At least that was what I told myself as we moved.
The drive back to the house passed in tense silence. My mind whirled with the implications of what we’d discovered. Not just what the angels were doing, but who was leading them. It was no coincidence Lael led this group of dissidents.The question was why Michael would manipulate Orion into confronting his ex. That was cruel at any time, but at this critical time, it was particularly reckless.
I also couldn’t shake the sense I’d been played. Set up as a pawn in a larger game whose true stakes remained hidden from me. The questions and doubts crowded my brain until I could barely keep my thoughts straight.
Orion’s grip on the steering wheel alternated between squeezing tightly and nearly crushing it between his fingers. I wanted to help, but how? The emotional cost of telling me about him and Lael had been high. This new revelation had to be eating him up.
“Orion?”
The momentary side eye he gave made it clear he didn’t want to talk. I couldn’t, shouldn’t force him to talk, but I didn’t need to force anything to be there.
“I know you don’t want to talk right now, but I’m here if you need someone to listen.”
He nodded and I figured that was the best I could get from him. “Thank you for understanding. I’m not ready just now, but I might be later.”
So much for understanding him. “Anytime.”
Orion got out of the car without a word as soon as we arrived at the house. I would have talked if he needed me, but I wanted to speak to my dad first. He knew me and Orion, and he might have some insight into what Michael was doing that could help.
“I need to make a call,” I told Orion’s back as we entered the house. He headed for the kitchen area, so I retreated to my bedroom.
Sitting on my bed, I tapped the secure line programmed into my watch and hoped he’d be free. It only took a few seconds before Dad’s halo image appeared in my room.
“Zeke? What’s wrong?” His face mirrored the concern lacing his words.
It shouldn’t have surprised me Dad thought I was troubled. He’d flown to Minnesota four days ago to check on me and probably assumed it was more of the same.
“It’s not Orion, I mean it is, but not like that.” I stopped and took a deep breath. “Orion and I are working fine together. It’s Lael.”
“He told you about Lael,” Dad said, looking almost pleased.
I was doing a terrible job of explaining. “Yes, but that’s not what I meant. We found the location of the surges. Lael’s the one orchestrating everything.”
Dad frowned and I remembered how he didn’t like Lael from the start. I wondered if that had been a revisionist narrative once the two broke up.
“Tell me what you found.”
Skipping how we found the place, I showed him images of what I’d seen. The machines, the setup, and the angels involved.
“Why didn’t you or anyone else tell me Lael and I look so similar? That wasn’t a coincidence.”
Dad’s expression remained impassive, but a muscle ticked in his jaw as he considered how to respond.
“I can’t say I know Michael’s thinking, but I’m sure part of him hoped your resemblance to Lael might shock Orion out of his self-induced exile. But it wouldn’t have been the main reason he picked you. As I said before, you were the most qualified angel for this investigation.”
A strange mix of relief and embarrassment washed over me. Michael wouldn’t play matchmaker, that would be ludicrously beneath him. Except he had. It wasn’t his primary motivation, but why focus on just one thing when you could address multiple issues at one time?
“Did he know Lael was behind this before he sent us here?”
Dad’s gaze softened, equal parts sympathy and paternal concern reflected in his eyes. “I only know what he tells me, but nothing he does is without purpose and strategy. Even if his methods can seem . . . obtuse at times.”
I snorted derisively at the understatement but stayed silent, allowing Dad the space to continue uninterrupted.
“If I were a betting angel, I’d say he knew or at least had strong suspicions. It’s too big a coincidence Lael and Orion are here at the same time.”
Getting confirmation didn’t make me happy. “I figured.”
“Are things okay between you and Orion?”
