BLURB
Patient.
Merciful. Protective… One out of three ain’t bad.
Small time crook Gabriel Kemp is just
trying to make a living when a hit-and-run leaves him for dead. Waking up in
hospital to an angel at his bedside gives him a second chance, but one that
comes with a condition.
Fleeing San Francisco doesn’t mean he can
evade the deal either – he still manages to meet Abigail Harris, the woman he’s
promised to protect. He might not believe in the psychic visions she claims to
have, but he knows if there’s even a chance she can identify the serial killer
terrorizing downtown L.A. then she’s in danger.
The only way to keep Abby safe is to find
and stop the killer. If that means taking on the devil determined to turn the
City of Angels into the City of Hell on Earth, then so be it.
EXCERPT
“You came,” she
whispered. “You really came.”
What was wrong with me and attracting crazy
women lately? I frowned and picked up an angel. Male, in jeans and a tee,
features blurred in a way that made my stomach clench.
“I didn’t realize I was expected,” I said
sourly, putting the damn thing down again. Glancing towards her, I caught the
way her hands knotted on the grubby apron around her waist.
“I
didn’t…expect, but I hoped. I prayed.”
Oh, God. I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Look, whoever you think I am you’re sorely mistaken. I was just passing. On my
way to the Laundromat.”
A small smile curved her lips. “You must be
very new if you think that will work. Don’t you realize I can see them?”
“See what?”
“Your wings.”
My what, now?
“Pardon?”
“Your wings.” She smiled again, her eyes
fixed at some point just behind me. “They’re exactly as I dreamed them.”
I took a step away from the crazy lady. I
needed to change my cologne, demand a refund or something. Why the hell had I
even come in here? So much for indulging a passing ironic interest.
“Uh huh, course
you did.”
She gave a high-pitched giggle and rolled
her eyes. I moved back another step as she wavered closer, but her attention
was on the counter and the angel I’d picked up. The creepy, featureless one
that made my skin crawl.
“The wings were
very clear, your face wasn’t. That was disconcerting. I usually see very
clearly.”
What I saw clearly was that I needed to get
out of there. Oxygen was suddenly in short supply, the walls that surrounded me
solid and overbearing. An old but familiar panic crawled up my throat, choking
me.
“I’m not what
you think I am,” I told her, wincing at the desperation that colored my tone.
She just smiled
and fondled the angel. I tried not to look at it, afraid of what I’d see.
The ironic thing was that I’d dropped
everything and bussed a few hundred miles in an attempt to avoid this very
meeting. I didn’t believe in fate, but something had pulled me here. The idea
terrified me and I did what I always did when faced with anything that remotely
resembled responsibility.
I ran.
Interview With Abigail
Harris from the novel Archangel
Tell us a
little about yourself
I'm the youngest of three, with an older
brother and sister. When I was 16, I got my first precognitive flash – I
foresaw my dad having an accident and managed to persuade him to take a different
route. That afternoon there was a huge pile-up on the freeway. I started seeing
angels not long after that. Not that I told anyone. Instead, I used my visions
to create art, then discovered people wanted that art. I moved to a studio
attached to a shop and that's where I met Gabe.
What do you
consider is your greatest achievement?
My first
gallery show when I was just 18. That was kinda awesome.
What is your
greatest regret?
I definitely
regret the less pleasant visions. Living those was... 'awful' doesn't begin to
describe it.
When and
where were you the happiest?
I've never been as happy as I am now. Yes,
there are things Gabe and I have to work out, but he really loves me and I him.
What quality
do you most like in a man?
Strength of
character and a good sense of humour.
What quality
do you most dislike in yourself?
I hate the the visions made me needy. I'd
like to be stronger mentally, but I guess that weakness is one of the costs.
What or who
is the greatest love of your life?
Gabe, though it
wasn't love at first sight!
What was
your first impression of them?
Honestly? I was disappointed. I knew he was
coming, and what he was, but the reality didn't live up to my fantasies. That
was a rude awakening. However, he was everything I needed him to be and I
quickly fell for the real man.
If you could
change one thing in your life, what would it be?
I'd not have
ridden that damn motorcycle.
If you could
change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I hate my hair! I wish it wasn't so frizzy. But I like
Gabe likes it, so may 
