Page 109 of Angel

“Walk with me.”

I really don’t have time for this, but there is something about the hunched shoulders and resignation in his voice that intrigues me. Gabriel is a strong, powerful man, and this isn’t like him.

As expected, we head toward the lake, and I try not to allow my irritation show. The last thing I need is a graveyard visit today, but it’s the only place Gabriel ever takes me. I’m aware he goes there most days, sometimes several times. If I could engage him a shrink, I would, hell, several. A team of them because one thing I’ve known for quite some time is that Gabriel needs help.

“Word is Emilio Martinez killed himself. The rumor is he was in deep with the Carlozas and they were hunting him. He took the easy way out rather than face torture. It’s a little shaky but appears to have done the job and the case has been marked as gang warfare and is now closed.”

“So, we are off the hook?”

“For now.”

Gabriel shrugs. “You got lucky that night. Sophie turned out to be a warrior. You should be proud.”

How can I tell him that pride blooms in my chest every time I catch her eye? That she is my first thought when I wake and I fall asleep gazing into her peacefully sleeping face. I am so in love with Sophie it hurts and the idea of destroying us with the truth is tearing me apart.

“And Sam?”

“Is pretending none of it happened. He has avoided the set and kept a low profile. Probably relieved that he is no longer beholden to the Martinez mafia.”

“Which is a family without a head in place.” I remind him, and he shakes his head.

“As of yesterday, his cousin Giorgio Martinez took over control.”

“Emilio would have hated that.”

I chuckle to myself because Giorgio Martinez absolutely hated his cousin and kept as far away as possible. He operates out of Cuba, and it appears he has decided to expand his operation to Miami.

“The Romanos are pissed he’s invading their territory. Emilio was small fry compared to them but now Giorgio is on the scene. It’s full-on mafia wars down there.”

“That’s their problem. All that concerns me is what happens in Los Angeles.”

“Then there’s Ricardo. His court hearing was yesterday, and he was sent down with no bail until the trial, scheduled for February.”

“What about the body in the trunk?”

“Turned out to be a hooker from the boulevard. Poor woman was tortured over several days according to the autopsy and died a long painful death.”

I shiver, remembering how close he came to Sophie and I’m confident his future will be equally torturous. The Angels call on many operatives both inside and out of prison, and Ricardo’s future is an extremely bleak one.

We reach the graves and, as always, my heart blacks out when I stare at my mom’s.

Gabriel keeps her headstone polished and the flowers surrounding it are fresh every day and have been since she was buried here.

He crouches before the grave to remove a few dead flowers and I make a fist.

His hand rests on the grass covering her body and in a low voice, he whispers, “To mourn somebody is a terrible thing, Angel, but to mourn your soul mate is devastating.”

I say nothing, then again, I never do, and he straightens up and fixes his intense gaze on me.

“When you find the person who matches you in every way, you don’t mess with that. You do everything in your power to make them happy, even at the expense of your own.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

I dismiss him out of hand and he merely stares coldly into my eyes and says gruffly, “Because I believe your soul mate is Sophie. You’ve been infatuated with her for too long now and yet you lie to her every day.”

“You know nothing about what I think or feel.”

I turn away, his glare unnerving as always.