The Fallen Angel
Chapter 9

The ride to the huge home on the hill was a bit quiet. Gabriel only looked around while Xavier just had the radio playing, every now and then glancing at Jasmine. The alert never stopped triggering in Gabriel’s mind which made him more focused as the uneasiness never wavered. In fact the closer he got to the house the more it increased.

“This is the biggest house I ever seen in my life.” Xavier broke the silence as he leaned over staring at the structure as he pulled up by the gate.

“State your name.”

Xavier held up his badge. “Officer Adams. I called earlier to speak with Pedro France. I have my colleagues in the car with me.”

Gabriel glanced up at the sky seeing the sudden storm that only erupted above the house. His jaw tightened and fear for the first time pierced his gut. Jasmine turned to look at him, noticing and feeling the atmosphere herself. Something was coming for them whether good or bad.

Xavier drove up to the front door as they were greeted by a butler, leading them through corridors to an office where Pedro France was smoking a cigar. Before they entered Jasmine noticed a teenager peeking from around the corner. She was gone before Jasmine could process what she had seen, walking into the office a bit confused.

“Officer Adams. Pleasure to see you again. And this must be the famous Jasmine Peters, the one who saved my daughter.” Pedro reached his hand out for her to shake, but Jasmine didn’t dare touch him.

“This is my other…um…consultant Gabriel.” Xavier introduced. Gabriel shook the man’s hand as Xavier had done, only to wince back in shock as if he had seen something he wished he hadn’t. Pedro looked confused but ignored it as he sat down.

“You caught me just in time. I was just on my way out of the country for a few days. Me and my wife are going on vacation.” He informed.

“Vacation without Amelia?” Jasmine asked snarky, not getting comfortable at all.

Pedro’s eyes darted to her in challenge. “She’s with the police in safe hands. Shit happens to this family all the time. No need to stop living because of it.”

“No it just seems to be a coincidence that something does happen and now you go on vacation. Your daughter is safe with us, but aren’t you in the least bit concerned about her?” Xavier asked, folding his arms. “She was attacked at the hospital. We called you and told you, but yet you never showed up.”

Pedro leaned closer then, putting out his cigar. “What is this? I offer my full compliance, but yet you sound as if you’re accusing me.”

“You owed Chase Fallon a significant amount of money, but didn’t pay up. That’s why he took Amelia as leverage right?” Xavier urged Pedro for the truth.

Pedro scoffed, pointing his now simmering cigar at Xavier. “You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Rolio was the one who kidnapped her, but something tells me shit went sideways really fast.” Xavier continued. “Because despite how you may feel now about Amelia, you need her. She helps you get this,” he waved to the fancy home as an example. “Because she has special gifts.”

Pedro couldn’t help his smirk that crossed his face. “I would say not bad for a local detective, but I know it’s because you have her on your side.” He pointed the cigar to Jasmine then, causing Xavier and Gabriel to become upset.

“You leave her out of this.” Gabriel finally spoke, low and threatening.

Jasmine only stared at him unphased and calm as she got lost in his eyes, finding the passageway to his mind. He was repeating numbers over and over in his mind in case he went to jail to remember who to call. Ellis Bryant’s name popped up in his head as well. There was panic in his thoughts and Jasmine finally understood why then, standing up and surprising all three men in the room.

“Where is she?” Her hands hit the desk in a loud bang as she leaned closer to him in challenge.

“Who?” Pedro asked smugly.

“You know damn well who. Chelsea Daniels.” Xavier grabbed her arm to calm her and to turn her to look at him. “He’s reciting numbers over and over in his mind. Phone numbers.”

“Yeah so. I want to have good memory.” Pedro denied, leaning back in his chair.

Jasmine shook her head. “He knows we are on to him that’s why. He knows Ellis Bryant.” She argued.

Thunder rocked the house again causing Gabriel to turn to the window. “Both of you stay here. Watch him!” He demanded, running out to the chaotic storm outside. The clouds had covered the sky and the sun was gone as the rain started to pour heavily on him. There was the presence again. Gabriel turned a bit shocked as his heart thudded hard in his chest. Three of the most powerful angels stood before him coming out of a bolt of lightning, two women and one man in the middle.

“Gabriel. How unfortunate to see you here.” He bowed low, placing his hands over his chest. “No need to do that. Even though you are still an angel, you are now slowly becoming human. Interesting. You of all angels disobey The Almighty.”

“Yes, the left hand…” The other finished.

“I didn’t disobey. The Almighty gave me a task and I am fulfilling that task.” Gabriel replied matter of factly.

“By clipping your wings?”

“By intertwining my fate is what I would call it.”

The angel-woman on the right smirked, amused. “Still the same overzealous carrier we all know you to be.” The three of them took out their weapons which caused Gabriel to back away as they stepped forward. “You know why we are here then.”

“Jasmine Peters?” Gabriel knew Simahel would contact the Guild, the balance keepers. It was only a matter of time before they showed to claim her, but why now out of all times. They were close to finding Chelsea. The Guild was just a distraction he couldn’t afford. “She didn’t know what she was doing. She isn’t to blame.”

“Jasmine Peters healed two souls that belonged to The Almighty already. One of them has already been converted. We cannot let this continue, she is a threat to the natural order of things.” One of them replied.

Gabriel’s mouth twitched. “Then you leave me no choice.” His fist glowed and the three tilted their heads in amusement. They were far more powerful than Gabriel, a lot taller, damn near giants. They were among the first batch of Angels The Almighty created alongside Lucifer. They were on his level, but Gabriel was clearly out of his league.

“You are a mere angel and expect to beat us?”

The one in the middle moved so fast Gabriel blinked his eyes and they all were gone. He turned crossing his arms in an X as he blocked one of the attacks, but then failed to feel the other as Gabriel went flying into the backyard, hitting a tree and breaking it in half as he did so. Even for his angelic form still in effect, the blow hurt him more than he thought. He grunted staying on the ground trying to fight the pain. The effort however was quickly demoted once the man of the Guild placed his foot on Gabriel’s chest.

“You cannot stop the inevitable Gabriel. She will come with us and face celestial justice.”

“You don’t know…” he started to clench his teeth in pain as he felt electricity run through his body. “You can’t stop what The Almighty has planned. Jasmine is part of that plan…” he started to scream then as he struggled to talk.

Meanwhile Jasmine started searching the house to Pedro’s dismay, screaming for Chelsea. Xavier called for her to come back still in the office with Pedro. His back was turned giving Pedro time to press a button under his desk. Thunder rocked the house rather close as it flickered in the room showing Pedro’s evil grin.

“She’s dead you know. No matter if she has gifts. You don’t know who you are messing with.”

Xavier turned quickly pulling out his gun, pointing it to Pedro’s head. “Is that a confession?”

Pedro smirked, a smug hand on his chin with a grin. “No it’s a promise.”

Xavier pulled out his handcuffs then as he continued to hold the gun up to him. Pedro didn’t move as he allowed Xavier to cuff him to the desk as he ran to go help Jasmine. The rain hit the windows with vengeance and the thunder seemed to move closer and closer to the home as it blasted through the house in a loud obnoxious boom. It seemed the house went on forever with twists and turns that led Xavier back to the office. His heart was starting to pound for Jasmine wandering the house alone.

She turned a few corridors screaming for Chelsea as the lights started to flicker and the house became dark. Her hands started to shake as she continued to follow where she assumed she saw the teenager before. There was a hallway full of doors mixing her reality and her imagination in the dark room. At the moment she wished Gabriel was by her side lighting his fists to show her the way. At that moment she realized just how much she depended on him.

Her limbs felt cold as if someone was watching her, preying on her in the darkness. Instinctively she turned to see nothing, but when she turned back there was a powerful glow shining in the hall, then two. Saliva filled her mouth as she gulped and then it went dry. Her feet started to back away then as she felt these angels weren’t there to protect her like Gabriel. He warned her about other angels coming after her for messing around with the order of things, she didn’t think though it would be so soon, not now. Fear started to creep into her pores for her angel protector.

“Where’s Gabriel?” She asked, shouting to them. “What did you do to him?”

Their heads tilted again in confusion and in unison. “Your care should be for yourself. Do you know who we are?”

“The Guild?”

They nodded. “Smart girl to remember us, not so smart to not run from us. We are balance. You have disturbed that balance.”

She steadily backed away as they walked forwards. “I didn’t try to…I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Excuses are unnecessary. You are a problem that needs correcting.”

Jasmine scoffed. “Me? You don’t think that those killing people are the problem? You believe me to be the problem? Isn’t heaven and hell overrun by now with souls?” The words just came out of her mouth as offended as she felt by the comment. She didn’t commit murder, she healed someone, well two people, but how dare they makes her the issue.

“Jasmine, get down.”

They started walking more to her as Jasmine turned and ducked once she heard Xavier’s voice. He fired his gun at the Guild women just to have them reflect off their armors. Jasmine ran up to him placing his gun down.

“Are you insane Xavier? These are angels, you can’t shoot them with normal bullets.” Jasmine fussed, placing his arms down.

“Where are they? Who is it?” He panicked, as he continued to shoot.

“Stop shooting, you asshole!” Jasmine screamed trying to push him out of the way.

“Well forgive me for trying to save your life!” Xavier yelled back, turning his back for a second, just to be thrown against the wall by one of the Guild’s hands. He hit the wall with a thud then that caused Jasmine to worry and cover her mouth.

“Xavier!” She screamed for him, about to run until one of them grabbed her arm. Something happened. Something pulsated with its touch like a ticking time bomb ready to explode. Jasmine turned to look at the Guild member as the Guild member looked upset at her. A force unknown to Jasmine ignited and pushed Jasmine and the Guild yards apart from each other. Jasmine went flying into the basement falling down the stairs from the drawback force.

Gabriel could sense she was in trouble and bit through the pain of lifting himself up. It was as if The Almighty himself was giving him strength because the Guild member holding him down looked worried as to how he was able to move him. A blast came from the corridor blasting through the walls as if a bomb exploded. The drawback knocked the Guild off of Gabriel then, causing him to worry for Jasmine.

“No…” He panted as he sat up ignoring the pain. “No!” He yelled running into the blast to find her, hoping she was okay. He had one job, to protect her. Gabriel never failed a mission until he met her. That thought frightened him like never before. Human emotions were becoming overwhelming as the thoughts in his mind were she was gone and he had truly failed.

In the midst of the debris and dust, Gabriel heard Xavier trying to get off the floor. He ran to him to help him. “What happened?” Xavier moaned once he recognized Gabriel. Then he gasped when he remembered. “Where’s Jasmine?”

Gabriel looked around the room then for her. ”What did you see before the blast?”

Xavier held his head as blood started to trickle down his temple. “Something threw me to the wall. Jasmine turned around and that’s when the blast happened.” Xavier panted, grunting as he held his back. “What the hell was that? Jasmine said angels…I still couldn’t see them.”

Gabriel glanced at Xavier for a moment but started inspecting the area not responding to him. Getting Jasmine was the utmost importance in his mind. There was dust and debris flying everywhere as he used his sharp eyesight to find her, hoping to The Almighty, The Guild hadn’t taken her. A crack in the wall caught his attention as he saw at the end of the hall a door busted wide open and could see in his mind Jasmine falling down the stairs. He grabbed Xavier to help him walk to the basement where Jasmine fell.

“Jasmine!” Gabriel yelled her name, but there was no answer. They turned the corner of the basement to see her leaning down crying. Xavier removed himself from Gabriel’s hold as he ran to her thinking she was hurt. He noticed she was holding a body in her arms as she sobbed.

“We were too late.” She cried looking up at him. “I tried to help her…I tried…” Her hands shook uncontrollably as she stared at them then went back to stroking Chelsea’s hair.

Gabriel became furious. “Where is Pedro?” He asked, his voice deep and threatening.

“Upstairs in his office.” Xavier replied, reaching for his phone. “I have to call this in.”

Gabriel ran up to the office for Pedro, but found the office empty and the handcuffs still hanging on the desk. Rage took over and he smashed the desk to pieces with his bare hands. Even angrier at the Guild he walked out to the corridor to find all three gone. He walked back to the basement as he saw Xavier holding Jasmine while she cried.

Chelsea Daniels was now laying on the ground, chained to the wall, malnourished and bruised. Gabriel could see her spirit in the corner of the room crying with Jasmine. He wondered if she could see her too.

“I’m Sorry Chelsea. We couldn’t get to you in time.” Gabriel said causing both Xavier and Jasmine to turn to where he was talking. “We will get justice for you. I promise you that.”

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