waved about by dozens of people.
As much as she hated the idea of seeing her smiling face flapping at her when she was on stage, she wished she could have one. It was not even eight o’clock in the morning, and she could already feel the heat of the day.
There was a light rapping on the tinted window. “Five minutes, Senator.”
Jane pressed a button, and the window rolled down. “Thank you, Sal.”
She rolled the window back up and took out a mirror from her bag. Sapphire eyes stared back at her, and she wondered how she got here. How did she get from being an advocate for children’s rights when she was fresh out of college to battling lobbyists in DC and now vying for the presidency? It wasn’t something she ever wanted. She was perfectly happy with her old job working in a nonprofit agency years ago.
Then, she realized it had been Luke who encouraged her, gently pushing her down the path she was on.
She couldn’t get Anita Duran’s words out of her head. She glanced out the window at Luke. His handsome face drew in a small crowd of men and women around him, all wearing what was obviously custom business attire. He had always been charismatic.
She shook her head and laughed. She was letting her mind run away. It was nerves. That was all.
She powdered her nose and closed the compact with a click.
Luke flashed a grin as she approached him.
“The stage is ready,” Sal said from behind her.
“Wonderful.” Luke offered her his arm. “Ready?”
“You bet.” She placed her hand into the crook of his arm.
A wave of nausea hit her when she touched him.
“Are you sure? You look pale,” he said.
Jane looked into his gray eyes. They looked back at her, cold. She blinked, and his eyes were back to their normal selves. “I...I think it’s the heat.”
“You there,” Luke called to one of the stage crew.
The heavy-set man in the blue cap jogged to them. “Yes, Sir?” The man eyed Sal nervously, lowering his cap.
“Bring the senator some water, quickly.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Mr. Prescott,” Sal said. “I need a word with you.”
“Not now,” Luke said.
The young man returned and handed a bottle of water to Jane. “Thank you, uh, Mister...”
“Eduardo.” He gave Sal a quick look and scurried off back to the stage.
Jane took a sip of the cold water. “That’s better. I’m ready now...Luke?”
When she turned to Luke, he was whispering frantically with Sal. She looked around, panicked, wondering if there was a breach in security. She knew that her announcement wouldn’t be popular with a lot of people, especially after the explosion incident. She feared someone would get hurt, trying to stop her.
A shadow passed over her, and she looked up. She felt a sickly chill as dark clouds gathered overhead. “Luke, maybe we should cancel or move this inside. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming.”
“Nonsense. Nothing can stop your day of shining in the limelight. It’s a new beginning for you, my dear.”
Naomi let out a sigh of relief when Lalo joined Chuy and Megan on the opposite side of the stage from Sal and Lucifer. She wanted to get closer, but she kept her distance, hiding in a cluster of trees near an office building. Even though she was in her angel form and they weren’t able to see her, she knew Lucifer and Sal could. She fought with every fiber in her being not to run over there and demand that they tell her where Lash was.
Thankful, for once, that angels had enhanced hearing abilities, she listened to them arguing about why Lalo was there. Lucifer looked nervously toward the group of reporters, who were starting to get curious. It was like they could pick up the scent of a scandal brewing.
She heard Lucifer order Sal to wait in the back of the crowd and to deal with Lalo later.
“Ladies and Gentlemen.” A Texas twang rang out through the audience when a middle-aged man wearing a tan Stetson spoke into the microphone. “As mayor of this fine town, I’d like to welcome you to Gardenville, Texas. This is a historic moment in our country’s history. It is the birth of a new party, the American Federation party. The AF will take this country by storm and forge for us a better and brighter future. It is my honor, my privilege, to introduce our fearless and dedicated leader, Texas’ very own, Senator Jane Sutherland!”
There was polite applause as the senator approached the lectern. Naomi edged closer, her eyes darting between Megan and Chuy as the senator’s voice boomed through the speakers.
“Thanks to all of you who braved the heat today. You are here because you believe that the American Federation can transform this nation, this country, into a better America.”
As Jane spoke, Naomi watched Megan struggle to push her way past the security guards who blocked the entrance to the stage. The senator glanced in the direction of the disturbance but continued on with her speech. A few news reporters caught sight of what was happening and started making their way to the commotion.
A gust of wind rushed through the trees, sending a flock of birds screeching out into the darkening sky. Flashes of light lit the sky, and the audience grew nervous.
“Let go of me!” Megan tugged on a security officer who was dragging her away from the stage. “I have proof that Prescott Oil is illegally dumping the chemicals used in their drilling.”
A small group of reporters swarmed to her, firing one question after another.
“What proof do you have?”
“Are you with Green Peace?”
“Are you with Texans Against Environmental Destruction?”
“Aren’t you Megan Dalene, the niece of the woman who died in the gas leak accident?”
“It wasn’t an accident. Prescott Oil is to blame for my aunt’s death!” Megan cried over the thunder and wind. Her hair blew wildly, hitting against her face. “My little cousin was severely burned. She’s only four years old.”
“You’re going to have to leave.” A security guard grabbed her arm and hauled her away from the growing crowd of reporters.
“Leave her alone,” Chuy growled, blocking the guard. “She has every right to be here.”
“Step back,” the security officer warned. He took out a walkie-talkie and called for police assistance.
“Take it, Chuy!”
He reached out to Megan’s outstretched hand and took what looked like a USB flash drive. He then turned towards the stage.
The moment Chuy placed his foot on the step leading onto the stage, Naomi felt a surge of terror.
“Don’t, Chuy!” Naomi ran to him, knowing he couldn’t hear her but praying that maybe, just maybe he could sense her.
Then everything seemed to happen all at once.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucifer nod in her direction. She felt a jolt hit against her back, and she fell to the ground. Quickly, she flipped over, just as one of the evil twins was about to strike. She flicked out her wings and took off up into the sky, with the dark angel chasing after her.
There was another loud crack of thunder, and a stinging rain poured down. She was flying as fast as she could go, trying to out-maneuver the dark angel, when his twin appeared.
She stopped and hovered above the audience, who were scrambling to get out of the rain. With one dark angel on her right and the other to her left, she had no choice but to fight.
The dark angel to her left gave her a wicked smile. Just as he was about to attack, there was a loud crash,
