CHAPTER 6

The rain and sudden slight chill in the air had little effect on Kael as he shuffled through his brother's belongings. He was too preoccupied with looking for clues to help him prove Logan's innocence than to pay attention to anything else. He made a special effort to ignore the thorn in his side – James – and the irritation that his irksome presence flared up in him.

This time Kael dressed more appropriately. Both he and James wore the prescribed ambassadorial attire – full dark suits, crisp white shirts, dark blue ties and black shoes that were perfectly polished and shining.

"It's quite an impressive apartment. It looks like your brother was victim to multiple temptations," James commented condescendingly.

"I told you, my brother is innocent, and I will prove it." Kael bit down the impulse to punch the short pompous angel in the face.

"Don't be naive, Kael, look around. He's made himself quite a cosy nest here on earth," James retorted and pulled out a broken wine bottle that lay in the trashcan to prove his point. He was about to say something further but stopped in mid-air when he noticed a deadly glare from Kael. But then proceeded to ignore the warning glare and was just about to utter something again when Kael cut him short in mid-breath while his mouth was opening.

"Don't you dare say it!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Kael. Wake up! Look at the facts. This doesn't fit the profile of a heaven-sent if you know what I mean. It looks like Logan was enjoying his life here on earth far too much." This time the hint in James's voice was not of sarcasm, but rather that of accusation.

"Well, I know my brother. He would never sell his soul for these-" Kael fervently defended his brother and paused a moment to point to everything around them before continuing, "-carnal things that can be stolen or broken, nor out of lust or desire for the love of a beautiful woman. Those things don't have any hold on him, I can assure you. There is a good explanation for all this. I'm telling you now, his alleged 'falling' was a setup."

Even though he heard himself say these words with total conviction, a part of him couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he was wrong about his brother. Maybe Logan had changed. But even if Logan was guilty of falling into temptation, how could he, Kael, bear living in the Kingdom of Heaven while he knew his brother was in purgatory, awaiting judgment, and then what happens thereafter? No, he could not let that happen. He was supposed to protect his little brother. Guilt shot through his veins like darts. If anyone was to blame, it was him. Logan was his responsibility.

A knock at the door echoed through the apartment putting an abrupt end to their argument and halting Kael's concerns. "The door is open," he snapped.

His anger and agitation were once again rearing their ugly head. He could not explain why he allowed himself to succumb to these dark emotions or allow seeds of doubt to grow in him. But what he did know is that he was supposed to be an example to others, being in the high position of leadership that he was in, and he was hopelessly failing at it. This last thought fueled his distress even further, like adding petrol to an already out-of-control blaze.

"Hi, Kael? I thought I heard you. I was just checking in to see if you needed anything and wondered how long you would be staying this time. You left without even saying goodbye and I – Oh!" Julia stopped in mid-sentence. "Sorry, I had no idea you had a friend over."

James stood in the doorway of Logan's bedroom; his eyebrows were raised in a quizzical expression. Kael noticed how the look on his face fleetingly morphed through different phases, first that of surprise, then accusation accompanied by a contemptuous glare, and ending off in a half-smile accompanied by a look of 'I-told-you-so'.

It took immense self-control for Kael not to leap over the couch and punch James in the gut. Kael stood glued to the floor and instead pooled all his anger into his eyes and directed it at James. Sadly, Kael's glare failed to have the intended effect of unsaddling the Gate Keeper and instead, seemed to spur him on.

"Well hello there. I'm James and you are?" He glided charmingly towards Julia, extended his hands, and enfolded hers in his, before bringing them to his lips and brushing them lightly with his lips.

"Oh wow, okay." She seemed a little taken aback by the old-fashioned kiss. "I'm Julia, a neighbor."

Julia smiled awkwardly. Being a tall, slim woman, her hand almost enveloped his small hand, but this fact did not seem to perturb the man in the least. On the contrary, he was beaming joyfully with a look that spun a tale of victory. What a strange little man.

Kael wanted to throttle him. Rub it in. I'll show you.

"He's not a friend. We're merely colleagues," Kael blurted, in response to her earlier assumption that he had a friend over.

"Oh really? What is it that you do?" Julia asked, without clinging on to any guilt for having insatiable curiosity. Besides, she was eager to know what Kael did for a living. A bodybuilder perhaps? No, not if James was his colleague. Definitely no bodybuilder there. She almost grinned at the absurd prospect – the steep physical contrast between Kael and James stood out like a mountain beside an ant heap.

Oh, Brother! Kael admonished himself for his stupidity and made a mental note to put a guard on his tongue whenever he was speaking with Julia.

"Yes, Kael, what do we do – do tell?" James jeered, grinning from cheek to cheek that was as painfully annoying to Kael as his presence, and managed to further enhance his ill feelings towards him, like adding salt to a festering wound. How long had he harbored ill feelings towards James anyway? Five years. It seemed like an eternity – an endless infinity of torture. Calm down, don't let him get to you. But his self-talk did nothing to appease his agitation. An Overseer of the angels of heaven and he was behaving in such a manner, and harboring such dark emotions. He was a disgrace to the Kingdom, he scolded himself. And he seemed to be getting worse. He had to find a way to put an end to his unstable emotions, and quickly before he was cast out of the Kingdom.

"Well Kael, don't keep the lady waiting," James insisted, a deep grin etched on his face.

After gracing James with a twisted smile, Kael replied, "We uh – we're in the um – protection business," he stammered, totally uncomfortable with lying but knowing he had no choice. Did that make it right? Nope, but then again, it really wasn't that far from the truth. They were angels, after all, and protecting the earth and all mankind was one of their main tasks, so one could really say they were in the protection business. He cast a lethal look at James for putting him in this predicament.

This look did not go unnoticed by Julia. She also picked up on the animosity between the two men. And there was something else too that started to bug her. It was a growing uneasiness that began to rise up in the pit of her stomach. She shuddered and was suddenly overcome with an urge to leave – immediately.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, James. Kael – just shout if you need anything," she offered. This last statement was directed at Kael and was splashed with a look of concern as she tried to catch his attention. She tried desperately to pick up on some kind of assurance that he was okay, or if this other man was a threat to him. She felt almost protective over Kael. Should she laugh at herself now? Look at his size – and she's worried about him.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." Kael was eager for her to leave. She was far too much of a distraction, and he seemed to have a habit when around her, to speak without thinking, and that could prove disastrous. He had to make sure that no matter what, she would never discover their true identities.

Hesitantly, Julia gave a quick wavering smile and a nod before leaving.

As soon as the door closed behind her, James practically pounced on Kael. "On please tell me that's not the woman Logan fell for – pun intended," James grinned, mockery tearing up his eyes.

"Shut up!" Much to his dismay, Kael's battle to bring his emotions under control seemed to be as unmanageable as his mounting feelings for Julia. This thought was disconcerting, to say the least. What was going on with him?

"No really, if that's the woman in the picture, I can fully understand why Logan would risk losing everything for her..."

"You listen to me and you listen very carefully to what I'm going to say." Kael moved closer to James, towering over him and his eyes adorned the look of a wild animal ready to attack his rival.

"Logan was tricked. Everything is not as it seems, and I am telling you for one - last time - Julia and Logan were not involved. This was a setup. Is that clear?"

"Easy there, tiger." James shuddered. He felt a little uneasy, even a little thwarted by Kael's untamed and unpredictable emotional outburst. It worried him, and not for the first time, that this was the Lord's choice as Overseer for the Kingdom of Heaven. What had the good Lord been thinking when he put Kael in charge? He would give anything to find that out.

Kael snorted, huffed, and then turned his back on James. It was best to focus his attention elsewhere, like looking for clues instead of on the little imp bugging him. He went about searching through Logan's cupboards and drawers again.

James joined in the search, eager to uncover snippets of Logan's private life here on earth. It helped keep his mind off his own problems for a while.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" James asked after a while.

Kael ignored him, but a little while later he broke the silence. "What are you really doing here, James? And don't tell me it's because you care. Because we both know that's not true."

"Ouch, that actually hurt my feelings," James smirked.

Kael challenged him. One day James will slip up and inadvertently reveal his true nature and perhaps his true intentions for all to see. Maybe he should help it along. "I will never understand how a man like you ended up in heaven as an angel," Kael dangled the bait.

"A man like me?" He was truly offended and obviously clueless as to what assumptions Kael was getting at. He didn't have long to wait for answers.

"Sly, cold-hearted, cunning – shall I continue?" Kael hoped to ignite the angel's anger in order for him to fast-track his revelations, which he was convinced were dark and menacing.

"Who's being judgmental now?" James bit back bitterly, his face thwarted by deep frown lines as his own anger mounted.

"I'm not judging, it's a fact that I'm merely pointing out," Kael retorted.

"You're one to talk, look at yourself as if you're any better. You're always angry, always breaking the rules when it suits you, and you're highly judgmental, – shall I continue?" James growled. "And besides, my job is not as cushy as yours. You get to sit in an office all day long, shouting orders, or you take long walks in the lush gardens back at HQ while others do your bidding. I can tell you one thing; it takes someone with guts and a strong disposition to be in my position. Turning away sinful souls that are pleading for mercy, crying, and begging to be allowed into the gates is no easy task," James countered with an emotion that was mingled with deep sadness and deep-rooted bitterness.

Kael was almost sure he noted a sadness in his eyes but dismissed the idea. That would mean James had a heart, and Kael was convinced he didn't.

"You're right, James. You're absolutely right. I don't have what it takes to turn people away, especially since I believe that no one is without sin."

"Oh yes, I forgot, you are the mighty Kael, far too honourable and compassionate a soul to lower yourself and take on my job. And there's absolutely no way you're pretentious or self-righteous, not in the least."

"Go to hell!"

James laughed bitterly. "Been there, done that." Even though he made that statement as a sardonic retort, he actually meant it, but Kael could never know. He huffed and turned around to start searching the apartment again, anything to avoid being near that giant with all his anger issues.

After an hour or more of searching through the apartment, a task that thankfully released most of his own pent-up emotions, James threw up his arms in defeat.

"Okay, I'm tired, I'm starving and I'm sick of this apartment. Let's take a break and get something to eat."

"No one's stopping you. And there's the door if you want to leave." Although he too was tired and famished, he did not want to agree with James. Was he being childish? - Perhaps. Was he going to stop? Hell no.

James found a pack of salty crackers in the kitchen cupboard and sampled it. "Hey, not bad. You want some?" he offered Kael. He doubted Kael would accept anything he offered but he had to ask. He shouldn't have wasted his breath, though. Kael refused to even acknowledge his offer.

"It's not a peace offering, for heaven's sake. It's just food," James snorted but failed to gain any response. "Fine, more for me."

Kael continued to ignore him. He had little desire to deal with James right now and the mounting stress was fast depleting him of his energy reserves.

Suddenly a piercing scream penetrated the thin walls of the apartment followed by a loud thump.

"That came from Julia's apartment." Kael was out the door in under two seconds and banging on her door.

"Julia? Is everything okay in there?" Kael yelled. When there was no reply, he kicked down the door and rushed inside. James was close on his heels.

Julia was lying on the floor, unconscious, blood pouring down her face from a massive gash on the side of her head.

"Julia!" Kael dashed to her side and fell to his knees. He lifted her gently into his arms, cradling her. He quickly hovered his hand over her wound, and it healed instantly.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Kael?" She gazed up at him, weak, dazed, and confused. She noticed the concerned look in his eyes. Then her memory returned. She gasped and tried to stand up but swayed, feeling dizzy, and landed back in his arms.

"Take it easy. You had a huge gash on your head, and you've lost some blood."

"Had?" She felt for the wound, which was gone, and was now even more confused.

Kael bit back a curse again. How would he explain this? He would have to try to delete a little of her memory. He hadn't done much of that in the past, although he had attended the classes back in heaven. Hopefully, he would be successful.

James just shook his head. Kael was hopeless. "Do you remember what happened, love?" James asked her quickly.

"Um, there were these two people – you won't believe me – they had swords," Julia whimpered. "Actual swords!"

"Okay, do you remember what they looked like?" Kael asked worriedly, but before she could answer, two demons stormed out of Julia's bedroom. They had obviously been hiding there, waiting to finish her off.

Kael immediately recognized the woman. She was the same woman that he had seen in his vision. The one who had impersonated Julia's form and had pushed Logan into the road of oncoming traffic. The other demon was a male; he had never seen him before.

The demons advanced on them ready to attack, swords in hand.

James broke the attack and skilfully grabbed the female's sword from her and started warding off the blows from her male counterpart like an expert swordsman.

Kael and the demons were surprised at James's fighting and sword-wielding ability, but the distraction didn't last long. The female drew a knife from her leg and charged at Kael, who stood by the wall, shielding Julia with his body. He put up one arm to ward off the blows while holding the other in a protective stance, keeping Julia safely tucked away behind him. The knife sliced through his arm mercilessly.

Julia screamed and wiggled her way out of Kael's protection before he died trying to protect her. She looked around anxiously in search of something that she could use as a weapon, trying to hurry before that woman killed Kael. She could handle anything but that. She had lost Logan; she was not going to lose his brother too. Not without a fight.

Kael's large build was no match for the demon, despite his lack of skill in warfare training. He managed to knock her flying through the air with one powerful blow of his arm. She slammed into the wall and landed on her back. Her wind had been knocked right out of her. This gave Kael the advantage and he made a beeline for her knife, grabbed it, and jammed the tip into her throat.

"Get into the bathroom, Julia, and lock the door," Kael commanded.

At first, she wanted to resist, she wanted to help him, but the stern look in his eyes made her change her mind and she dashed out of the living room so fast she almost slipped on the loose rug in the passage.

Kael turned his focus on the demon. "Who are you and why did you kill my brother, and why are you after Julia?" As he demanded answers, he pushed the knife into her flesh with force, but without allowing the blade to pierce her skin. He wasn't a killer. But she didn't have to know that.

"Logan was a naughty boy." A malevolent grin sneaked onto her face and her black eyes beamed up at him, sending a chill all the way down his spine, but her words reeled in his anger.

"That's a lie and you know it. You set him up. How did you do it and why?"

When she failed to respond other than to snicker, he shook her relentlessly.

"TELL ME!" he shouted.

Suddenly a loud cry distracted Kael. He turned to see James doubling over in pain. Blood was pouring out of his stomach like an open tap. His distraction gave the female demon a chance to escape. With all the strength she could muster, she kicked Kael in the stomach, grabbed her knife out of his hand, and ran towards the other demon, who handed her sword to her, and then together, they jumped out the window.

Kael ran to the window and saw them speeding off on motorcycles. He hurried over to James and knelt beside him. As he hovered his hand over the deep gushing wound, it started to heal, but it took a while as it was a massive wound. But when it did heal, it left no trace of an injury in its stead.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Kael replied. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" He was slightly intrigued.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" James responded and was immediately rewarded with a suspicious look. "Oh, don't give me that look. I'm on your side," James snorted angrily.

Kael frowned. "Somehow I doubt that."

He stood up and grabbed James by the hand, pulling him up.

"Get cleaned up. I'm going to check on Julia. Just clean up the blood. I don't want you freaking her out even more."

"I would be careful if I were you. We wouldn't want you falling for the same girl as your brother, would we? Oh, I do love puns."

A burst of anger erupted inside Kael and this time, he turned around, and without hesitation, he punched James in the face, sending the short angel scattering across the room as if he were a mere rag doll.

James landed on his side with a thump and although it must have been painful, he was grinning from cheek to cheek at Kael, a look of amusement in his eyes.

James pulled himself upright and wiped the blood from his torn lip, still smiling. "It looks like ten years cooped up in heaven wasn't long enough to cleanse you of your human traits," he snickered.

Kael huffed and stormed out of the living room. He knew he should regret hitting him, but he couldn't. The pompous angel had it coming. It was long overdue. Okay, there it was – a pang of guilt for his thoughts. One thing at a time. He told his conscience. Julia's well-being first.

"Julia, are you okay?" Kael rapped on the bathroom door, worried.

She opened the door slightly, and gingerly peered out, just in case it was a ruse. Her eyes were brimming with fear. When she saw it was truly Kael, she flung the door wide open and threw herself in his arms, an act which rendered him speechless.

"You're okay!" she cried with relief.

He cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, I'm fine," he assured her, but she noticed the shocked expression on his face and the clear discomfort he was feeling, and she instantly regretted her bold move. Why on earth had she thrown herself into his arms like that? Awkwardly, she pulled herself free from his embrace, not that one could call it an embrace as his arms merely hovered around her, barely touching her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, trying hard to ignore the uneasiness that lay between them, it was so thick it could easily be sliced with a demon sword.

"I'm fine." The pitch in her voice was higher than normal but she managed an awkward nod of assurance and a hint of a smile before turning away from him. She gawkily made her way to the living room.

Kael followed. His own feelings of awkwardness, confusion, and worry accompanied him.

"I've never been so scared in all my life," she uttered, changing the subject, hoping it would alleviate the tension between them.

"Now that's a lie," a shirtless James cut in blithely.

Kael glared at him, taken aback by his insensitive statement but turned nevertheless to raise a quizzical brow Julia's way.

She appeared stunned by his remark. "I don't know what you're talking about," she floundered, and Kael immediately picked up on the look of guilt and fear plaguing her eyes.

"Come now, love, you can't hide your true emotions from me," James persisted.

Julia avoided his statement by shrugging her shoulders. He couldn't possibly know about her past. How could he? She hurriedly changed the subject. "Who was that couple who tried to kill me?"

"They're the ones who killed my brother," Kael responded, curbing his emotions as he kept his eyes glued on Julia. His curiosity about her started growing. What was she hiding?

"What do you mean? Logan's death was ruled as an accident. Besides, if what you're saying is true, why did they kill him and why do they want to kill me? I don't even know them?" she blurted.

"Perhaps it's because you were linked to Logan," James offered.

"Linked to Logan? What does that even mean?" Julia implored. "And why would anyone want to hurt Logan in the first place? He was so good and kind, and heart-warming and..."

"You knew him that well, huh?" James hinted with a wry smile.

"What?" Julia glared at him, astonishment and confusion creasing her face.

"Cut it out, James. I've already told you, there was nothing between Julia and my brother."

"Well she's telling the truth about that, I can sense it, but she is still hiding something though."

"Hello, she is right here," Julia protested, placing her hands on her sides, and then something just dawned on her, "how could you possibly know that I'm hiding something anyway?"

"He's kind of – an empath," Kael revealed somewhat reluctantly.

"Not kind of. I am an empath," James corrected him, clearly offended.

"Oh!" Yes, finally she was finally getting answers, albeit strange ones.

"And you, Kael. What are you?" Julia asked, realizing she wasn't the only one hiding secrets. She admitted to herself she was attracted to Kael but there was something strange about him and she was determined to find out what that was, one way or the other. Then she almost laughed at herself for her hunger for answers. Perhaps her friend Laura was right, she should have been a journalist.

"He has an uncanny ability to see visions of future and past events," James offered, despite the deathly glance he received from Kael.

"Oh!" That she did not expect. She assessed both Kael and James thoughtfully for a minute.

"And Logan? Was he – uh – did he have special powers too?" Her curiosity was now brimming.

"It's called gifts. No, Logan doesn't have a gift per se. He is just a very compassionate soul," Kael replied, feeling uncomfortable to have to disclose information that he believed should remain a secret.

"You mean, he was." It was strange how he kept referring to his brother in the present tense. Was he in denial about his brother's death? You're straying from the topic, Julia. Stay focused. With a deep breath, she reminded herself to dig deeper. What else they were hiding?

"So, what – you're like a group of people with abilities that go around helping others, like superheroes or something?"

"We're no superheroes," Kael remarked firmly.

James's patience was dwindling. "Love, it's no accident that Logan was here. He was sent here to protect you. So save us the time and trouble and tell us what you're hiding and why he was assigned to protect you."

Julia shook her head in denial. "He was assigned to protect me?" How was this possible? All this time she thought they were merely neighbors and really good ones at that.

"Come on spit it out," James insisted.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her defiance continued.

James's patience was wearing so thin he thought he might burst at the seams. "Come now, love, stop pretending and..."

"Cut it out, James!" Kael stepped in. "She's been through enough already. Now let's just get the hell out of here before they return. And before you argue with me, she's coming with us. She will be safer with us."

"That's a statement that can be interpreted in two ways. From what I'm reading off the both of you, her being with us might not be safe for you, Kael – you're treading on dangerous ground."

"What in heaven's name are you talking about? We don't have time for this. Those attackers will most likely be back for her to finish the job. And I don't intend to leave her here unprotected."

"Great, I'm the elephant in the room. Hello! I'm still here!" Julia waved her hands frantically in the air, highly annoyed at their insistence on ignoring her. Why couldn't they just be open and frank with her?

They continued to discount her, lost in their own personal war.

"You forget who you're talking to, Kael. I can clearly read your heart – and hers," James reminded him. His tone lacked its usual haughty mockery, which, if Kael hadn't known him better, would have taken as a note of concern. But much to his dismay, James's blabbering did affect him, it even turned his cheeks warm as he realized there might be some truth behind his words. He blushed, and guilt permeated his soul, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"Look stay here if you want to. I'm getting her out of here before they return," Kael advised, refusing to pursue the subject any further. He hoped that refusing to dissect any forbidden feelings that he could possibly be developing for the human would vanquish them.

Julia refused to budge and was totally oblivious to the meaning behind their words. "I'm not going anywhere with you guys, not until I get answers. Starting with those two creepy sword-wielding freaks who trashed my place and who you say killed Logan, and who are now trying to kill me."

She had uttered all those words in one tense breath. So, before proceeding, she gulped down a few gasps of air to hastily replenished the air in her lungs. "I want answers and I want them now."

Kael vacillated. What could he tell her? He leered at James, hoping he had an answer for her, but instead he remained silent. Just great. Now when he needs to talk, he shuts up.

Kael sighed. "To be honest, Julia, we're not sure what's going on. But that's why we're here – to find out."

James nodded. "And that's why you need to be open and honest with us, love. For all we know, this could all be related to you and your past catching up to you."

"What? You're putting this all on me?" She almost shrieked in defiance.

"That's not what I'm saying," James quickly assured her. "I just think we need to know about your past, and why Logan was put in charge to protect you. Just to make sure this is not related to you somehow."

"Well, it's not," Julia uttered defensively. How dare he imply that this was all her fault. Even Logan's death.

"Cut it out, both of you. I'm not going to say it again, we need to get the hell out of here before they return," Kael raised his voice.

James and Julia finally agreed, but Julia was not happy. This was not her fight; she was certain of that, and she just knew that Kael and James were also hiding something, so this could be on them, for all they knew. She was most certainly not going to take the blame and she was definitely not going to let this slide. She wanted answers and she would not rest until she got them.