Angel's Hero

Chapter 21

She was surrounded the minute she climbed from the police cruiser.
Conner had parked in the middle of the street, up against the temporary barricades that had been put up to close the road. Jackson reached her first, launching himself into her arms as she'd jogged the short distance from the barriers along the street.
She caught him easily and buried her face in his neck and inhaled the sweet smell that was uniquely little boy.
He smelled of sugar and baby powder, and of grass that he'd probably played on before coming here.
His usual machine gun mouth, firing a million questions at a single time, was silent. His arms held onto her neck, his grip just a little too tight.
Angel wouldn't have let him go for all the money in the world.
Michelle and Sienna reached her next, and both hugged her at once, both with tears in their eyes. They'd been standing to the side near the entrance of the cordoned off coffee shop.
She hadn't looked directly at her store yet, had deliberately been diverting her eyes from it.
When they'd neared Boothbay, and seen the trails of smoke in the sky, Angel had dropped her head and stared at her lap.
Standing there, smelling the smoke, and the water-soaked burnt wood, panic started making its way back up her throat.
Too much. It was all too much. Her chest felt tight. She wanted to scream.
Then, she felt him at her back.
Conner stood behind her, and waited until the other women let go.
When they did, she leaned back, desperate to absorb his strength before she turned to take in the damage fully. She closed her eyes to gather strength.
One. Two. Three.
When she looked, her legs trembled and the breath left her lungs in a whoosh.
Conner put his arms around her, encompassing the boy she clutched tightly. He was still quiet, but now he was looking up at Conner; she felt his little chin bump the side of her head.
"Hi there, Jay," Conner ruffled Jackson's hair. "You think you can look after our Angel here while I go talk to my buddies over there? She's going to need help."
Jackson nodded, straightening in Angel's arms.
"I've got her, Mister Sheriff Conner," his little boy voice was solemn, as he slid the ground.
Angel didn't think it possible that she could have smiled just then, let alone the small laugh that escaped her as she looked at her small champion.
Jackson took one of Angel's hands in both of his, and held it to his face, thawing the ice that had gathered in her fingertips when she'd heard about her bakery.
Conner stalked off, ducking underneath the police tape surrounding the area.
Angel watched as the officials in the vicinity noticed him, and reacted to his presence like sunflowers following the sun. He commanded attention, and the people around him responded.
Angel looked back to the destruction, the sight punching her in the gut again.
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," Sienna returned to her side, and put her arm around her waist as they looked at the building in front of them.
The windows were blown out and marks from the smoke travelled up the previously whitewashed walls of the façade, the delicate swirls almost pretty.
Inside, Angel could see that everything was black and broken from the fire. The ceiling had caved in, so daylight poured in, illuminating the interior and the activity in there.
There were a couple officers moving about, firemen navigating the structure, their axes and hammers tapping at walls and doorframes, testing the safety.
The officers were focused on one particular part in the front of the store, the flashes of their camera lighting the interior repeatedly. She couldn't see what they were gathered around as some of the display counter still remained. The glass was gone, but the metal framing had held up through the blaze.
She peered over to where Conner was, in the midst of the police vehicles and the two fire trucks.
His head was turning between the deputies as they relayed details to him. Just then, he lifted his head, and looked directly at her, as if he could feel her eyes on him.
She smiled tightly at him.
He nodded to her, softening his eyes and lifting a corner of his mouth briefly, before returning to the deadpan mask of Sheriff. He then stepped towards the building, pulling on a pair of blue latex gloves.
The sight of him, still in his uniform from the previous day, entering her burnt down building, would be forever ingrained on her memory.
She watched him make his way over to where the other officers stood, cameras in hand. One of them lifted a piece of debris, probably some of the collapsed ceiling, exposing whatever they had been taking photographs of.
Realization slammed through her.
Oh god, it's the body.
Conner was holding a kerchief to cover his mouth and nose, as he studied the ground. She'd wondered why some had masks or material tied over their faces. Now she knew why. Burnt flesh.
A sickly acid bubbled in her throat. Someone had died.
Who? Who had died? How had this happened?
"Miss Angel!"
Angel's head snapped at the voice, scanning the area as she searched, until her eyes landed on Bo heading her way, his wife and kids close behind. His steps were brisk, an arm rose over his head in greeting.
He had a bandage wrapped around the arm at his side, his shirt cut away. Blood darkened the material on his chest next to his injury.
She could see he had a few scratches on his face, and he was limping, but he was moving towards her quickly.
She broke away from Jackson, Michelle and Sienna to run to him.
He caught her in his unharmed arm, and she ran her hands up and down his back, trying to feel as much of him as possible. He smelled of smoke, antiseptic, and sweat. He smelled alive.
Shelby took the hand Angel reached out to her when she stepped away from Bo, giving it a quick squeeze.
"Oh, Bo," Angel said, placing the open palm of her free hand on his cheek. "I'm so glad you're alright."
"Me too, Miss" the Creole gentleman ran a hand over Grace's head as she leaned against her father. "Me too."
His older daughters stood off to the side clinging to their mother.
"What happened? Who is in there?"
"I can't say for sure Miss Angel. There was a lot going on," he grimaced. "I'll tell you what I told the deputies. I went in at four thirty as was my usual, and started up the oven, also as my usual. While I was waitin', I noticed the trashcan overflowin' and decided I might as well empty them all while I waited for the oven to heat up proper. I had already prepped the trays yesterday, so I was just gonna be standin' around anyways."
Angel nodded with him, hanging onto every word.
Robert and Raymond Mason came screeching to a halt just then, their green pickup skidding a little, the sound halting Bo's story and causing everyone in their group to turn their attention to them.
They slammed out of the vehicle at the same time, Raymond heading over to where Conner had returned to the group of officers outside, huddled together, and Robert marched straight towards Michelle.
He took one of her hands as he got close then reached out to hug Angel, still holding onto Michelle.
Angel saw the blush on Michelle's cheeks, and the slight surprise on her face as she looked at the fingers clasping hers.
"Go ahead, Bo," Angel said to him. Angel would get the details from her friend on that situation later.
"Well as I was sayin', I had taken all the cans out back, and when I was climbin' the steps, 'bout to open the door, an almighty essplosion came from inside, blowin' the thing open, knockin' me out into the alley there. My arm got caught on the latch, and it sliced me good, and some stuff came flying down on me while I lay there, hitting me in my face."
"Jesus," Robert whispered, releasing Michelle's hand to put his arm around her, hugging her to his side, his other hand pressed against the side of his head in shock.
"I'm just lucky I decided to take them bins out, otherwise I wouldn'a be here."
Angel shuddered.
She'd loved Bo's accent when she'd first met him, saying she could hear the Louisiana Bayou in it, teasing him to his delight, but he'd worked hard at correcting his speech so his girls would 'grow up good', as he put it, without the disadvantage of sounding uneducated, which had been a major problem when he'd lost his family land to his father's gambling debts and he'd had to start from scratch, and had met a lot of prejudice along the way. The fact that he was slipping in his elocution now, showed just how rattled he really was.
Doc and Mavis Mallard joined the small group soon. They'd come when the call had gone out about the fire, they explained, to offer their services. Doc had patched Bo up.
Each one of them hugged Angel, and expressed their sympathies.
She thanked them, and clung to Mavis a little longer. The older woman held on too. She thought about the people most important to her, all around her right then. All but one.
But then he was there.
Conner moved to their group and Angel stepped from the middle, into his arms.
He held her gently as she rested her cheek on his chest.
"Mrs. LaTour," He addressed Shelby. "If you would please take the kids?" He indicated with his head to move over to the side.
"It's alright, love," Bo stroked Grace's head as she clutched his pant leg tighter. Annabelle and Marlene hugged their father quickly before stepping away, taking Grace with them.
"Go with them Jay, I've got Angel now, okay? You did great looking after her, buddy. Real good."
The boy nodded, his chest puffed out.
Returning his attention to the group of adults only now, he took a deep breath.
"They think they've been able to get an I.D on the body. Rogan Dean, the young man you had working in the front serving people."
"Ah, Christ," Robert exhaled.
"No!" Angel exclaimed at the same time.
"Dammit, kid. I told him to stop using the store as a crash pad," Bo punched a fist against his thigh.
"What do you mean?" Angel turned to look at Bo.
Grimacing, and realizing secrets meant nothing now, Bo told her.
"When he knew you wouldn'a be in the next mornin', he would use it to sleep off the drunk he got while out here in the harbor, so he didn't have to drive. I caught him a few times, and last time was with a girl. I told him I would be tellin' you if it happened again."
Angel took his hand, and smiled sympathetically.
"I'd just hired him as part time assistant. He didn't show this morning for the opening shift. Now I know why," Robert scratched his neck, shaking his head.
Raymond joined the group, and Angel couldn't help but stare at the twins side by side.
They were impressive. So similar. So impossibly handsome.
Same watchful eyes as they took everything in, sweeping over everyone and everything.
Raymond pulled Conner to the side, indicating for Robert to join them.
Michelle, now free from under Robert's arm, came to stand by Angel's side, filling the void both women felt as the men left them.
Angel wanted to ask about a particular twin.
Turning to Sienna, she asked instead, "How's your shop?"
She'd definitely ask her friend later.
"They just got done checking when you arrived, and there are a few cracks in the foundation, and in the wall that separates our stores. Looks like we'll need to shut for a while to get it all fixed."
"I'm so sorry, Sienna," Angel felt hopeless, shouldering all the blame, and feeling responsible. How could she help them? There was one thing she had, though, that she could put to use.
She had her inheritance from her mother. "I can pay for it all, you know I can. And you too, Bo, I don't want you to worry about money, I'll still be paying everyone their regular salaries. And any medical expenses."
"Appreciate it Miss Angel," Shelby said when she saw her husband could only nod.
"No, you wont pay for my store," Sienna said firmly. "That's what insurance is for."
"But, it was the oven in my store that blew up and caused all this. I need to help you," Angel implored.
"No you don't. Take care of your employees, and let's worry about getting things back to normal," Sienna said.
"Angel," Conner said her name, his voice deep.
She turned to him, her wariness in place. "Yes?"
Oh, god. There's more.
What other bad news could there be?
"We need to head to the station now. Rob and Ray are coming too. There's something we need to discuss."
Angel's shoulders dropped. How much more could she take?
"I'm coming," Michelle said, stepping to stand beside Robert.
"Me, too," Sienna moved towards her daughter.
Michelle turned to look at Jackson, her twisted emotions clear.
"Go, Miss Winters, Shelby and I will take Jackson back to ours. Come get him when you're ready," Bo said to Michelle, patting her on her arm, before he turned to walk over to his wife. She'd moved off to the side, and was now seated on the sidewalk with her girls, and Jackson stood at her back, watching the group of adults with unblinking eyes. Ready to jump into action.
Angel loved him all the more.
"Let's go," Conner took her hand and led her back to the cruiser. Sienna followed, and climbed in the back.
The pickup followed them, Michelle wedged between the twins.
Angel took a steadying breath.

*

They reached the station a minute later, parking their vehicles off to the side. Conner would have suggested walking the short distance, but then he would have had to come back for his vehicle once the barricades were removed. This was just easier.
Conner opened the back for Sienna.
"That's the first time I've been in the back of one of these, you know."
Despite the dire situation, Angel smiled at her and teased, "Sure."
Sienna hooked her arm through Angels, and squeezed.
Robert, Raymond and Michelle approached, and the six of them went inside together.
The station was empty except for Marie at the front desk fielding calls from concerned citizens about the fire, and Deputy Attenbo at the coffee machine, who watched and nodded his head solemnly.
Everyone else was out at the scene, or on patrol.
Nodding to Marie as he passed, he went to his office leading the group back that way.
Once inside, the three women took the available seats, Conner seating Angel in his chair behind the desk himself when she made no move to sit.
The men moved to stand around the room, and Conner leant back against the windowsill to the left of his desk. It was shoved up against the other wall, and had filing cabinets all around, and a dead pot plant on top of the one next to his chair. He'd bought it to liven up the dreary space on his first day, and then completely forgotten to ever water it.
He looked at his friends, then at Angel, and took a deep breath.
"Rob and Ray are volunteers with me for the fire station here. They got the call that everything was under control, and came through only when they heard the location."
Angel smiled to them, thanking them with her eyes.
"There's no easy way to say this, but the explosion was set deliberately."
None of the women said anything for a minute, then they all spoke at once.
"Deliberately? On Purpose?"
"Who would do such a thing?"
"But, why? That's just insane! How do you know?"
Holding up his hands as the questions kept coming, Conner indicated for Raymond to speak.
"I used to be a fireman in Nevada, and worked with the cops a lot on arson investigations to help train them up on what to look for. You know, if someone is buying a lot of certain types of materials, this is what could be done with it. That sort of thing." He took a breath, moving to stand beside Conner, so he could address them all. "I noticed that the piping at the back of the oven had neat edges. Wear and tear isn't neat. The piping was cut. And when Bo turned the oven on, he more or less started the timer. The countdown to the bomb going off."
"He's damn lucky he went out back," Robert said.
"Yeah, but Rogan was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time," Conner said.
Raymond had pulled Robert and him to the side to tell him he was certain it was arson. Conner had already assumed as much, based off what he found, but hearing Raymond confirm it settled in his gut like a cold rock.
He hadn't told them what he thought, but he knew he could now, when they were away from the others.
He looked directly at Angel as he said the next bit.
"There was evidence that Rogan's hands had been tied, that he'd been there forcibly."
Angel stared at him blankly for a minute, while the others expressed their confusion and disgust, then her eyes widened, and he knew she'd understood what he was implying.
"Are you saying... Are you sure?"
"What? What am I not getting?" Michelle spoke out.
"What're you saying, Grayson?" Sienna used a stern tone. His past life as a soldier responded automatically straightening his back at her words. Robert and Raymond echoed the older woman's sentiments.
"Spit it out, Conner."
"It's not definitive yet. I can't prove that it is the same person who set the fire that killed Angel's mom, but I'm pretty sure."
Angel was pale, too pale.
"Your Mom? Shit, Angel. Sorry," Robert winced.
Raymond swore loudly and colorfully.
Mother and daughter moved in sync from their seats to stand next to Angel, each at a shoulder.
He continued. "They used the same handcuff knot. That connection alone is enough for me to take precautions."
In response to the questioning glances the twins aimed at her, Angel relayed what Conner had told her about her mom, and he filled in the details he'd received from the detectives handling the case back over in Miami.
Robert and Raymond remained quiet while they listened.
The group spoke about the why's and how's this person had made Angel the target.
"I don't know, I really don't," Angel had said when she'd been pressed about whether or not she had any enemies.
"What about Jenna Percy?" Michelle said.
"What about her?" Angel said blankly. "Oh, no, you really don't think that she could do this because I'm her competition? For baked goods?" Angel shook her head. "Besides, I only met her a few months ago. After Mum."
"It might still be worth it to question her," Conner said. He wrote Jenna's name onto the page of his notebook. He'd taken it out when they'd all started speculating.
He didn't want to risk anything.
Conner would be following up on every possible lead. For all they knew, the person who had cut the pipes had thought that Angel would have been in the store, and their plan had been to catch her on the opening shift alone, and had messed with the oven, their intention for the blast to take her out.
Conner deliberately shoved that thought away. It hadn't gone down like that. She was safe.
But it sparked a thought.
If they had succeeded with that plan, there wouldn't have been a reason to tie anyone up. Rogan must have caught them by surprise, and they'd had to improvise. Without Rogan, Conner never would have linked to two incidents. If they were indeed connected, then this would give them the upper hand.
Back in Nevada he'd done the detective training when he'd been on the force, but had joined the military instead of progressing into the position. Conner knew what to look for thanks to the training.
Just then, the phone on his desk rang, and he picked it up, intending to deal with whoever it was quickly, and send them on their way if it wasn't important.
"Hello, Sheriff," the voice sounded muffled.
"Who is this?" Conner asked. The hairs on the back of his neck lifted.
"Put me on speaker, please. I need to speak to her."
Conner's hands turned to ice on the handset.
"Who is this?" he ground the words out quietly, hoping to keep the others oblivious. He should have known better.
"What's going on, Conner?" Angel said behind him, and he heard Robert and Raymond stop their conversation, saw them face him.
"I know she's there. Put me on speaker."
To the room, Conner said, "It's him. He wants to speak to you, Angel."
"Him who? Him the one who set the fire?" Michelle was incredulous.
Robert nodded.
"Tell him to fuck off," Michelle folded her arms.
"Agreed," Sienna folded her arms.
Conner was about to slam the phone down into its cradle. Every instinct he had told him not to let the maniac near her. As a cop, he knew that this contact from the arsonist could give them a clue. Arsonists tended to enjoy watching the fires they set. They got off on the chaos they caused.
"Let me speak to her, or else it will be her next time," the voice was eerily calm. "I just want to talk to her."
Conner met Angel's eyes. She nodded. He hit the speaker button. The room filled with a crackling sound, and they could hear his breathing.
"I'm here," Angel said. Her voice wavered only slightly, as she sat stiffly in her chair.
"Hello, Angel."
Michelle gasped. "Oh, my god. Owen."
Angel, eyes wide, stared at her friend as Michelle moved away to stand with her back in the corner of the room, as far away from the speaker as possible.
"No!" Sienna stared aghast, hands fisting at her sides.
Conner frowned at Sienna. "You know him?" She could only nod.
Angel surged to her feet, planting her hands on either side of the base of the phone.
"What are you doing, Owen? What do you want?"
They knew this man. Conner grabbed his voice recorder from his desk drawer, prayed there was a tape in it and hit the button. He'd been stupid not to have done it already.
"I thought that was pretty obvious?" he laughed. "I want you to suffer. It is your fault, you know. All of this. Your mother. You did this."
He'd admitted it. Conner looked at the recorder smugly. Then again, the fact that he'd confess on a police line, which had a high chance of being taped, made Conner nervous. It meant this guy wasn't scared. A murderous maniac without fear only made him all the more dangerous.
"Don't you dare speak about her, you spineless prick!" Angel shouted.
"But I only hurt her to hurt you. You set this in motion when you interfered, and stopped me from exacting what was my right."
Conner fought the urge to take over the conversation.
He could see Angel trembling. She was terrified.
"You know, it's been great seeing you in pain all this time. Blaming yourself. As you should. This is all your doing." His laugh, louder this time, echoed around the room. "I can't wait for the next time, Angel. I'm going to really enjoy watching you scream. Watching you suffer."
Conner opened his mouth, having heard enough of this. He didn't get the chance.
"You have a problem with me, Owen. Leave Angel alone." Michelle stood next to Angel, her hands shaking visibly, all color gone from her face and neck.
Whoever this man was to them, he scared them.
"I don't care about you, bitch, you mean nothing. She got in my way. Who does she think she is? I decide what I can and can't do. I decide who lives and who dies."
Something about those words triggered a soothing effect over Angel. He watched it pour over her. Calm, cool, collected; Angel straightened. "I took you down once before, Owen. I'll do it again."
With that she disconnected the call. Exhaling, Angel collapsed into Conner's chair, the blood in her face draining away again as she turned a sickly color.
Conner looked at Michelle, her face stricken, tears on her cheeks. Fury and fear alike in her eyes.
She moved around the desk, and went straight into Robert's arms, her breath hitching as she fought to maintain control.
Raymond stood off to the side, silent. Contemplating.
Sienna had her hands on either side of her head, her elbows on her knees, a look of shock pasted on her face.
"Who was that?" Conner asked the women.
They were silent, probably absorbing all they'd heard.
"Owen Scarlett, my ex-husband," Michelle said against Robert's chest, her voice muffled.
Conner watched his friend react. Head jolting, his arms tightened around the small woman, as a mask of anger fixed across his features.
"He, uh, he tried to kill Michelle when she was still pregnant with Jackson. Angel stopped him. Angel fought him off," Sienna stood, and went to her daughter, rubbing her hands up and down her back. Robert opened his arms and pulled Sienna in, too. She didn't resist.
"You fought him off? Badass woman you got there, Grayson," Raymond said, attempting to lighten the mood. He'd always been the jokester of the trio.
Conner turned back to Angel, unable to hide his admiration for her.
His woman. He liked that.
She was still incredibly pale, and she hadn't made a sound since ending the call.
Conner moved to crouch in front of her, his hands on her knees putting himself at her eye-level. "You alright?"
And he saw the color returning to her cheeks.
He saw something flicker in her eyes as she looked at him, looked around the room. Saw her gaze rest on her visibly upset friend.
He moved backwards, straightening, and resumed his perch on the windowsill. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming, and settled back to enjoy the show.
"Are you serious?" She surged to her feet, and started to pace. "That son-of-a-bitch is here? He came here because he thinks I deserve to be punished for stopping him when he tried to kill my best friend? Are you kidding me!"
Smiling, Conner shook his head at her. Flushed cheeks, heaving chest, fire in her eyes; she was magnificent in her anger.
"Let him come for me then. I'll kill him myself this time."
"Whoa, okay, slow down there, Rambo," Conner stepped to her, hands raised.
"That monster has caused us so much pain. I want him gone," she folded her arms. "I want him gone from our lives."
That he could agree to, at least. "Then we'll catch the fucker, and make sure he never sees the light of day again."
"I'm so sorry, Angel," Michelle looked over to Angel, and Conner saw that the woman looked miserable.
"Stop it, Michelle. It is not your fault that Owen is such an asshole. Say it with me," she looked at Conner, and he saw a light in her eyes, the ghost of a smile around her lips as she copied his earlier tactic. "It is not your fault."
"It is not my fault?"
"Again," Angel moved to stand next to the desk.
"It is not my fault," Michelle exhaled a shuddering breath.
"Good girl," Angel smiled.
The two women met in the middle of the office, and hugged.
Conner stepped forward to put his hands on Angel's shoulders, at the same time as Robert placed a reassuring hand on Michelle's back.
"I got some work to do, but I don't want any of these women left alone right now, not until we figure out where things are going from here."
Conner stepped around the group to call out into the front, and Deputy Attenbo came forward.
"I want you to take a patrol car, and sit on them until I can come over. Got it?"
His deputy nodded. "Yes, sir."
"We'll go with them. When you're done give us a call and we can make a plan," Raymond said.
"Come to my house, it's close by. Just two roads away from here," Sienna said.
"I need to contact the FBI," Conner turned to Angel. At her surprised look he elaborated. "He's committed crimes in two different states. That warrants their involvement. I have no choice, and frankly, I want all the help I can get to catch this asshole, to keep you safe."
Not caring who was looking, he leant down and caught her lips in a furious kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. He held her tight for a moment, then released her, and pushed her towards Raymond, who put his arm around her shoulders, steering her from the room. None of the others seemed shocked by their display of affection. Everyone was too preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Angel looked back at Conner as she walked away from him. He nodded, giving her a weak smile, before closing the door on them.