Wings on Fire ~ Falling (Book 1)

Chapter 2

Daniel looked down at me, seeming to weigh his options. It seemed like he wanted to be honest with me, but something was holding him back.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Before I start, I want you to promise me that you won't become frightened."

It was an odd way for him to begin explaining what he knew about me, and how he knew it. My brow furrowed with concern as I wondered what he might be getting ready to reveal to me.

"I'm going to say some things that are going to be shocking to you, but please know that I always have your best interests at heart. I would never do anything to hurt you. My sole purpose is protecting you."

Even though it was an odd proclamation, something inside me insisted on trusting this man. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was being truthful with me.

Wanting to lighten the mood a bit, I asked, "If your one job is supposed to be protecting me, what am I doing in here?" I raised my hands to indicate the puce green, sterile hospital room walls that were surrounding us.

"I failed you, and for that I will never forgive myself."

His words sounded so forlorn and sincere, I immediately felt guilty for teasing him. I reached out to take his hand with my own, but quickly yanked my own back when I felt the sizzling jolt of electricity from our skin-to-skin contact. It hadn't hurt, but it had definitely been a jarring sensation. My palm was still vibrating with exciting pulses as I squeezed my hand into a fist and allowed my nerve endings to attempt to make sense of what had just happened.

My eyes popped open wide, and I shot a questioning gaze up at Daniel.

"That's part of what I need to explain," he clarified.

I longed for him to start with that part of the explanation, but he didn't. Instead, he started with something that turned out to be infinitely better.

The legs of the plastic bucket chair screeched across the floor as he pulled it next to my bed before sitting down in it. Since he looked like he was getting comfortable for a long chat, I maneuvered my body so that I was angled toward him, getting a great view of his long, lean legs. As delectable of a view as that was, I decided that I needed to be propped up more. Daniel jumped up to assist me with rearranging my pillows behind my back until I was in a comfortable, upright position.

Once I was situated and he was back in his chair, Daniel started. "Some of the things that I know about Kerry Watson... " He inserted a dramatic pause, tapping one finger to his tantalizing lips, while I waited with bated breath to see what he would say.

"Let's see... " He finally started. "I know that you like to have your toenails polished a vivid, unexpected color."

I wiggled my pigs under the blanket and tried to remember what shade they were right now. I wasn't positive if they were Scallywag blue or...

He interrupted my thoughts with, "This week's color was orange. The name had something to do with getting a man or fruit." He shook his head, seeming perplexed.

"Oh, A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find." I chuckled as I remembered, but my smile quickly morphed into a frown as I wondered how he could possibly know this.

"Have you been stalking me?" It was the only logical explanation I could think of, even though that didn't feel like the right answer.

"No, not really," was his cryptic response. Apparently unwilling to expand on that, he went on. "I know that you pack a sack lunch every day, rather than going out to eat, so you have extra money to fund the lunch accounts of five needy kids at Stonebrook Elementary School."