At seven the next morning when Halex rolled over in the huge bed he found Angel missing, her nightgown pooled on the bathroom floor and a damp towel on the shower bar. The room was free of humidity, and the sky was still black. As he peeked out the window the early morning darkness was a blinding swirl of snow, and he frowned, in a little over 24 hours he was going to be marrying the woman that had made him honest again. He slid into a clean pair of knit pants and threw on a fresh tee and headed downstairs in the slippers Rain had crocheted for him on her flight back to Tucson and then back here with Angel and him and now Kirill.
He padded to the top of the stairs, Rain's door was pulled closed, and he smiled. He headed down the stairs. Around the corner into the kitchen. Angel's purse was missing, and there was a note taped to the fridge for him. He took the piece of paper from the fridge and opened it.
"Don't panic that I'm not home I got a call to help a very special little girl. I will be staying with Georgia for the night and Rain will be coming too. I will see you at the courthouse tomorrow at nine in the morning. I love you."
Halex set the letter on the counter and dug out stuff to make an omelet and toast then settled in to eat and take care of the dogs. He was feeding the puppies one by one with their supplemental bottle There were just so many and only one Dixie. He was also teaching them little jobs their tails wagged and they were soft So very soft. He was holding the girl they were calling Belle, a pretty champagne yellow like her mother. As he finished he picked up the single boy who was a deep black, and he smiled, "You're mine Lucky." The pupped licked the bottle and gave a little whine, and Halex kissed his furry head and set him back down with all his sisters." He cleaned up his breakfast dishes and slid into the room that was for Mikhail and pulled his gun from under the mattress and took it and an old towel from under the sink and sat down at the coffee table and began to quietly clean his gun.
When Kirill came downstairs, he smiled at Halex then saw the gun, "What are you doing? brother?"
Halex smiled, I "was just feeding the pups their morning bottles and finishing up my breakfast. There is cereal and fruit for cold breakfasts and eggs if you want them. Angel buys sausage and freezes it you just pop a couple of pieces in the microwave or a pan, oh, she makes coffee a horseshoe would stand up in."
Kirill laughed, "A fine husband you've turned out to be.. somehow I think our job will be over and she will never know, and you will be free to live your life."
"Don't be daft Kirya. I love you to pieces, but this will not end that easily. Someone will die, and it will be one of us men. Mikhail went to see his Emily and his twins he will be here for the weddings. He liked Rain and said he would stand for both of us as witnesses."
Kirill nodded, "It's weird to hear my nickname from your lips Lex." He smacked his friend on the arm and got himself a cold breakfast. "Rain's gone she left with Angel this morning we'll see them tomorrow so why don't you teach me about the pups."
Halex nodded, "Will do I gotta change their bedding too." He moved to do that as the puppy's descended and started yipping as he settled them back in the baby saucer and put the bedding in the wash. Then turned back to the puppies, "They are all girls except the black one. I'm keeping him and will call him Lucky." He stroked Lucky's ears and between them as the lad slept curled up next to his dad.
Kirill watched them sleeping, "They're beautiful. Do you have a ring for Angel for the wedding?"
Halex shook his head, "Not yet but I plan on getting a set today. How about you?"
"Not yet but she gave me one of her rings to use to get one for her. I can't believe we are both getting married. You know we just need to get bands now, and we can get fancy Tiffany's rings ordered, so they have nice rings when they are not working, they both deserve that."
Halex smiled, "I agree. How about we just chill for the morning and check the news to see when this snow will break. We have lived in the desert in Dubai for too long... we barely get rain there this snow is beautiful, cold, evil, and yet amazing."
Kirill laughed, "Do you not remember winters in Russia when the ocean freezes and everything is miserable in those apartments?"
"Yeah I remember, now how about we get changed and head into the city I located a jewelry store that is excited about our business." Halex smiled and finished his coffee and headed upstairs to change into dress slacks and a dark purple button down and his trench coat. Kirill joined him in last nights dress slacks and a polo shirt showing the glint of his neck tattoo. He sported a decent haircut, and his earnings were small as not to call attention. His tattoo sleeves were as interesting as Rains. Kirill was the same 6'2" as his boss.
Kirill slipped into his trench coat, and they headed out to his car. Halex climbed into the passenger seat, and they drove, the GPS unit giving directions as they went and an hour later Halex and Kirill were sitting in a parking space across the street from the beautiful Tiffany's jewelry shop, and they got out, locked up the car, and walked across the street. They shop owner buzzed them in, and each man pulled out a ring. "We're searching for wedding sets that can be ready by tomorrow morning at 8."
Two men nodded each taking one of them, and the men took the girl's rings and sized them. Then sized Halex and Kirill and got them seats at a table as the sets were brought out that they had. Halex's ring set was platinum with a blue sapphire and diamond spread, "I just have to enlarge the men's ring and take the women's rings down a size that will take about an hour. Would you like coffee or water?" Halex nodded, and Kirill was going over pink diamonds in many different cuts; as the man helping him explained the five C's and showed him what he was picking was the best for his price range. Kirill chose a simple set with the diamonds embedded in the band and nothing needed to resized, and he got the boxes all wrapped together and soon he was sitting with Halex, an hour later they were on the way home as Halex's business phone rang and Oded spoke.
"You've been found. My family wants you dead if you try to leave." Then he hung up, and Halex started speaking rapid Russian, and Kirill got them back to the house, and he grabbed his computer bag and looked at Kirill, and he sighed, "We have to go back. We have to settle this. I... Angel's not safe with me. You can stay, but I have to go. I have to call Mikhail and let him know too. He opened his ring box and pulled out the engagement ring and handed it to Kirill, "Make sure Angel gets this." He called a cab, and soon enough was on his way, and Kirill had no idea how this all was going to happen. Halex only wanted to protect Angel and love her.
*~*~*
It was midnight and Georgia, Angel and Rain were sitting in a friend of Georgia's spa and salon, and they were getting pedicures, manicures, and hair trims. Angel let them cut more of her hair to her shoulders the sheer weight of the permanently braided plait was on the floor, and they clapped when she smiled, "He's going to love it!" Georgia was glad she'd decided to accept Angel as her friend again. They had all three been through o much; even Rain had decided to like her after all the villain was gone from the picture.
After they had all been made beautiful, even Rain had had her hair changed to, it was still it's permanent blue, but now it was in an Aeon flux type hair cut short, short back and long front that curled around her face and she smiled, "Now for the Ranch!"
Angel stumbled forward and blinked, "the what?"
"The Ranch."
"Yeah, I heard that." Rain slid her hand into Georgia's, and they were in the Limo, and soon they pulled up in front of a club that only had women in the line and soon enough they were inside the club, "Oh my Heaven you two brought me to a strip club."
Rain and Georgia chuckled as they got shown down to their table by the stage and long island ice teas were ordered all around along with a tray of Mega Nachos. Georgia started the tab on her card, and then someone came out onto the stage with a guitar and the club when nuts, as he sung a song and gave the rules before it's raining men with a heavy base purred out of the speakers and men in suits and umbrella's, came out.
The girls enjoyed their three hours at the club. All three seriously sloshed as they were poured into the limo and they headed to Georgia's house. They lay on her family room sofa's just mumbling and talking to each other and to Georgia's sister who they met at the club. She had stayed designated driver sober was putting together Rain and Angel's bouquets.
When they had begun to sober Georgia went upstairs to get the dress she was giving Rain for her wedding and she got needles and handed the deep navy gown to Rain who stepped into the quarter bath to put it on and came back out, it was loose on the chest and a little loose in the hips but Rain loved the dress. They worked on her and it; By five in the morning the girls were sleeping soundly. The bouquets in the fridge to stay healthy and they all drank lots of water, downed Advil, and went out to have a good hot breakfast before they went back to the house, put on their gowns, took their bouquets and the men's roses and headed down to the courthouse.
Kirill and Mikhail arrived a7 8:30 for his brief ceremony to Rain and soon enough they were married, and Rain kissed him softly, her hands stroking his face, "I will love you, and you will love me." She whispered as she admired her rings and his. Georgia and Angel witnessed their certificate and they were married, a happy couple.
Angel looked around for Halex, but he wasn't there, and he wasn't waiting for her and tears sprung to her eyes as she looked at Mikhail as Kiril slid her engagement ring on, "He had to take care of something. He loves you." Angel didn't say anything as she walked past them as the next couple was called and she caught a cab home as Rain frowned. What was happening to her love? Why did he keep leaving her behind? What could he not tell her?
Meanwhile, at home, the answering machine turned on, "Hello you've reached Dr. High if you need me and I didn't answer please page me. Thank you and have a wonderful day."
The answer came from Halex.
"Angel, probably by the time you hear this, I"m on my way back to Dubai. I know this is not what you have asked for. I know, this is not meant to be, but you need to believe that we ARE. Please forgive me, my beloved. I need nothing else from you but forgiveness. I had to do this for our sake; please forgive me. I promise that I will come back for you, just don't turn away from me when I return... Don't ever disown me like my father did. Please don't shove me away from your life. I love you dearly; you only need to understand that now aside from the numbering questions that might be hovering in your mind at this moment. Tobias will never come back to haunt you. Ever. I promise you, and I stood true to my word. The note on the table is your reference number for your flight to Arizona tomorrow. I give you my heart, and I leave it in your hands, I'm begging you, please don't ever break it The ring is my proof of my belief for all these years that you'll come back to me, and it proved enough. I love you, Angel Alexi High... Soon enough you will bear my name. God bless you, sweetheart... and I think I've forgotten to tell you this, I love you."