Brethren Beginnings ~ Gabriel Seeker (3 page)

“
I’m looking for two people,
around twenty-two or so, man and woman. Woman’s pretty beat up. Her
name is Phoebe…”

“
Oh, yes. She’s here, poor
thing. Are you family?”

“
I’m all she’s got,” he
replied. It wasn’t a lie. Saying yes would have been a lie, and
something an angel couldn’t do.

“
She’s right through those
doors, room 3A,” she said, pointing to a room in the
corner.

“
Thank you very much,” he
replied, and gave her a spectacular smile as he left the
station.

He nearly slammed into Caleb as he
walked through the door. “Whoa! Where are you racing off to?” He
disregarded Caleb’s puzzled look and focused instead on his
battered and bleeding face.

“
She’s waking up! I gotta
get the doctor.” He pushed by Gabriel and grabbed a hold of one of
the ER doctors. “She’s waking up, come quick.”

“
Okay, sir. Just calm down
and I’ll go check on your friend. While I’m doing that, sit down
over here so a nurse can tend to you. Sheila!” The ER doctor calmly
peeled away Caleb’s viselike grip from his arm and nudged him into
a seat.

“
I don’t give a damn about
me,” Caleb said, standing right back up. “Just help
her.”

“
I’ll take care of him,
Doctor.” Gabriel walked over and smiled. The doctor nodded
appreciatively and moved quickly to tend to Phoebe.

Gabriel stared hard at Caleb. He
surveyed the damage to his face and pushed Caleb unceremoniously
back down into the seat. He waved Sheila over to start putting his
face back together.

“
What? It’s nothing. Hell,
you should see the other guy.”

“
That’s a lie, and you know
it,” Gabriel said gruffly. ”Now stay seated and let the
nurse do her job. Go ahead, Sheila.”

The nurse cleaned and sewed, and turned
Caleb’s face from a monster back into one of a man.

It was time for some answers. Gabriel’s
interrogation would be quick and painless. “Okay, don’t talk. Just
give me a thumbs up for yes, down for no. Do you have a
name?”

One thumb down.

“
Can you ID him?”

One thumb up.

Great. He rubbed the scruff
on his face, grown since the morning.
Caleb’s not making this easy.
It
could be worse. And I do love a challenge.

“
We’ll get this
son-of-a-bitch, and Manny, too. I promise. They’re going down. Mark
my words.” Gabriel pressed his point with a squeeze of Caleb’s
shoulder.

“
I never lie. And I never
lose.”

***

Gabriel’s fingers flew over the
keyboard like a web of lightning across a cloud-laden sky. In no
time at all, he had a name and address to match the sketched face
of Phoebe’s client/rapist. Marco de LaGuardia. Stockbroker. He had
a rap sheet a mile long, too, with crimes ranging from domestic
violence to assault and robbery. He’d been in prison, but never for
very long. No doubt, mafia ties got him out on numerous
technicalities.

With Phoebe and Caleb finally tucked
away in the suite next door, Gabriel was determined to take care of
the dirtbag once and for all. He took his sheathed sword from the
bedroom closet and slung it across his back. A long black leather
jacket served to hide the five-foot long monster, leaving no one
the wiser. He strode towards the door, already planning how he’d
make Marco's life null and void.

A soft, feminine knock broke
through his musings. Was it just his imagination? He froze and
listened.
Yes, there it is again.
He walked back to the connecting door between his
suite and Caleb’s. He unlocked it and turned the knob.

Phoebe stood before him, a slight young
woman of no more than twenty-two years of age. Her long,
chocolate-brown hair was pulled back in a pony-tail, showing
off her bruised face, her right eye and bottom lip fat and swollen.
Her left arm was in a sling, while her right arm hugged her ribs
protectively. Gabriel cursed inwardly, but showed her a
pleasant smile.

She had since changed from her hospital
gown to a t-shirt and long flowing skirt, courtesy of the on-site
boutique. The outfit helped a little toward masking her
mal-nourished, mal-treated body.  Given the proper care,
she could be a very pretty woman. Remembering the depth of Caleb's
emotions at the hospital, Gabriel figured there had to be something
between them. And he was grateful.

“
I’m sorry to bother you,
Gabriel,” Phoebe said timidly. “But I was wondering if you found
out who the guy is that did this to me. I was hoping the details I
gave you for the sketch helped to identify him.”

“
Phoebe, you did wonderfully
with your details. So much so, I was indeed able to get all sorts
of information about him.” Gabriel reached out and tucked a stray
hair behind her ear. He let his hand linger by her cheek. “You
don’t need to worry anymore, my dear. I was just on my way out to …
deal with him.”

“
Oh, thank God!” she
replied, her solemn eyes brightening.

“
Your only concern right now
should be resting and healing. I’ve called upon a friend to come
over tomorrow.” He looked at his watch. ”Well, actually given
the hour, he’s technically coming over today. He’s a healer and can
help you improve above and beyond what the doctors can do. For now,
tonight, go to sleep and dream happy dreams. Your worries are
over.”

“
Thank you,” she said, her
eyes welled with tears. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without
Caleb and then you coming to my rescue.” She looked down at her
socked feet and whispered, “This time was the worst. Honestly, I
think I would’ve died.”

The dams broke and tears streamed down
her face. Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a
linen hanky. A bit old-fashioned, he knew, but it was always there
when he needed it. He handed it to her and she dabbed gingerly at
her face.

“
I’m sorry. This has been
happening ever since I woke up in the hospital.” She blew her
nose.

“
That's okay, I completely
understand.”

“
Caleb told me you offered
him a job as personal assistant if he did real good with some jobs
for you. I hope he's doing okay.” She paused, shuffling her
feet. ”Do you think you might have an opening for a secretary
or something like that? I took typing in high school and was the
top in my class. I'm done with Manny, too. I've gotta get
my life together, and working for you would help me do
that.”

“
I'm glad to hear that. I
believe I can find a suitable job for you at my
company.” The worry lines and wrinkles that had taken up
residence on Phoebe's face diminished as she smiled. Was that
hope and relief he saw?
Good.
 He wove a strong, silent
incantation around her to provide comfort and peace in her soul.
“Let's talk about it tomorrow. Raphael will be here later today, so
that gives you a good seven hours or so to sleep and let your body
begin to heal itself. He'll take care of the rest. I gotta run now.
If you need anything, call the front desk. They have strict orders
to be at your beck and call.”

“
Okay,” she
said turning around, and closed the door part-way behind
her. She stopped suddenly, turned back, and added, “I’m so
glad you came into Caleb’s and my life. You’re an angel, you know
that?” She smiled as best she could and closed the door the rest of
the way.

Gabriel chuckled and shook
his head as he walked out the front door.
You don’t even know the half of it, my girl.

***

There was no need to fly to de
LaGuardia’s house. He lived only a few miles from the resort, so
Gabriel took the complimentary BMW the resort had on hand for its
exclusive patrons. He drove right to the house, passed it, and
parked on the next block. The houses in this neighborhood weren’t
extravagant, but they did have pretty good size plots of land
around them. Fortunate for Gabriel and his plans.

He’d removed his leather jacket and
left it in the car, and released his wings so he could move
noiselessly through his task. Floating over the concrete wall
surrounding the property, Gabriel then slunk his way to the back
patio door. He waved his hand over the lock, whispered a certain
incantation, and it opened. He floated about an inch above the
floor, making his way throughout the house and up the stairs
to the clueless de LaGuardia asleep in his bed.

No kids, no wife, and no family to give
a damn if they hadn’t heard from him in a while. He was a
non-person. And Gabriel would make certain he remained that
way.

Intentionally hitting his leg against
the bedpost, he created a mattress earthquake of grand
proportions.

“
What the…” de LaGuardia sat
straight up in his bed and scrambled for the light
switch.

“
Don’t bother with the
light. You won't need it to see what’s here before you.” Gabriel
saw a hand retract. Then he unsheathed his sword and floated above
the confused man like a golden wraith.

“
Wha… who the hell are you?
What the hell are you doing in my house? You better stay the hell
back or I’ll call the police.” The man’s voice trembled as if he
were naked in a snowstorm.

“
To answer your questions
Marco, I am Gabriel, a Protector of the Good, an angel. I am here
to make the rest of your pitiful life a living hell. Don't
call the police, yet, because they will think you are totally
insane. Ask me why, Marco. Ask me why they'll think you're
insane.”

“
Wh… why?”

“
Because you’ll want to tell
them that an angel broke into your house and hurt you. Now who in
their right mind would believe such an insane story as that?
Hmm?”

“
Hurt me? Why are you gonna
hurt me? I haven’t done anything to you. I don’t even know
you. I’ll ask you again. What the hell are
you?”

“
I told you. My name is
Gabriel. I’m an angel, here on behalf of the two young people you
nearly beat to a pulp last night. You know the ones, Manny’s
whores.”

With Gabriel’s luminous wings casting
an eery bluish glow about the room, he saw awareness dawn on de
LaGuardia’s face quickly followed by one of horror.

“
I didn’t kill anyone, man.
The girl, I paid fair and square for her. She put up a fuss and I
just showed her how it was gonna be. The boy thought he could be
Superman and save his little friend, so I showed him a thing or two
as well. So what’s it to you?”

“
Don’t move, prick.” Gabriel
had noticed de La Guardia reaching towards his nightstand drawer.
“It’s time I taught you a lesson on the ethical treatment of
humans. I’m going to show you all the unethical ways to treat a
human being and you tell me if it hurts, okay?” He waved his sword
dangerously close to Marco's gut.

“
What? Are you crazy? You
ain’t gonna touch a hair on my bony butt. I’ve got a black belt in
karate. I’ll kick your ass.” De LaGuardia eyed the sword carefully,
leaned back and slid closer and closer to the edge of his bed. He
looked about ready to pounce. And he did.

Gabriel grabbed de LaGuardia in mid-air
with one hand and slammed him to the floor. He swung the
sword around, allowing the hilt to connect with the side of
Marco's face. Stepping back, Gabriel waited to see if he was
going to get up. He heard a bit of moaning, so he knelt down and
whispered in his ear.

“
We’ve only just begun to
come to an understanding, jerk-off. I’ve got so much more teaching
to do. Are you ready for your lessons, shit-for-brains?”

A moan escaped de LaGuardia’s
mouth.

“
I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.
Now, when I’m through with my lessons, you will have learned that
what you have done is all sorts of bad and wrong. The consequence
for your actions is that I will strip you of your sex drive, in a
very unpleasant sort of way. Your penchant for violence will be
stripped from you, in a very unpleasant sort of way. And you will
always remember that an angel, a Protector, came to you
and taught you these valuable lessons. Finally, you will be left
with a constant, crazy urge to tell every person you come in
contact with that you’ve been visited by an angel.”

Gabriel heard a soft yelp and he
smirked. Protecting innocent humans from scum like this would be
his pleasure.

“
Let us begin…”

Chapter Four

     
Storm clouds gathered in the early morning sky.
Unusual for Arizona since they usually gathered towards evening.
Perhaps they were reflecting Gabriel's thunderous mood as he
finished his “business” with Marco de LaGuardia. He had completed
that task successfully, but he felt no sense of joy. Satisfaction,
yes. Joy, no. If there weren't scum like Marco on this earth, then
there'd be joy.

No, these clouds portended something
truly evil brewing. Gabriel had pissed off Satan by plucking at the
sanity of one his minions. And Manny, Satan's tool, was next on the
list. Once Gabriel identified all of the kids being exploited and
sold by him for lurid, depraved acts with sick, twisted adults,
Manny's time would come. There would be a showdown, of this Gabriel
was sure. And he was just as sure that he would claim yet another
victory against Evil. Over many millennia, Gabriel's record had
been stellar.