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little circus cars. Michel had sat in the passenger seat, Cross had sat behind him in the backseat with Yuri perched in his lap, Bren had sat in the middle, and Dex had sat behind Madigan since he was the shortest and could have his seat farther up than Michel.
    “I’m going to invest in a SUV,” Madigan muttered as he turned onto Twenty-First Street. The commute was only about fifteen minutes, but still, his angels were cramped.
    “They’re a lot safer,” Dex piped up from the backseat.
    “And roomier,” Yuri seconded as Madigan hit a pothole in the road and Yuri smacked his head into the cloth-covered roof. Madigan winced for him. Poor guy.
    “I’ll have to wait a couple months to get a down payment together,” Madigan said apologetically. “The shop never really makes enough for big purchases, and since I haven’t been working, it’ll be a little while.”
    “Nonsense.” Cross snorted. “I’ll speak to your father right away.”
    “He’s an angel. You guys don’t have human currency, do you?”
    Madigan wondered.
    “We’re guardians, Madi.” Michel reached over and petted his thigh. “Our resources are pretty unlimited so long as it falls within the perimeter of our missions. We have earthbound angels all over the 56
    Jana Downs
    world who own businesses, work jobs, and are strategically placed to keep us all as prepared as we can be so that we can better protect our charges.”
    Madigan was so engrossed with the idea that angels were literally just walking among humanity as everyday joes that he nearly missed the red light that had just turned. His foot punched down on the break, throwing them all forward as the tires squealed to a stop.
    “Crap!” Madigan yelped. “I’m sorry, guys. God.”
    “It’s okay,” Yuri said, cringing. “Cross’s knee only went partway up my ass instead of all the way.”
    Dex smacked his arm behind Bren’s back. “Please, just pay attention, baby,” he said to Madigan.
    They arrived shortly thereafter at the shop. The sun was rising steadily on the horizon and painting the world in pleasing shades of pink and orange. It was bitterly cold, but the day held a promise of sunshine.
    “Huh,” Madigan murmured, checking out the cloudless sky.
    “Looks like the devil was wrong about the weather.” The others didn’t offer comment but instead concentrated on maneuvering to get out of the car. Madigan’s gaze went from the sky to the pavement as he parked in his familiar parking space. He looked up at the rusty steps and the busted window of his darkened apartment. He’d forgotten about the broken window. His angels had gotten all of his things that were recoverable from the wreckage days after he’d arrived at his mother’s house. He’d sort of been in shock at the time, so now that he was seeing the destruction first hand, it hit him all over again.
    A warm arm fell around his shoulders, Bren’s. “It’ll be all right, bright eyes,” he murmured. “We’ll make a new home together.”
    “We can’t live at my mother’s house forever,” Madigan said in a sad voice. “Where will we go?”
    “We’ll figure it out. Let’s just get through a workday. Okay?”

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    Madigan nodded. He didn’t know what he’d do without his men.
    They centered him. He could deal with anything so long as they were there with him. The apartment was painful to think about, but the things he’d traded it in for were worth it. Bren was right. He didn’t need to worry about the future. He just needed to worry about making food, taking orders, and having a good day at work.

    * * * *

    The entire shop smelled fantastic, like sugar and chocolate. It made Michel’s stomach rumble just standing there and he’d been here for what seemed like hours.
    “Are they done yet?” he whined in impatience.
    “Not quite,” Madigan said as he moved through the kitchen with the ease of a king commanding his court. He was in his element in this shop. It was a new side