Part 30

Father Augustine was an older man with a partial ring of white hair on his head and blue eyes that had seen unspeakable things yet still retained an inherent kindness. The dark brown robes he wore reminded Maria of the clothing worn by monks in monasteries in movies that she had seen.

He walked with a slow, unhurried gait, pausing here and there to speak with the few people scattered in the cathedral. It was old, but well-cared for and there was a feeling of acceptance and welcome that had enveloped her the moment she had stepped through the doors.

"Gabriel, how good to see you again," he greeted, his voice as soft and kind as his eyes.

"How's it goin', Padre?"

"Good, very good. I had hoped for more volunteers to help out with Christmas dinner, but unfortunately, we seem to be a bit thin in that area this year."

Maria watched them, in awe of Gabriel's gentle manner with the priest, and by the sheer contrast they presented. Differences in height, stature, and aura… the two men were complete opposites, but here, in this place, they were almost equal.

"Well, maybe I can help you out, Padre. I'd like you to meet Maria; she's a friend of a friend and she's lookin' for a place where she can do some good."

Father Augustine reached out to shake Maria's hand, his grip firm despite his frail appearance. "Welcome to St. Vincent's," he said with a gentle smile.

"Thank you." Maria smiled as she looked around. "Your cathedral is beautiful."

"Thank you." Amazing. The old man was sending soothing vibes; it was so comforting.

"Hey, Padre, I can send most of my girls down to help with Christmas dinner if you need the extra hands," Gabriel offered.

Father Augustine chuckled as he ushered them further into the building. "No, no, Gabriel, you do more than enough, Son, and it's not really volunteering if you send them down here, is it?"

"No, I suppose not, but if you need the help…"

"I'll help," Maria offered, eager for the opportunity to help out.

"Well, I'll leave you two to talk," Gabriel said as he shook the Father's hand again. "I'll see you at work tomorrow night, Maria."

"Let me show you around." Afterwards Father Augustine led her through to the small office he kept and they spent the next couple of hours talking at great length. When Maria left she felt better than she had in days and as she drove home she had a genuine smile on her face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Indigo Jeffries hated Los Angeles with a passion, but on the rare occasions when he had a charter that took him through the overcrowded metropolis he always made sure to stop in at Azrael's Sanctuary. He pulled the door open and stepped inside, grinning at the big man who moved forward with the intent of confiscating any weapons that he might be carrying.

"You really gonna pat down a one-armed man?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Indigo, you old bastard," Raphael greeted him. "What're you doin' in town?"

"Lookin' for a cold beer."

"Well, you came to the right place." He slid the bin containing Indigo's weapons into a locker and slammed it shut before locking it. "You've got locker number twenty-three."

"I owe you a beer later," Indigo said as he entered the dimly lit interior of the bar, his eyes scanning over the crowd to see if anyone he knew was hanging around. He was making his way to the bar when his gaze landed on the small blond standing at the end of the counter, talking to a customer who was paying his bill.

"Y'know, I had a feelin' you'd still be around," he said as he leaned against the bar.

"Indigo!" Maria quickly handed the credit card back to the customer and wished him a good evening before running around the counter to give the big man a hug. "What're you doing here? Michael said you hated L.A."

He returned the hug, laughing. "I do hate L.A." He snorted. "City of angels, my ass. But, charters are slim this time of year and rich people pay very well, so, here I am." He settled on one of the stools when she asked him what he wanted to drink, watching her as she moved back behind the counter to get it for him. "So, Guerin hasn't said anything about you still bein' around… what's up with that?"

"Michael can be surprisingly silent when he chooses to be." She unintentionally placed his whiskey on the counter hard enough to make it spill over. "He can also be the biggest asshole I've ever known."

"What's - "

"Just a minute, Indy; I've got a couple guys who are in need of another round." Maria turned around, rushing off to take care of her customers, and leaving Indigo to watch her pensively. A voice interrupted his thoughts, drawing his attention away from her.

"What could've possibly blown you through my part of the world?"

Indigo chuckled when he heard Gabriel's raspy voice and he turned to look at the other man. "Money, what else?" He stood and gave the man a one-armed hug. "What've you been up to?"

"Whatever I can get away with. How's the charter business?"

"Slow this time of year as usual, but as long as there are rich people willin' to part with their money, the charter business will continue to be a cash cow." He motioned at the activity around them with the claw as he reached for his drink with his right hand. "Looks like things here are goin' well."

"It pays the bills, y'know?"

"Right." He nodded at Maria. "So, how long's Maria been workin' for you?"

Gabriel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You know her?"

"Guerin brought her around several months back, but he was pretty evasive when I asked him what he was doin' with her." He chuckled. "I had a feelin' she'd still be around."

"She's been workin' at the bar for… well, it'll be three months here pretty soon."

"He brought her to you?"

Gabriel snorted. "No, no, no, he brought her to me for a job; she's livin' out at his place."

Indigo's gaze swung from the bar owner to the waitress and back again. "You're kiddin'! She's livin' with him?"

"Weren't expectin' that, huh?"

"Fuck, no." He chuckled. "As much as that girl talks I'm surprised he didn't pawn her off on you. When I saw she was workin' here I just figured she was livin' with the rest of your girls."

"Oh, no." Gabriel grinned. "Guerin was adamant that she didn't need a place to stay."

An interested smile spread across Indigo's face. This was good, really good… teasing material good! Oh, Guerin wouldn't escape him the next time he saw him! "Really? She hasn't managed to drive him insane yet with her incessant chatter?"

Gabriel laughed at Indigo's question. He obviously knew the girl! "Apparently not. Although it probably helps that he's been outta town for the past couple of weeks."

"Where's he at?" he asked negligently while eating a handful of nuts from the bowl on the counter.

Gabriel's expression turned serious.

He seemed worried about Michael's new mission, Indigo realized. He wondered why. Michael was a pro among pros; the man had nine lives and he had beaten the odds at every turn.

"Rumor has it he's in Cairo with Marcos… Basara's been spotted and Xavier sanctioned a hit."

Indigo swore. Motherfucker! Basara?! This wasn't good. The guy was a dangerous terrorist and one hell of an adversary. "Two weeks and no one's heard from 'em?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Nothin' on my end, but if anything had happened, Cailyn would've said somethin'; you know Marcos is keepin' in contact with her."

"Good point." Yeah, if something bad had happened, Marcos would've told Cailyn, and she would've contacted Gabriel. So far, they hadn't heard anything from her, and that could only be a good thing. He turned his head to have a look at Maria, still busy talking with the customers.

Gabriel couldn't help but smile when Indigo's attention moved back to the waitress. The Michael and Maria saga was turning into the gossip of the year at the bar. Some were even taking bets as to how they had known each other and how it was going to end up between them. He wondered if the retired agent had any information that would give him an edge in the betting pool. "So, no idea what the story is with Guerin and Maria?"

Indigo watched the man. The big guy seemed amused by Guerin and his mystery girl. Since when was he interested in the guys' personal lives? "Not a clue. She talks a lot, but she didn't really give anything away; I'm thinkin' they knew each other before he signed on with the Company."

So, Indigo had deduced the same thing that he had. Hmm… interesting. "Why?"

Indigo carefully scratched his ear with the claw while nibbling on a handful of chips. He answered with his mouth full, unconcerned with his lack of etiquette. "He threw a fit when he thought we were talkin' about him."

"Yeah, he's been hangin' around here a lot here lately. Gave me some bullshit excuse when I asked what was up with that." He shrugged. "Contrary to what he said, I got the feelin' he was hangin' around to make sure no one was messin' with her."

Indigo laughed and tossed back the last of the whiskey in his glass. "I can just imagine what's been goin' on out at his place; I don't think I've ever met two people more stubborn than those two."

"You want somethin' to eat?"

"Nah, I think I'll see if she wants to go get a bite to eat after her shift."

Did Indigo have a death wish? Friend or not, Maria was Guerin's girl. Taking the girl out was entering the danger zone. "Guerin's liable to take your head off if he finds out you took her out."

A loud voice interrupted their discussion. "If he gets back."

Both men turned to look at the owner of the new voice, frowning at Hawkins when he sat on a stool further down the counter.

"What the fuck are you goin' on about?" Gabriel growled.

"Please," Hawkins scoffed as he took a drink from the bottle in his hand. "I think it's safe to say from the rumors goin' around that there's a very good chance Guerin's gonna come back in a body bag. I've heard about Basara, and his list of kills is - "

"Any chance you're ready to take her out for dinner now, Indigo?" Gabriel asked, interrupting the man speaking.

Indigo followed Gabriel's pointed glance, barely catching a glimpse of Maria when she hurried through the swinging doors that led into the kitchen area. It was obvious that she had overheard Hawkins running off at the mouth and it had upset her. He nodded in response to the bar owner's question and he waited until Gabriel had disappeared into the back before he looked at Hawkins.

He shook his head, disgusted with Hawkins for opening his mouth with Maria around. "You still ain't learned when to open your mouth and when to keep it closed."

"At least I've still got both hands," Hawkins sneered.

Indigo stood up when Maria walked out from the back, pausing at the end of the counter as Gabriel held her jacket up so she could slip her arms into it. He stood and walked over to them, pausing to kick the stool out from under Hawkins and stepping out of the way when the man was thrown to the floor. "Better start watchin' your mouth and your back, smartass."