Accidentaly Divine by Dakota Cassidy (best large ereader .TXT) 📗

she could be injured or not, she kept her hands in the air. “Where is the bad place, Joe-Joe? I won’t let them take you to the bad place. Tell me where it is and I’ll make sure they don’t.”

“You won’t!” he hollered, raw with pain, raising his arms higher until the gun was no longer pointed at her, but at his own head. “Everyone says that so I’ll do what they want and then they take me to the bad place and put the cuffs on me and make me take meds that make me feel sick and dizzy. Not this time! No way, no how!”

Something happened inside her then. Something real and powerful. A surge rushed through her, a quickening of her pulse, so strong she nearly doubled over—and then she was glowing. Her reflection in the window behind the counter matching the throb of the neon sign.

Joe-Joe began to quiver, his mouth falling open, the drip of water from his soaking-wet clothes distinct as it hit the floor.

Oh, Hell. How was she going to keep this from turning into an episode of Ghost Hunters?

“Listen to me, Joe-Joe,” she pleaded, her eyes filling with tears she couldn’t stop from the pain he was emanating. “I can help you. I will help you, if you’ll just let me. Please. Let me help.”

“What…what are you?” he whispered as he stared at her with bulging eyes.

Something took over. Something stronger than George was when she answered, “I’m an angel, Joe-Joe, and I promise to help you if you’ll only let me.”

As she said the words, Dex approached from a stunned Joe-Joe’s left, slipping behind him and gently removing the gun from his hand.

When he did, George, as quietly as possible, moved forward and held out her hand to Joe-Joe.

Her heart throbbed and her thoughts swirled, but she was determined to help him. “Please trust me, Joe-Joe. Give me your hand and we’ll figure this out, okay?”

He hesitated, but only for a moment as sirens blared outside and the red and blue lights from police cars shined in through the window.

Joe-Joe latched onto her hand, clinging to it for dear life. George pulled him close and allowed the pain he was experiencing to seep into her bones.

“Oh, Joe-Joe,” she whispered, her throat tight.

She clung to him while Dexter held them both, as the police rushed in and chaos ensued.

But seconds before they did, George saw everything she needed to know about Joe-Joe. Everything she needed to help him escape the demons that had led him to become homeless.

She saw what he needed to heal.

Chapter 11

“So I hear you’re a fucking hero today, Wings,” Nina said as she dropped down on Marty’s couch and patted her thigh to entice Sauerkraut to sit next to her.

Without looking back, the beautiful merle-colored pit bull left George’s side and went to Nina, where the vampire promptly stroked her back and told her what a good girl she was.

George shook her head. “I wasn’t a hero. I know Joe-Joe from a coffee shop in town that I frequent. I thought because we have a relationship of sorts, he might let me help. And he did.”

And was she ever so grateful.

Dexter rolled his eyes as he tucked Gladys next to him. “Don’t poo-poo your accomplishment, George. She was amazing tonight. You should have seen her. I almost didn’t have to do anything. Her instinct for people kicked in and she kicked ass.”

Nina nodded and grinned. “Way to go, Wings. I’m proud of ya.”

George hitched her thumb at Dex as she smiled down at Gladys, warm and sprawled across Marty’s big sectional as though she owned the joint. “He’s the real hero. You did get the gun safely away from Joe-Joe, and I still don’t know how you got Sauerkraut out of the shelter so late at night, but I’m grateful you did.”

Dex shrugged and averted his eyes to look into the big fireplace where a toasty fire crackled, serving as the only light in the room. “I’ve met some people along the way. No big deal. Glad to help out any animal.”

“Aw, c’mon, sensei, it’s a huge deal,” George teased. “The shelter’s notorious for giving everyone a hard time about everything. You practically have to show up with your blood type and your firstborn just to get in the door.”

Joe-Joe was a forgotten Army vet, and among many physical issues, he was also bipolar. He’d been without his meds for almost two weeks now, waiting to get in to see someone for a checkup. Two weeks was unacceptable for someone with his kind of mental medical history.

And that didn’t even begin to describe the horror he’d seen—the horror she’d seen through him.

So she’d called up a doctor she’d once worked with during a psychiatric crisis with a client who lived at Mom and Dad’s, and they had gotten him into a facility that would actually help. Truly help.

She’d also promised Joe-Joe she’d take care of Sauerkraut until he was on his feet and ready to be released. In the meantime, she was going to see about finding him some housing, if he’d let her.

When he’d rambled on about her being an angel as they were loading him into an ambulance, the police had naturally thought it was only because she’d helped him. With any luck, he’d think he’d been seeing things.

Regardless, everyone was safe tonight—even Joe-Joe’s dog—and that was all she cared about.

Now bathed and fed and warmed by the fire, Sauerkraut, sweet as always, soaked up the attention from Nina, her silky coat shining after a bath and a good brushing.

Dex rubbed his palms over his bulky thighs. “Well, I think you’re the real star here. You called up some people and all of a sudden, Joe-Joe’s going to get the help he needs. Proper help. Not the kind the VA was providing. That’s pretty great stuff, George.”

She didn’t say anything when Dex complimented her, prompting Nina to squawk, “You just got a compliment, Wings.