26. Azrael
TWENTY-SIX
AZRAEL
“ G o to sleep, Mister Man. Go to sleep, Mister Boy. Go to sleep, Mister Baby. Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep .”
Duke hid his laughter—unsuccessfully—behind his hands, but I wasn’t deterred. I kept playing the guitar and trying to get Noah to rest for a little bit before he woke up screaming bloody murder.
It had been a few days since we’d been back on the island, and we were starting to get into a groove. An unconventional groove, but a groove nonetheless.
“ Why are you being like this, Mr. Noah James Aquino Reyes? Why won’t you close your eyes and go into dreamland? I hear there’s candy there .” I softened my strumming and my voice, hoping that would do the trick, but as usual, Noah just watched me with wide eyes and a big smile.
“You’re a very talented singer, but you’re a terrible lyricist,” Duke commented, and I pouted.
“You don’t have to hit me where it hurts.”
“Drama queen.”
“Well, how can I not be when he won’t sleep?”
“Have you thought maybe he doesn’t want to sleep because he’s enjoying his daddy’s singing more?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I thought he didn’t like my lyrics.”
“No. I don’t like the lyrics. I don’t think he cares either way, seeing as his most difficult words begin with goo-goo and end with ga-ga.”
“You don’t like my lyrics?” I asked.
“They do grate,” Remi said, entering the room with hands on his ears for emphasis.
“I hate you both.”
“Right now, so do I, big bro. Go home. Let us take over. Have mercy on us.”
I looked down at my son and sighed.
I hated this part. I hated having to say goodbye every night, being unable to spend it with him as his father, but this was for the best. The whole family was here, and there were no drug and money-laundering conspiracies at Luna’s Lodge. Just a kind older man running his bed and breakfast, and Donovan Wozniak, ex-Navy SEAL and more permanent guest here. Which was the only reason I had some peace of mind leaving everyone alone every night. It didn’t make it any less hard though.
“I’ll be back bright and early,” I said.
“I know you will.” Remi picked up Noah and started rocking him back and forth, and I bit the inside of my cheek because that was supposed to be my job.
We left my family behind and returned to the sanctuary, and the following morning, we returned to Luna’s Lodge to have breakfast together before we started our day.
“How long do they have before they have to go back?” Duke asked me when we picked up Noah on our lunch break and took him into town for a walk.
“I don’t know. Dad said his boss is fine with him taking as long as he needs. He hasn’t taken vacation days in so long. Remi…I don’t know about Remi. I thought he was head chef in this place back home, but whenever I bring it up, he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“I can’t help but feel guilty that they all dropped their lives for me.” He looked down at the ground and pursed his lips from side to side.
“For us. Don’t forget it’s for both of us. And I don’t know how many times we have to say it, but we’re your family now.”
He smiled.
“You don’t have to remind me. Our moms are practically planning our wedding.”
I laughed the comment off, but I couldn’t help the warm, fuzzy feeling spreading inside. I had someone with whom that was a possibility now. But I couldn’t even begin to unravel that thread. Not when there was such a dark cloud hanging over our heads. Plus, Duke had his treatments to think of. It wouldn’t be fair to throw another curveball at him.
“Ready for your chemo tomorrow.”
He shrugged and bit his lip.
“As I’ll ever be.”
We walked down Main Street, which was brimming with life as another festival was in full swing in Mayberry, this time the Mayflower Memorial Festival, running for two weeks and culminating in the Memorial Day weekend celebrations.
We stopped at Carson’s Grill to say hi to Penny’s colleagues and boss, Carson, before we made our way to Bubble Bubble, where we waited forever in line to get our bubble teas but kept busy with everyone cooing over Noah.
And so did Hwan when we reached the front of the line. Enzo, his assistant, stopped mixing and shaking for a minute, and they both came around to hug Noah and play with him.
“O-M-G. He’s so adorable. Why didn’t you tell us you had a kid?” Hwan slapped my arm.
“Well, I didn’t know until, like, a week ago.”
“Oh.” Hwan grimaced. “I bet there’s a story there.”
“A story for another time,” Duke said, leaning against the counter. “Are we getting tea today, or are we supposed to make our own?”
“Okay, okay, Mr. Snark,” Hwan said. “Enzo can help you with that since you’re so rude to me.”
Duke rolled his eyes, and Hwan laughed.
“Besides, I’m not letting go of this little man for all the money in the world.” He twisted Noah side to side while Noah seemed utterly mesmerized by Hwan’s rainbow hair.
“Which man are you not letting go of for all the money in the world?” Parker stepped forward, and Hwan turned to his boyfriend.
“This one. And if you have a problem with that, I’m filing for divorce.”
Parker put his hands up and zipped his lips. Noah saw my old colleague and reached for him, opening and closing his fists to go to him, and Hwan obliged him.
“Your son is breaking hearts already,” Duke said, and I turned to him.
“Well, like father like son.” I put my arm around him and pulled him into me.
“Wow. Vain much?”
“I say ’em how I see ’em.” I leaned in for a kiss, but he put his hand on my chest and looked into my eyes.
“Are…are you sure?” Duke whispered.
“Sure of what?”
“Of kissing me. In public.”
I grimaced.
“Why wouldn’t I be sure of kissing the love of my life in public?”
His cheeks went pink, and I sealed the deal with our kiss so he would turn beet red when I was done with him. I wanted the world to know he was mine, I was his, and we were soulmates.
My chest puffed as we kissed, and my heart pumped faster, my entire body overwhelmed by a cozy, secure feeling I’d never felt before. Which was exactly the reason I knew Duke was the one for me, and I had no idea how he could think I’d be embarrassed or shy to claim him in front of everyone.
We ended the kiss and he lowered the heels of his feet back to the floor as we turned to the counter. Only to realize everyone, employees and customers alike, were staring at us.
“What?” I asked.
Enzo smiled and shook his head. Parker moved my son’s hand up and down, hesitantly turning his gaze back to him, and Hwan joined his hands in front of his mouth and shrieked.
“O-M-G, you guys! You’re together? You’re the cutest!”
“I thought we were the cutest,” Parker mumbled.
Hwan waved his hand at his boyfriend with an eye roll.
“Second cutest. Whatever. You two!” He approached us and grabbed both our hands. “I love this for you.” His comment was directed at Duke.
“What about me?”
He raised an eyebrow with sass and kissed his teeth.
“Seriously? You couldn’t have gotten a better man. And you should count yourself lucky?—”
“I do,” I reassured him.
“I wasn’t done! You should count yourself lucky, and if you ever think of breaking his heart, I’m gonna rain so much fire and brimstone down on you that you’ll wish you were never born.” He said it with such a straight face and a real warning undertone that it made a knot form in my throat. “Got it?”
I nodded.
“Your son is cute though,” he said, immediately going back to the bright, cheerful guy he was. “I mean, look at that.”
He looked at Parker making faces and blowing air in Noah’s face that made him blink and laugh simultaneously.
“Can I take him off you? How much will it take?” Hwan asked.
“Um…he’s not for sale, thank you very much.” Duke poked at his chest.
“All right. All right. Don’t blame a girl for trying. I might have to get us one of those if it means I get silly Daddy Parker.”
Parker looked up at Hwan and grimaced.
“What?” Hwan asked.
“Do you mean that?” Parker asked back.
“Which part? Getting a kid of our own?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course I mean it. I mean, look at you. You’re so ready. And I think I’m ready too.”
“Awww, you guys!” Enzo cooed. “That’s so sweet.”
Hwan’s cheeks went red, and he smiled.
“Are we…like doing this then?” He went back to Parker, and they hugged each other. Noah started playing with Hwan’s rainbow hair again.
“Hell yeah,” Parker answered, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen the guy smile, like, ever. It was as frightening as it was endearing, and I couldn’t be prouder of Noah for putting that on his face. Noah and Hwan, I supposed.
“You guys!” Duke cried out.
“You guys what?” a guy said behind us, and we turned to find a plump and tall ginger guy with glasses looking at Hwan.
“Hey, Wesley!” Hwan said. “Parker and I decided to have a baby. I think my body is ready.” He chuckled.
Wesley put his hands up and smiled.
“What? That’s amazing, you guys. Well done. That’s a big step,” he said and hugged Hwan. “Wait. Did you steal someone’s baby? Because you know that’s illegal, right?”
“That would be my son.” I raised my hand. “And to answer your question, I think they stole him from me.”
Wesley laughed and offered me his hand.
“We haven’t met. I’m Wesley. Wesley Crawford.”
“Azrael Reyes. Nice to meet you.”
“Are you new in town?”
Enzo came around the bar and tickled Noah’s neck as he said, “Yeah. He’s helping Duke at the sanctuary. And Wesley here is a teacher at Mayberry Elementary.”
“That’s true. And I can’t wait to teach your son.”
“I think we don’t have to worry about that for a while, but thanks. Me neither.”
I paused for a moment and thought about his statement. Registering Noah at school in Mayberry. Having Wesley as a teacher. Living in the sanctuary with Duke and our animals. And our son.
I knew that image of the future should scare me or give me whiplash, but it didn’t. All it did was make me eager to live that future with my Duke. I just hoped it wasn’t unattainable. That life and destiny wouldn’t sweep the rug out from under our feet.
“Wesley here used to date my boyfriend,” Enzo said.
Wesley grimaced.
“It was one date!”
“A terrible one.” Enzo shook his head.
“You set us up!” Wesley raised his voice, and Enzo grinned.
“I did, didn’t I? Well, I can vouch for Wesley here. He might be a terrible date, but he’s a hell of a teacher. He teaches Slade’s daughter.”
“Terrible date? As if your precious Carson was perfect.”
“Carson is perfect, thank you very much!”
I chuckled and noticed someone behind the counter peeking through a doorway. A black guy with short afro hair.
He beckoned me closer, and I excused myself, joining Slade in a small hallway away from prying eyes.
“What’s up?” I asked Slade.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the trackers we planted. One of them is on the island.”
“You think that’s another stash house?”
“I don’t know yet. I was hoping you’d come stake out the place with me.” He gave me his phone which had a red dot flashing on a spot in the map.
“Of course. When?”
That evening, after the sanctuary and vet practice shut down for the day, I drove to Slade’s and picked him up so we could find out what the location was and whether it was worth looking into.
It turned out it was a residential area in the slums of Mayberry Holm, which looked as miserable and awful as any other slum in this country. It was sad that there were still so many people living below the poverty line, in houses that were a nail away from collapse, and having to resort to all sorts of ways to make ends meet.
“This doesn’t make sense. If it’s a stash house, what is it doing out here?” I asked.
“I know. It’s not the safest place to store large amounts of drugs. And why would they take it from Duke’s to bring it here?” Slade added, staring at the house where the tracking signal came from.
“So this must be a dealer, right?”
He shrugged.
“Would they still live like this if they were? I mean, yeah, maybe they don’t want to flash their money, but at least have a freaking door, right?”
I had to agree there. The entrance was a beaded curtain with little else to keep strangers out. There were two big guys parked outside on chairs, playing cards and drinking beer.
It was a few minutes before a car stopped in front of the house and two kids no older than ten ran inside.
“Fuck!” Slade mumbled.
I didn’t curse, but the sentiment was mirrored in the way my stomach turned at the sight of such young children caught up in the middle of all this.
“We need to get to the bottom of this,” I said.
“We do. But first we’ve got some research to do.”
I nodded and turned the engine on, driving away from yet more people who needed help and who we didn’t know how to help out of this mess.
Whoever this Salieri guy was, I hated him. I hated how much pain, anguish, and crap he’d brought onto this island. And I hated hating anyone, but I was pretty sure this one was deserved.
Whoever he was, I wouldn’t rest until I found him and put him in the ground. Because that’s where a guy like him deserved to be for putting Duke and everyone else in these impossible situations.