Archangel Crusader Read Online Free PDF Page A

with clear eyes dancing with life.
    Inside him, a deep void, a numb, empty hole... Never again would he hear the comforting voice, feel the satiny skin... Never again would she run fingers through his hair... Never again... Michael wanted to howl like a wounded beast. So many innocent people had died around him, his first-born son, his teenage wife, Krystal's little girl, now Veronica. Why was life so unfair?
    What about Jennifer? She remained his only anchor in life. Would she have to die, too?
    Michael wondered if he would survive the unbearable pain. He could not fathom the loss. Veronica... All the love he'd felt for her and never expressed. Michael realized now how much she had meant to him. If only he could tell her now... At least apologize for being such a jerk sometimes. She would probably forgive... He would do anything to make things right again, to tell her one more time that he loved her.
    Michael wiped a tear and collected himself. He squeezed Veronica’s hand, knowing she wouldn’t approve, but he had to do this. “I promise you, honey, on Jennifer’s life and mine, that I will exact justice. I will kill the bastard who did this to you. Over your cold body, I swear it. Never let me forget it.”
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    "Hi Dave, it's me." Michael hoped that calling his younger brother would help. They had shared rough times over the years.
    "Mike? Something wrong?" Concern colored Dave's thick voice.
    "That obvious?" Michael felt his voice tremble.
    "Well, it's three in the morning and you sound awful."
    "It's Veronica, a car accident. She died at the hospital." Michael's grip strengthened on the glass, threatening to break it.
    "What? My God, Mike! How are you holding up?"
    "Not good. It's hard... The hardest thing since Krystal's kid died three years ago." Michael struggled not to cry.
    "Mike, talk to me, brother, I don't want you to do anything crazy like last time... We love you. The world wouldn't be the same without you. Think of Jennifer. She needs you badly."
    "I know... Don't worry. I won't try that again. It didn't work last time either." The smiling picture of Veronica looked straight into his soul from the bottle of Jack Daniels he had propped it against.
    "I know your relationship was not perfect, but you loved Veronica very much, I know that."
    "Yeah, I miss her... She changed my life forever. I'll never be the same again. What am I going to do without her?" Michael toyed with a birthday card on the desk, with Veronica's writing on it. "When I think that just this morning... we opened up, finally. She seemed to understand me. We were so happy, as if we made our peace just before... Then Zap! Bizarre accident, too. Sometimes I think I'm going crazy. I've got to tell someone about this."
    "Of course, Mike. I'm really sorry. Tell me everything..."
    Michael retold the events of the past few days, his nightmares and pseudo-hallucinations. As usual, Dave listened patiently. Michael could not have wished for a more attentive brother. Nevertheless, Dave's final advice did not match Veronica's vote of confidence.
    "I think you should try to forget about the whole thing. What you need is a vacation. Why don't you come here for a while, with Jennifer? You haven't been in your hometown in twenty years. You could help me build my house, just like old times. Becky and the kid would love to have your company."
    "Come on, Dave. Did you hear my story? Are you deaf or what?" Michael's voice rose several decibels. The anger withheld so far needed to erupt now. He could not control it anymore. Standing up suddenly, he knocked the chair down. The receiver in one hand and the glass in the other, Michael paced up and down the living room like a caged beast. "I said I have to find out what happened to her. Do you understand?"
    "Yes Mike, I'm sorry. I think I understand," Dave apologized.
    "I know the black leather guy wants to get to me. If the son of a bitch killed her, he'll pay for it, I swear." Michael