After the Fall

“Mother,” he croaked. His memories of her may have been suppressed, but this, the warmth, the love he felt was there with him.

She pulled back, tears staining her cheeks. “I don’t have much time with you, and there is much I need to tell you.”

“Wait.” There was something he had to do before anything else. Something he’d always wanted to do but didn’t think he’d ever have the chance.

He turned and took Naomi’s hand, pulling her next to him. “This is my Naomi—the love of my life. We are to be bound.”

Hazel eyes lit up, and she placed a hand over her heart. “Oh, Lahash, you don’t know what great joy it brings me to have you two together again, after all these centuries. When I found out you were assigned to her, I knew—well, I hoped—that you two would find love again.”

Rebecca turned to Naomi and, reaching over with her small hand, cupped her cheek. “You do your grandmother proud, Naomi. She is the reason why I am here.”

“Where is she? Is she all right?”

“She’s doing well now, and she’s with your cousin, Chuy.”

“Now? What do you mean, now?”

Rebecca took her hand, and her face grew serious. “Don’t be alarmed when I tell you this. She had a heart attack soon after you left.”

“She had a heart attack?” Naomi’s voice grew frantic. “We need to find her. I need to go to her now. Please tell me where she is.”

“Your grandmother is not in any immediate danger,” Rebecca said calmly. “Chuy saw to her every need, and she was given the best medical care. She was given a pacemaker, and it helps her tremendously, but...” She looked at Naomi with worry. “They struggled with the finances.”

“Oh, Chuy,” Naomi sobbed. “I should’ve been here.”

Rebecca shook her head. “It was the first time I heard him pray.”

“Chuy prayed?”

She nodded. “It broke my heart. In all the time I’ve watched over your grandmother, it was the only time he’d asked for help, other than the time when you were in the hospital.”

Lash wrapped a hand around Naomi’s shoulder. He felt so helpless watching the guilt eat her up from the inside. He had to find Welita and Chuy for her. “Where are they? Why did they leave?”

Rebecca sighed. “They held out as long as they could. Chuy took on a second job to pay off the bills, even his friend tried to help him out.”

“Who? Lalo?” Naomi asked.

“Yes, Lalo. What a fine young man. He was devastated when his father decided to sell off his moving business.”

“Mr. Cruz sold his business!” Naomi cried in disbelief.

“He wanted to retire, and when representatives from Prescott Oil came into the neighborhood, they bought up the surrounding local businesses first. Mr. Cruz was the first to take their offer. But it wasn’t too long before the others followed.”

“No.” Naomi paled.

“I’m afraid so. Then after that, they made offers to the property owners, for the homes in the neighborhood. As you know, many of your neighbors rented their homes and had no choice.”

“But Welita owned her house.”

“She was the last to hold out. But with the mounting medical bills and Chuy needing a job, they had to move. So, Welita finally agreed.” Rebecca placed a hand on her shoulder. “It wasn’t easy for them. Welita wanted to stay.”

Naomi sank to the floor. She tucked her knees up to her chest and dropped her head. “I knew it was my fault. They drove them out because of me.”

Rebecca glanced at Lash with a sad, knowing look on her face before sitting down next to Naomi.

“Naomi, none of this is your doing. They’re safe. They live in North Texas now. Chuy placed her in an assisted-living facility so there would be someone looking after her while he and Lalo work. They live just outside of Gardenville.”

We’re new to the city. Just moved here from Gardenville. Lash recalled Nathan’s teasing voice when he teased his wife, Deborah, about having to be careful living in a big city like Houston.

He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It seemed like Welita and Chuy had been intentionally directed to North Texas. But why?

“I don’t get it,” he said. “Why go all the way to North Texas to work? Why not get a job here in Houston?”

“He was offered a very well-paying job there.”

“Where?” He asked.

She glanced at Naomi and then back at him. “Prescott Oil.”

“Prescott Oil? Prescott Oil!” Naomi slammed her hand against the floor. “You mean the same Prescott Oil that bought them out? The same Prescott Oil owned by Lucifer?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Chuy,” she moaned and banged the back of her head on the wall. “If he knew who Luke Prescott was, he’d have never taken the job. Wait!” Naomi jumped up, her face looking hopeful. “You can tell them. You’re Welita’s guardian angel. Can’t you do that? Can’t you warn them?”

“It doesn’t work that way, Naomi.” Her voice was gentle. “We’re not allowed to interfere with human will.”

“But we’re not interfering. We’re just providing them with information.” Naomi’s face scrunched in frustration.

“Please believe me.” She stood and went to Naomi. “If it were in my power to do so, I would tell them. And I’m not her guardian angel anymore. My work with her is done. I’m only here because I knew you would worry, and I wanted to let you know what happened.”

“What? So who’s looking after her? And what about Chuy?” Naomi paced the length of the hall. “It’s not right. We can’t just leave them like this. We can’t let Lucifer use them as pawns in whatever crazy scheme he’s up to. Tell her, Lash.”

Lash gaped at her, wishing he could support her. He wanted to so badly. How could he explain to her the ramifications if they helped or that she’d lost her father because of his interference thirty-five years ago?

“Naomi, I’ve made the mistake before. It’ll put too much at risk if we interfere. Believe me, I know.”

Her face filled with pain. “I thought you were on my side.”

“I am on your side. It’s just...” He felt like kicking himself. She didn’t know he was the one who’d saved Jane, who’d been meant to die on that plane so many years ago. The same Jane who had killed her father.

“What?”

“I...” He glanced over at Rebecca, and she gazed back at him knowingly. Instead of being bothered that she knew, he felt comforted. But how did she know? She was forbidden to see Raphael, so he hadn’t told her, but somehow, she knew. “I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.”

Naomi reached out to him and placed her hand on his chest. “It can’t be a mistake to care for the ones you love.”

“Naomi, you’re new to our world. There are rules in place for all of our protection,” Rebecca said.

“Sometimes, rules need to be broken.” She turned back to Lash. “You broke them to be with me.”

“And I’d do it again, just to be with you.”

“So why not break this rule, for me?” she breathed, begging him.

“You need to tell her, Lahash,” Rebecca said softly. “No more secrets.”

“Tell me what?” Naomi asked.

Lash glanced at Rebecca, and she nodded with encouragement. This secret was a burden he’d carried with him ever since he fell in love with Naomi, and fear of what she’d do if she knew nagged at the back of his mind constantly. His mother was right. He had to tell Naomi his secret about her father’s death. If they were to be bound