Fallen: William (Fallen Angels, Book 2)

121 Pages·2006·0.47 MB·English

by  Tiffany Aaron

Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
About the Author:
Fallen: William
Tiffany Aaron
(c) 2004
Fallen: William
Tiffany Aaron
Published 2004
ISBN 1-59578-071-8
Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge
Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235.
Copyright © 2004, Tiffany Aaron. All rights reserved. No part
of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Liquid Silver Books http://lsbooks.com
Email:
[email protected]
Cover Art
by Fabiano Fabris
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and
dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are
not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events
or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Dedication
Chris, my dreams would be nightmares without you.
Bill and Kelly, you raised a wonderful son and I thank you for
him.
Doug and Jamie, thank you for repopulating the world so we
don’t have to.
Wendy and Shane, may your new life be filled with
occasional storm clouds so you appreciate the sun more.
Char, again you managed to clean up my act. Thank you.
Sandy, thanks for those lunchtime walks and helping me
think my way through an idea.
And finally to the man with the pipe and the trash bag I see
every day while I go to work. Every day you break my heart and
every day you make me smile with your determination.
CHAPTER ONE
William Bradford took a peek at the two cards the dealer
gave him. Damn, the queen of hearts and the two of spades.
Studying his opponents, he wondered if he should try to bluff
his way into the pot or just cut his losses. Maybe if he checked,
he would get the chance to catch something on the flop.
He knew he could cheat and read their minds to see what
kind of hands they had. Shuddering, he wasn’t sure he wanted
to do that. There was no way of telling what kind of slime
lurked in their brains and just because he could read minds
didn’t mean he should. There had to be a rule somewhere in
the Enforcer code stating “Thou Shalt Not Cheat.” Sometimes
being a fallen angel didn’t live up to the hype. One of the men
raised the pot. He threw his hand in with disgust, pushed back
his chair and climbed to his feet.
“I’m calling it a night, guys.” He smiled at the other men
around the table as he gathered his chips.
“The night is still young. You usually don’t quit until the sun
comes up,” one of them said, even though William knew they
were thrilled to see him leave.
“I flew in early this morning and came right to the tables. I
haven’t seen my own bed in a week and I’d like to reacquaint
myself with it.” He nodded as he left.
Strolling through the Golden Phoenix casino in Reno,
William wondered what kind of desperation drove these
mortals to gamble away their money and their lives. What flaw
in them made them long to bet everything on the roll of the
dice or the turn of a card? He had seen that moment happen so
many times—the moment when the addictive haze cleared and
horrified guilt took its place for a while. He had seen grown
men weeping on street corners with no money and no way to
get home.
He used to give them money to help them out and then he
realized they would go and gamble it away again. Now he did
nothing for them. Maybe as an angel, although a fallen one, he
should comfort the most beloved of God’s creatures. Mortals
might be God’s favorites, but he hadn’t seen much proof of
their willingness to accept comfort from Him.
Heading to the bar, he wished he could drown his thoughts;
unfortunately whiskey didn’t have any effect on him. The
bartender recognized him and had his drink ready for him by
the time he sat down.
“Cards not falling your way, Mr. Bradford?” the bartender
asked.
William laughed because except for that last hand, the cards
always fell his way, which explained why he chose to make his
living as a poker player. “I’m just tired. I’ve been busy for the
last week and need to catch up on my sleep.”
Burt looked slightly surprised and he realized those two
sentences were the most he had ever spoken to the man. He
shrugged. He didn’t like talking to people. The only person he
had ever felt the need to spend time with was Celeste, but now
that she was attached to that arrogant mortal, Adam
Montgomery, she didn’t need him anymore. Burt seemed to be
a good listener, but then wasn’t being a good listener a
requirement to be a bartender? Burt set another whiskey on
the counter.
“I’m not done with my first,” William pointed out.
“It’s not for you.” Burt nodded towards the door.
He swung around and felt his lungs deflate as he took in the
woman walking towards him.
She was petite with an hourglass figure he would love to get
his hands on. Her amber hair sparked with burgundy highlights
and was the color he had always envisioned hell fire would be.
A black and white bandana kept her hair off a face meant to
break a man’s heart. Her eyes were wide, reminding him of the
richest Swiss chocolate. Her creamy skin was flushed and he
could feel the anger rolling off her.
A green t-shirt filled with lush breasts he knew would be
featured in his dreams bared her stomach and he caught a hint
of glitter at her belly button. Jeans hugged her hips with loving
accuracy and delicate toes painted a blood red peeked from
black high-heeled sandals. As he ran his eyes down her legs, he
imagined them wrapped around his waist as he thrust into her.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Flinging herself down on the stool next to him, she grabbed
the whiskey and slammed it back. Burt had another shot ready
when she set the glass down.
“Slow up a little, Abby,” Burt said as the redhead slammed
the second one back just as fast as the first.
“I swear if the pay wasn’t so good, I’d blow this fucking job.”
She ignored William.
“Thompson do it again?”
“Yeah, he grabbed my ass. He can’t believe I’d turn him
down. What is it about you gamblers?” Her brown eyes shot
knives into William.
He didn’t think she was looking for an answer so he kept
quiet. Obviously some guy had groped her and it pissed her off.
Standing, he reached into his pocket to pay his tab.
Abby reached out and grabbed his arm although she wasn’t
sure why she was talking to the man. His bloodshot blue eyes