After the Fall (Broken Angel #2) by L.G. Castillo

entrance, taking up the entire doorway. How could someone so huge not make a sound? She wondered how many conversations Sal had overheard between her and Luke over the years.
    “What is it, Sal?” Luke’s voice sounded irritated. He continued to look at Jane expectantly.
    “It’s about the Houston transfers in the job-training program. I have the report for you. You said you wanted it as soon as I received it.” He held out a manila folder.
    “Job-training program?” She raised a brow.
    Luke reached out to take the file from him. “It’s a program Prescott Oil started about a year ago to train men and women to be ready to work in the oil and gas industry. We have a few transfers from our Houston training site working in Gardenville.”
    “Really? I’m impressed.” Relief swept over her. This was the Luke she knew and loved.
    “Prescott Oil is not in it all for the money.” Luke glanced down at the report, and a look of disappointment crossed his face. “I have some business to take care of. Think about what I said?”
    She looked into his eyes as they gazed back at her kindly. Those were the eyes she remembered from her childhood. Over the past year, she had seen less and less of them, and she wondered what was going on with him to have changed so much. He had always been on her side, and she wanted to trust him like she always had. But lately, she felt like it would be safer for her to keep her thoughts to herself. She couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that something was off. He was different.
    “I’ll consider any avenues that benefit the people and our country,” she said.
    He stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was cold.
    “That’s all I ask.”

9
    N aomi watched Megan climb out of the red pickup truck that was parked along a farm road. She looked exactly the same as when she’d last seen Megan―with her arms and perfect body all over Lash. Same silky blonde hair. Same flawless sun-kissed skin. Same dazzling smile.
    Megan smoothed down her pastel yellow dress, flashing manicured nails and matching nail polish.
    Great. Even her nails are gorgeous. Naomi made a guttural sound in her throat.
    Jeremy looked at Naomi curiously. “Anything wrong?”
    Crap! He heard.
    “No. Nothing. Everything’s fine,” she said, her eyes wide with innocence.
    Good grief. Who knew angels could feel things like anger and jealousy? That was something she’d never heard of. She’d always thought they were perfect. Meeting Lash had of course changed that theory and tossed it out the window. And now that she was an angel, she didn’t feel any different.
    She turned her attention back to Megan, who was leaning into the truck holding her arms out. A little girl, no more than four years old, climbed into them.
    “Megan, can you open this for me?” The girl waved what looked like a candy bar in her hand.
    “Not now, Emma,” said a woman who was the spitting image of the little girl. She grabbed her mass of fiery hair and pulled it up into a ponytail. “You’ll get chocolate all over your dress.”
    “I won’t,” Emma’s pink lips pouted. “I’m a big girl.”
    Megan smoothed back Emma’s unruly ginger curls. “Yes, you are, and you’re growing up so fast. But your momma’s right. We don’t want you to accidentally get candy all over your pretty face before we get your picture taken, do we?”
    “Oh, all right,” Emma said as Megan placed her on the ground. “Can Teddy be in the picture?”
    “Of course.” Megan poked her head back into the truck and took out a stuffed bear. “Aunt Verna, where do you want us to sit?”
    Naomi sighed as Megan’s aunt gave directions on where to sit in the sea of bluebonnets. She remembered the springtime Texas tradition of taking family photos with the pretty blue wildflowers. When she and Chuy were small, Welita and her parents would drive them out to a meadow not too different from this one and have them pose in their church clothes. At the time, she