Arrival of the Beast (Lucifer's Clock Series, Book 2)

A Runaway

Michael was doing a perimeter check when he felt Gabriel's summons. He and Connie were inside the office within seconds. Gabriel was standing behind her desk, staring at her office phone.

"What is it?" asked Michael.

Gabriel looked at them with a bewildered look. "I just received a phone call from Nala. She said that Angelica is at the school. Angelica told her she is running away to go be with her father."

"Impossible," said, Connie wide-eyed.

Michael abruptly left the office and went to Angelica's bedroom. For the first time in a long time, he didn't knock on her door, but barged inside. He checked all the places a person could hide, under the bed, in the closet, even the shower. There was no sign of her. Connie and Gabriel joined him in the bedroom.

Connie walked to Angelica's closet and stood there for a second, looking around at her belongings. "Her backpack is gone," she said, with a sigh.

"How did she get past us?" Michael growled.

"I don't know," Connie said, with panic in her eyes.

"I guess your spells weren't strong enough," Michael said, with a hint of sarcasm.

"She not only got past my defenses, but yours too," retorted Connie.

"Are you two finished?" asked Gabriel, looking from one to the other. "While you two are busy pointing fingers at each other, Angelica is on the way to be with her father. If she succeeds, it won't matter whose fault it is that she got past all of us."

"What do we do now?" asked Connie.

"I told Nala to stall her until we get there. Nala said she was going to see Roman."

Michael's jaw flexed at the mention of Roman. "Why are we still here then?" he growled. All three of them teleported to the school grounds.

6 6 6

Roman was training with Adaira when he received the call from Nala.

"We have to go," he said as soon as he hung up with her.

"And where are we going, exactly?" asked Adaira, wiping sweat from her brow.

She had been training him in hand-to-hand combat all day. He had beaten her in battle several times already, which was not an easy feat, so he was proud of himself. She had been in her true form a lot more around him. At first it was only when they were in battle, but now it was all the time.

He had a feeling that Adaira now considered him not just her student, but her friend.

"Angelica is running away. She wants me to meet her at my uncle's house."

"There's no need to worry," said Adaira, getting back in her fighting stance.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" asked Roman, raising his voice a few octaves.

Adaira raised one eyebrow at him. "If she tries to leave the house or cross the property lines, sirens and alarms will sound to alert Connie and the others."

It was Roman's turn to smirk. "What if they are not there to hear the sirens and alarms?"

Adaira thought about this for a minute. "We'll have a problem then. I'll go to the house."

"And I'll be right behind you," said Roman. He headed to his car and jumped in.

Adaira leaned down into his car. "Be safe and remember to keep your eyes, ears and mind open."

Roman nodded. As he drove, he kept scanning the road. Every car that went by him in the opposite direction, he looked to see if Angelica was in it. He remembered what had happened the last time he and Angelica were on this road, and he floored it. He dialed Nala's cell. It went to voicemail.