then looked up at him.

“This is absurd, I didn’t write this.”

“Then who did?”

“I would assume either Mr. Mann or my father.”  Matt leaned back in his chair and stared at her as if he were evaluating her but his gaze wasn’t nearly as intense as Luke’s could be so she just met his eyes and waited. Finally Matt smiled and looked around the room.

“This is quite a bit different than your last accommodations.” Her eyes narrowed slightly as she waited for him to get to whatever point he was trying to make. “You know Ms. Austin the timing of all of this is very coincidental, it seems as if you were your father’s right hand right up until it looked like he was about to fall from grace and then you simply removed yourself from the situation.”

“First of all Mr. Harrison Luke and I are married now. If you want to be formal and don’t want to use my first name then you can call me Mrs. Harrison because that is my name. Second I was my father’s right hand until I caught him killing someone and then he tried to kill me. There was nothing planned or contrived about any of it. I am
not using Luke for protection like this letter says, that is not why I married him. If you want to know why he married me I would suggest you ask him.”

“Oh I know why he married you. Luke is not the first man to be taken in by a beautiful woman.” Angelica felt her temper flare but she forced herself to smile.

“Clearly you don’t think I am good enough for your brother, and that’s fine I am not looking for your blessing. If you think I had something to do with all of these killings then arrest me. If not then I have nothing else to say.” She stood up and walked to the door and he didn’t try to stop her.  She stepped out the door and took a deep breath of the night air. Most of the people were gone now the yard was dark and quiet and the fog was starting to roll in. She remembered the dream she’d had about Luke being killed and her heart began to pound she started across the yard and her steps picked up speed until she was running. She rounded the corner on the side of the bunk house and saw Luke talking to James. She stopped short realizing she’d been panicking for nothing. She took a deep breath wanting to get a hold of her emotions before she approached him. She stood in the shadows and watched him. She thought about what Matt had said, she knew she wasn’t using him, she knew he hadn’t been taken in by her looks but she couldn’t help but wonder what made Matt think that.  She walked slowly through the darkness towards him but then as she got close she saw something flash behind him, she saw the moonlight reflect off a blade and gasped everything seemed to happen in slow motion.  She ran headlong into him shoving him to the ground. She was on top of him on the ground when gunfire shattered the air around them. He rolled them over so his body was covering hers until the shooting stopped.

“Are you alright?” She asked her fear causing her to be out of breath. “He didn’t get you did he?” He looked up at the side of the bunkhouse, there was a knife stuck into the wall. He pointed at it and she breathed a sigh of relief.  He grinned and bent and kissed her.  When he finally helped her to her feet she saw that it was both James and Matt that had been doing the shooting.  Her father’s body lay on the ground in a pool of blood she turned away and buried her face in Luke’s chest. She didn’t want to see it, there were already too many images in her head that she didn’t want.
Luke seemed to know and once again he led her away back into the house.  He didn’t say anything until they were back inside.

“I think you just saved my life.” He said quietly.

“The sad part is that doesn’t even make us even.” She smirked.  He grinned and kissed her deeply he bent and swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

“Angelica.” She turned to find Matt coming in the kitchen door as she poured her coffee.

“What can I do for you?”

“I think we both know I owe you an apology.”  Angie smirked. “I… well I am sorry I was rude and… congratulations.”

“Thank you.” She watched as Luke’s long strides carried him through the kitchen to the coffee pot. She knew his brother meant a lot to him despite his character flaws she looked back at Matt and smiled. “I hope you’ll come back when you can be here without any official reasons.”

“Yeah no kidding.” Luke said without turning. Matt smiled back,

“I will do that.”

“Luke where are you taking me?” 

“It’s just a little bit farther. Okay stop.” He lifted the blindfold off her eyes and she saw a big white house standing before her, she gasped.

“Is it done?”

“
Completely done, and not a moment too soon.” He laughed running his hand over her round very pregnant belly. She grinned, he hadn’t let her see the house at all while they were building it, insisting that he wanted it to be a surprise.

“Show it to me.”

“My pleasure, but we have to start at the back because it is my favorite part.”  He led her through the house quickly so that she wouldn’t see much and she had to laugh. He reached the bedroom door stopped.

“The bedroom is your favorite part, gee that is shocking.” She laughed and he grinned at her before he pushed the door open.  She walked in and her feet stumbled to a stop, one entire wall was nothing but windows. “Oh Luke,” She whispered, “It is beautiful!”  She looked up in his eyes and she could tell that
was the reaction he was looking for. “I love it! I love you.”  His smiled deepened and his pale eyes sparkled.

“I love you.”