Page 83 of Greed

Michael stepped back as a massive boom, a voice of their Father reaching the furthest corners of Heaven and maybe beyond, sounded. “Enough!”

All fell silent and stilled regardless of position. Even the dragon stopped to stare. And as they did, soft sobbing reached my ears. My eyes found Shilo holding his dead son in his arms as he rocked back and forth. A deep sadness filled me, a pain that I couldn’t comprehend as I stared at the man’s grieved expression.

My last image of Heaven was that of Callista standing with a group of other angels huddled near the badly damaged palace. Tears dripped from her beautiful eyes, but the look on her face was one of disgust. I looked down at my body dripping with blood and other things, and as I looked up, she turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

I awoke with a start, my body jerking back to the now. But my eyes immediately found another set of blue eyes staring down at me. Concern etched into Minetta’s beautiful features.

“You were dreaming, are you okay,” she asked and laid a soft kiss on my cheek. Tears pricked the back of my eyes, and I turned my head so she wouldn’t see it.

“It was only a dream. I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe you will tell me what happened one day because dreams don’t cause the pain I see in your eyes.”

Turning my head, I pushed her dark hair out of her face before claiming her mouth. So sweet, she was always the same. Rolling us over, I sighed as I settled between her legs. “Right now, I don’t want to remember.”

Wrapping her legs around my waist, she kissed me hard and nipped at my lower lip. “Then, let’s see if we can make you forget,” she whispered.

I’d never felt more at peace. Not even the grander and warmth of Heaven’s touch could compare to her.

Minetta slept most of the plane ride home, and to say she was sore would’ve been the understatement of the century. When the man said he could stay hard, he hadn’t been joking or bragging. At least not falsely bragging anyway. She ached in places she didn’t know was possible, yet all she could think about was climbing on his lap in the jet for more of that delicious pain. She couldn’t stop the silly glowing smile as she reflected on the last couple of days. Had she really taken off on a romantic weekend getaway with a fallen angel? The idea seemed preposterous and felt oddly right, like it was fated to happen. She’d felt a calm flow over her and seep into her soul as they’d made love and for the first time, she felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

“I think we should go to Spain next weekend or maybe Ireland? Do you prefer tropical? I know a great location to do some scuba diving,” Riker said, holding up his tablet to show her a stunning island with crystal blue waters. He flicked up, and the image changed as he went through the list of different locations. “Or if none of those interest you, then how about an Orient cruise? I have my own yacht, so we can leave whenever and just live on the boat and see the world.”

She gripped his forearm to stop his excited rambling. “Riker, please stop for a moment.” His smile faded as he looked at her face. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to buy our happiness, or my feelings maybe. I don’t know, but I don’t need or want a fancy trip every week. I don’t want you buying me anything, really.”

He ran his hand over his face. “Then what do you want, what would make you happy?”

“Do I not look happy?”

“Yes, but we were just away on vacation.”

“So, you think that I need a vacation every weekend to make me happy? Is that how shallow you think I am?”

His mouth opened and then closed, no sound coming out. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to spend money on you.”

“That’s fine, but doing this ‘going overboard’ thing is overwhelming. It’s like you think if I’m not being lavished on, then I’m going to lose interest in you. Riker, I’m happy because of you, not because of what you can purchase. I’m a simple soul to my core, and that doesn’t mean we can’t see the world, just not all in a month. If you want to spend the money, then do it to help others. You don’t need to impress me.”

He stood and walked away before turning and marching back. “I have worked very hard for what I have, and there is nothing wrong with me wanting to spend some on you. Why do you make me feel bad every time I open my mouth?”

“It’s not the spending the money that bothers me. It’s why you want to do it?”

“You’re not making sense.” He stormed off to the bathroom, the little occupied light glowing. She sighed and slumped down into her seat. Why couldn’t he see that she would want him even if he was penniless and had nothing but himself to offer? It was like she was speaking a language that he couldn’t comprehend.

When he returned, he sat across from her and didn’t speak. In fact, he didn’t look at her at all. As the captain’s voice came on over the cabin speaker, she stared out the window, “Please buckle up for landing.”

As soon as the wheels touched down, she turned off the flight mode on her phone to find it full of messages from Penny.

Pressing the voicemail button, she listened to the first message. “Minny, it’s me, Penny. Call me back, there is something wrong with Toby, and I don’t know what to do.” Her heart sped up with the message. She quickly pressed end, not bothering with the rest, and dialed Penny.

“Minny! Why did it take you so long to call me back? I’m freaking out here.”

“We were in the air and just landed. What’s wrong with Toby,” she asked as she grabbed her stuff and headed for the still closed plane door.

“I don’t know. He just started throwing up and wouldn’t stop. He wouldn’t eat or drink anything and hasn’t had a bowel movement for an entire day.”