When Angels Cry (27 page)

Bastian sat up and dangled his legs over the edge of the bed.  “We really need to get you out more.”

“I’ve been out.  I’ll take being with you any day.”  She trickled her fingers up his side
s
and laughed when he shuddered.

“Masochist
.
” he retorted, brushing his fingers at the bend of her knee, prompting a squeal.  Kaylee tried to get away, but he held her down.  “Had enough?” he taunted, holding her wrists still as he tickled her.  Her back arched
,
and she tried to break free, but to no avail.  “Had enough?”

“I’ll never have enough,” Kaylee replied between giggles and gasps for air.

“Hungry?” 
He released her hands and leaned close.  He cupped her chin in one hand. 

“Starved.”  She licked her chapped lips, moistening them before she brushed them across Bastian’s.

“And what would my lady like to eat?” he asked between kisses.

“You,” she said breathlessly.

He smiled.  “Food first.  Me later.”

She laughed softly.  “I guess French toast sounds good.”

Bastian smiled, watching as strands of her dark hair fell toward her face.  He brushed them back.  “That sounds good.  Do you want me to feed you?”

Kaylee arched her eyebrows and grinned devilishly.  “Uh huh.”  She leaned over and kissed his neck.

He closed his eyes for just a moment and groaned softly, allowing himself to revel in Kaylee’s touch before, he stood
. 
“Hold that thought while I make breakfast.”

Bastian padded down the hallway and took the stairs two at a time.  As the clock struck nine, he bounded into the kitchen to find Angie sitting at the table.  She wore jeans and a sweater.  He spotted her suitca
ses and purse next to her chair and
stopped suddenly as she looked at him instead of the paper.  Swallowing hard, he raked his fingers through his hair.  Still, Kaylee had left one of his button-down shirts dr
a
ped over the back of a chair
and he
pulled it on.

“You always did get up early,” he managed.  He walked to the fridge and took out the eggs and milk.

“You always did think nine was early,” she countered, folding the newspaper back into its original position.  “How's Kaylee?”

“Hungry.
  I was just going to make her some French toast.  You want some?
”  Bastian pulled a bowl down from one of the cabinets and cracked two eggs into it. 
H
e poured a dab of milk and sprinkled
in some
cinnamon.

“No thanks.  I was–
”

”What are you afraid of?  Food poisoning or something?
  A little
s
alm
o
ne
l
la
can do wonders for you, I’ve been told.
”  Bastian whisked a fork through the mixture. 

An
gie smiled.  “It’s not that.”  She nodded her head toward the door.  “A cab should be here any minute to drive me to the airport.”

“You just got here.
  I know I was a bit
brusque
when you arrived
,
but
while
I’d
expected many things, seeing you right at that moment
hadn’t been
one of them.  I’m asking you to forget about the person who’s been lumping you in the same category as Dad.  I should never have done that.  I had no right.  I’d like you to stay for a few days.”

Bastian’s hand stopped moving, and he turned to face his sister.  He frowned and shrugged
, lowering himself into
the chair beside her.

“
You don’t have to apologize.”  She squeezed his hand reassuringly.  “I’m not leaving because you were rude
—and 
you were.  I’m leaving because you and Kaylee need this time.  It’s important to both of you.
 
And as long as you’re with her, I know things will be okay.  Besides, I did what I came to do.”
 

“Apologize?  Is that what you thought you needed to do?” he asked, leaning closer.  “You didn’t.  This wasn’t your fault.  Besides, I did my own fair share of damage.”

Angie smiled. 
“It’s not just about apologizing.  It’s about letting you know I love you as you are.  If you’re happy, so am I.”

“You didn’t have to call a cab.  I would have driven you to the airport, you know
.
”  He leaned back in the chair and stretched his back.

She laughed and checked her watch. 
“Maybe I like cabs.”

  Bastian folded his arms across his chest.  “Yeah, well, the way they drive here, you’re putting your life in their hands.”

“No offense, Bastian, but I’ve seen the way you drive.”  She pointed a finger accusingly.  “And let me tell you there isn’t much difference.”

Outside, a car horn blared, and Angie jumped, startled
at
the noise.  Her hand settled on her chest, and she shook her head.  The color drained from her cheeks
.

Bastian laughed.  “Did I mention just how polite they are?”

“No, you must've forgotten.”

“I’ll walk you out.” 
Bastian stood and grabbed her luggage. 

“Are you crazy?”  Angie touched his arm.  “You’ll freeze to death.”

“Nah,” he said, heading toward the foyer.  “The Neanderthal in me loves the cold.”  Together
,
they walked to the door, which Bastian held open before following her down the walkway to a yellow cab.  The driver stepped out and held
the trunk
open, allowing Bastian to deposit Angie’s suitcase
s
.  Then he slammed the trunk shut.  Feeling the coldness nip at his ears, Bastian turned to face her.

“You know where to find me.”

She shivered as a frigid breeze brushed across her face.  “Yeah, I guess I do, Bastian.” 

He reached out, took her into his arms, and squeezed her.  “I’m so glad you came, Angie.”

“Me, too.” 
She returned the embrace and pressed her face against his chest.

For a moment
,
they stood until a shiny black Mercedes pulled into the drive.  “Great--the Wicked Witch of the North has arrived.”  His arms slackened
,
and Angie stepped back.

“Must be Kaylee’s mom,” she guessed, sizing up the price of the car.  She tapped
his
shoulder sympathetically.  “I hate to say it, but I think you’re just going to have to grin and bear it,
b
ro.  Women like her are on a mission, and it’s usually to make everyone else suffer.”

“Lucky me.”

Angie stepped toward the cab.  “I’ll see you soon.  Call if you need anything.”

“Any day, people,” the cabbie said as he slid into the driver’s seat.

Bastian
opened the cab door for her. 
“I'm sorry about the way things turned out.  I never should have greeted you the way I did.”

“Don’t be sorry.  Just don’t be a stranger.”
Angie climbed inside
and
closed the door.  Bastian stepped away from the cab and watched it tool down the driveway and onto the street.  Once the cab
had
disappeared, Bastian turned his attention to Denna, watching as she walked toward him, scrutinizing him, starting at his feet and ending at his head. 
Here goes round two,
he thought, folding his arms across his chest. 
I’ll be fine so long as she left the goddamned Taser at home.

“Good morning, Ms. Renard.  And how are you?”

“Where’s Kaylee?”  She fished for something in her purse.

He forced a fake smile.  “I’m fine, Ms. Renard.  It's kind of you to ask.”

“I didn’t ask how you were.  I asked where Kaylee was.” 
Glowering at him, s
he pulled a tissue from her purse and touched her nose lightly.

“And I asked you a polite question you ignored.
  I guess that makes us even, doesn’t it?
”  Bastian shoved his hands in his jean pockets. 

She tried to brush past, but he stepped into her path.  “Damn it,” she swore, still trying to move around him, but he matched her direction step for step.  “What do
you
want?”

“For you to stop acting like I have leprosy.”  He stepped closer.  “I haven’t done anything to hurt Kaylee.  Or you.  She gave me a chance, and all I’m asking is that you do the same.”

“Oh, you have done things.” 
She crammed the tissue in her purse. 

He shook his head.  “Loving Kaylee isn’t a crime.”

She pointed a finger at his face.  “You don’t love her.  You just want the money she has.”

Bastian slapped her hand away.  He stared at the hard line of her mouth and the eyes that pierced him.  Her fingers curled to fists, and he finally understood.  “
My family has plenty of money I didn’t want. 
You’re afraid you’re going to lose Kaylee, and maybe you will, but it won’t be because of me.”  He turned and started to walk inside.

“I asked you where my daughter was.”

Bastian kept walking.  “Sleeping.”

“Can I trust you with a simple message for her?  Or will you bungle that, too?”

Bastian stopped and shook his head.  “You’re  going to have to take a chance, aren’t you?”

She looked at her watch and then at Bastian. “I’d like Kaylee to come over around seven tomorrow.  I have something I want to give her.”

“I’ll tell her.”  Bastian touched the door knob.

As he opened the door, she said hesitantly, “I have something...for
you, too.”

Bastian laughed aloud and shrugged his shoulders.  “What
—a
cage?  A leash?  A whip?”

He started to go inside when she called, “Seven.  Don’t forget,” then turned back toward her car.

“Don’t worry,” he shouted.  “You spoke in simple words that even a
n
idiot
like me
could understand.”

Denna glared and opened her car door.  As Bastian stepped inside, he heard the
Mercedes’
engine purr to life and wondered what chilled him more
—the cold
or that woman.

Chapter Nineteen

Despite the nervousness clawing at Bastian's stomach and the acid eating away inside, he forced a smile and slid his arm around Kaylee's waist as they followed the cement path around Denna’s landscaped yard.

He frowned. 
"Your mother said she wanted to give you something. And me, too."

Kaylee stopped and looked at him incredulously. "You'd better make sure it's not ticking."

Bastian laughed and drew her closer. "I thought of that, don't worry.
  I'm not really sure about this.
Speak of the devil and she appears."
He looked at the window by the front door and spotted Denna. 
A few snowflakes landed on the back of his neck.

As they stepped to the door, Kaylee
stopped.
"Relax. We can exchange gifts and go."

"That's easy for you to say," Bastian grunted. "I'm still not convinced she hasn't put a price on my head and invited some mercenary over for the kill.
  Besides, I didn't get her a present,
"
he whispered
as Denna opened the door
.

"You mean you didn't shop for her," she replied, waving a couple of small gift bags in front of him. "I went out last week and picked up something for both of us to give her."

He pecked her cheek. 
"You might have saved my life.
  I’d hate for her to use the T
aser
again.
"

Thick white flakes landed in Kaylee's dark hair, turning into glistening drops as they melted. Bastian stared as Denna opened the door.
  She wore a tan velvet pantsuit with brown pumps.  A delicate gold necklace adorned her
neck
.

"I see you got the message," she said in a non
-
committal tone to her daughter.   "Well, don’t just stand there all
night
. Come inside."

"Good evening, Mother,” Kaylee said, stepping into the foyer and waiting for Bastian to follow. He looked at his boots, stamped off the excess snow
,
and stepped inside. Kaylee's mother brushed past them, heading into the living room, gesturing for them to follow.

"
Merry Christmas. 
We brought you these,” Kaylee said, holding out the bags as the two of them sat on the couch. 

Denna stared at the gifts, and
accepted them
with a trembling hand
as
she sat on the armchair next to the couch.  Gingerly, she
began to
unwrapping the
m
. After all the paper had been tugged away, Denna gasped as she found a gold heart
-
shaped locket. She laid the charm in her palm.

“
It's beautiful," she whispered.

As Kaylee watched her mother hold the locket against her chest, she stood and helped her drape the chain around her neck and close the clasp. Denna’s hand closed over the heart, and she closed her eyes.

Kaylee pointed to the other small bag. "Bastian brought you this one."

Denna's eyelashes fluttered open
,
and she peered at the unopened present. "You really didn’t need to," she said, slowly picking up the package.   Carefully, she tugged the contents from the bag and examined them to find a pair of black leather gloves and a matching hat.  Bastian too, leaned close, intrigued to see what exactly Kaylee had found as an appropriate gift.

”These are lovely.” 
Denna
slipped her hand into one of them.  “I had meant to buy myself a new pair
when
I lost my old ones last month, but I hadn’t gotten around to that.”  She pulled off the glove
.
“Thank you.”  Standing, she headed toward the small tree in the corner that both Kaylee and Bastian had overlooked upon entering
.

“I have something for both of you.”  She lifted the two presents from under the tree and gave the larger of the two to Kaylee.  “Merry Christmas.”

Bastian held
his
gold-wrapped gift in his lap, wondering what the hell to do with it.  He knew he was supposed to open
it
, but considering just how uncomfortable things were between him and Denna, he felt awkward at best.  He looked at Kaylee and found her nodding her head.

“Go ahead,” she whispered, smiling as she, too, held her unopened gift in her lap.  “Open yours first.  I want to see what Mo
ther
gave you.”

Bastian frowned, wondering if that was code for “Let’s see if it’s a bomb or something else dangerous.”  Still, he could tell from Kaylee’s still hands that she was going to wait for him, even if it took all
evening
.

He fumbled
with
the paper, trying to loosen the tape without tearing the paper, and he thought he was doing a fine job until Kaylee leaned over and whispered, “You’re supposed to tear the paper, Bastian.”

“Since you put it that way,” he muttered
,
yanking the paper free of the gift.  As a big piece came loose, he saw that what he held was a framed picture of Kaylee, or the child she’d been a lifetime ago.  A long white dress covered her five-year-old body, and big transparent wings
had been
mounted on her back.  She smiled at the person taking the picture and waved her wand.  In her smile
,
Bastian could see the woman with whom he would someday fall in love.  Still, God help him, he’d never been lucky enough to know the child she’d been.  He’d missed that.

“Oh, my God,” he whispered,
mesmerized
by her sky-blue eyes.  “It’s perfect.  She’s perfect.”  He could feel the sting of tears
,
and his vision clouded over.

“I didn’t really know what to get you
.  I’m not exactly the world’s best at buying presents
,” Denna said, softly, leaning
back into
the couch.

Bastian looked at Denna.  “This is priceless.  Thank you.”

Denna smiled at him, and for once Bastian thought he’d seen through the angry facade.  “You’re welcome.”  She turned toward Kaylee.  “You still have a present to open.”

Kaylee began tearing the paper and slowly found a huge scrapbook in her lap.  The word “Baby” w
as
embossed in gold letters across the front.  Kaylee traced the words.
  Tears stung her eyes, and she swallowed hard to keep them in check.

“It’s my baby book,” she said.  “I didn’t even know you’d kept one.”  She flipped through the pages slowly, taking time to run her fingers over the photos.

“Of course I kept a baby book.”  She lifted
a
glass to her lips and took a drink
, then
she set the glass on the table
within a clinking of
ice cubes.  “But it’s not just a baby book
.  I
t’s also a journal I kept until you were two.
  It’s all there, and I thought you might like to have it.
”  She placed her hands in her lap.
 
A huge smile lit up Kaylee’s face as she stood and leaned toward her mother, wrapping her arms around
her
.

“Thank you
,
”
she whispered, kissing her mother’s face.

“You’re welcome.” 
Denna squeezed Kaylee, closed her eyes
,
and savored the feel of the woman who had once been her little girl. 

Kaylee’s eyes burned, and the tears overflowed
.  When at last
she
’d
released her mother, she brushed her face and leaned
back
against the sofa,
clutching
the baby book to her chest.

“Where is your sister?” 
Denna glanced back at Bastian. 

Bastian eyed Denna’s glass, wishing he had  a shot of tequila himself right about now.  He placed his palms together and rubbed them.  “She had some pressing business at home.”

Denna picked up the glass and took another long drink.  “It’s too bad she couldn’t spend the holidays with you.”

Bastian rolled the muscles in his shoulders.  “She’s with me, Ms. Renard, just not physically.”

“Still, it is a pity.” 
Denna arched her eyebrows and fumbled as she placed the glass
back
on the table, almost dropping it. 

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Bastian finally agreed as she turned his attention toward Kaylee.

Denna, too, peered at her daughter
,
who had lost consciousness and slumped against the seat.  
Denna
jumped up, her trembling hand hovering near her mouth.
 
Bastian touched Kaylee’s face and leaned close so he could feel her breath on his cheek. 
Come on, Baby.  You’ve got to be breathing.
  He closed his eyes, trying to focus on Kaylee
.

Den
na
shrieked
, “Oh
,
God
.
  Is she all right?  Is she breathing?”

As if in response, Kaylee sighed and shifted her position, allowing her neck to rest at a more comfortable angle.  Bastian exhaled
audibly
, kissed her cheek, and straightened.

“She’s fine, Ms. Renard.  Just
tired.  It’s been a long day for her
,
and I should get her to bed.
  Thank you again for the picture.
”  He nodded toward
it
.

Bastian turned toward Kaylee and shook her shoulder.  “Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up.  Time to go home.”

“How long have I been asleep?” 
Kaylee lifted her arms over her head and stretched before she even opened her eyes. 

Standing, Bastian offered his hand.  “Long enough to offend your mother with your snoring.”

She grabbed his hand and stood.  “I don’t snore
.
”

Bastian brushed the bangs from her eyes.  “And how would you know?  You’re asleep when it happens.”

“I just know.” 
Kaylee slipped t
he baby book underneath her arm and
brushed past him, heading for the coat rack.

“Yeah, well, whatever you say,” Bastian agreed, smiling.  “We can stop and get some of those nose thingees on the way home.”

“I heard that
,
” Kaylee said, coming back into the room holding both their coats. 
“Thank you for everything, Mother.” 
She handed Bastian
his
jacket
, and leaned over to give her mother a kiss as Bastian put his coat on. 

Denna
,
nestled in the warmth of her daughter, noticing for the first time just how thin Kaylee had grown.  “You’re welcome.”

As Kaylee put on her jacket, Bastian reached out and helped her.  “Good night, Mother.”

Denna forced a smiled to her lips.
  “Good night.”
 

Bastian took Kaylee’s arm and led her to the front door.  Opening it for her, he watched Kaylee step out into darkness.   Thick flakes tumbled from the grey heavens, and whiteness collected in Kaylee’s dark mane.  As Bastian inhaled, he smelled burning wood from someone’s fireplace. 

Denna peered at them for a moment before closing the door.  But even after she
’d
shut it, the expression on her face–a frown with her lips slightly parted–haunted him.  He knew grief when he saw it.  Sometimes it peered back at him from his
own
reflection.
 
Kaylee stopped and reached back for him, waiting until he
’d
sli
d
his hand into hers.  Although she tried to step forward, Bastian stopped her.  Turning toward him, she smiled and touched his face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”
she asked.

“
I can’t help it.  You’re too beautiful.
   Have I told you lately how lucky I am to have you in my life?”
  He slipped his arm around her
and
memorized the way her pale skin glimmered as the moon finally broke free of the clouds, the way her lips turned
up
into a smile,
how her eyes burned with life.

She kissed his chin. 
“Not lately.”

“I'm the luckiest man in the world.”

Lifting his hand, he stroked the length of her hair, savoring the feel of snowflakes and silk.  When he
’d
reached the ends, he nestled his fingers in the dark strands, comforted.