End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3)(23)

I try to remember to breathe. That’s right. One of them saw him at the hotel room at the aerie.

‘Never enough, bro,’ says Dum. ‘Never enough.’

‘What do you mean he “hangs with angels”?’ asks Obi as he gets up from the conference table.

My breath refuses to move out of my lungs.

‘Remember?’ says Dee. ‘We told you that Penryn and this guy were in the hotel. Actually talking with angels.’

‘Penryn’s not the only one who knows stuff about them.’ Dum nods.

I let out a deep breath. They remember Raffe, but only as a human.

Obi walks over and waves Raffe into the conference room. ‘That’s great news. We can use all the help and information we can get.’ He puts his hand out for Raffe to shake. Raffe doesn’t.

‘Hello, Obi,’ I say, waving to him.

‘Penryn,’ says Obi, looking over my way. ‘If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’m sure I’d remember whatever unfinished business we have. Instead, I’m just glad to see you alive and well.’

He steps over and hugs me.

I stand there, stiff and unsure. Raffe’s face is expressionless as he watches us.

‘Thanks.’ I hover in front of the door. I remember our unfinished business. Obi locked me and my mother up in a police car, and we escaped in the middle of the night. But despite that, he’s glad to see me.

I admit, after all I’ve been through, it’s sort of good to see him and his gang too. Some people might call that messed up. I call it dealing with family. Not that he’s family, but if things keep going the way they have been, I’ll be glad to see any human being.

‘Where’s your sister?’ asks Doc. He reaches for the door as if he suspects I’m hiding her just outside.

‘Funny you should ask,’ I say, lowering my voice. ‘Can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?’ I have a wild hope that Doc, Raffe, and I might be able to sneak away.

‘No need for privacy,’ says Obi. ‘Doc told us all about his work on Alcatraz and his hopes for Paige. We’d all love to hear about your sister. Is she all right?’

I look at the faces around the table. All of them are older than me. Some of them look like grizzled veterans from previous wars. Others look like they’re recently off the streets. What would they do if they knew they had an angel in the room?

‘What do you want with her?’ I ask. I can’t help but sound suspicious.

‘Doc tells us she might be our best hope.’

‘Doc is an optimistic guy,’ I say.

‘There’s no harm in seeing, right?’

‘The last time you took a look at her, you had her tied in ropes like a rabid animal.’ I can’t help but glance at Martin. His hand still looks rope burned as he drums a pencil against the fingers of his open hand.

‘That wasn’t me,’ says Obi. ‘I came on the scene just before you did and was trying to figure out what happened. Look, people make mistakes. We’re driven by fear and exhaustion and outright stupidity sometimes. We’re not perfect like the angels. All we can do is rely on each other and do our best. I’m sorry for how your sister was treated. We need her, Penryn. She could turn this war around.’

‘Not if she starves to death,’ I say. ‘Make Doc fix her, and we’ll talk about what she can do for you.’

‘Fix her?’ asks Obi.

I glance at Doc.

‘I’ll see what I can do,’ says Doc. ‘I need to make sure she’s all right first, which means I need to see her.’ He gives me a pointed look.

‘Can you bring her to us?’ asks Obi.

I shake my head. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ I glance again at Martin, who is watching us with intense eyes.

‘Fine,’ says Doc before Obi can object. ‘Take me to her.’

I turn, hoping for a quick escape, but Obi calls out my name.

‘There’s been a rumor about a teenage girl who killed an angel,’ says Obi. ‘They say she has a sword that might be disguised as a teddy bear.’ He looks at Pooky Bear dangling off my hip. ‘You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?’

I blink innocently at him, wondering if it’s better to own it or deny it.

‘I can see we need to rebuild some trust between us. Let me show you around so you can see what we’re about. We could use fighters like the two of you.’

‘I’ve seen the camp, Obi.’ I fidget near the doorway. ‘I know you rescued the people off Alcatraz. That was amazing. Really. You guys were fantastic. But I need to deal with my sister right now.’

Obi nods. ‘All right. I’ll go with you. We can talk while Doc looks over your sister.’

I try really hard not to exchange glances with Raffe. Unless we can get Doc alone, there’s no chance of talking to him about sewing on Raffe’s angel wings.

‘I’ll take you up on your offer for a tour,’ says Raffe. ‘It’d be interesting to see what you’re putting together here.’

I freeze my expression in place, trying not to betray my thoughts. This is just getting worse by the second.

Obi’s face breaks into a grin. ‘Excellent. I’ll introduce you to a few people. I think you’ll be proud to call them your brothers in arms if you join us.’