“He’s g…gone.” Carmen sobbed. “We went to bed, and when I woke up, he was gone.”
“Why do all the houses look the same?” Lucifer asked from behind them.
She didn’t have time to deal with him and Carmen. Although he had a point. Why did developers insist on cramming people into little carbon copy boxes? “I’m so sorry.” Bianca stroked Carmen’s back. “Let’s go inside.”
“Smashing idea,” Lucifer drawled.
She might smash his face if he didn’t button it. Bianca took a deep breath. She wasn’t really annoyed with Lucifer. Well, no more annoyed than usual. Finding Carmen here was a shock. She’d had no idea Christen and Carmen had progressed to the point where her sister stayed over. Now was not the time for those questions, however, and she led her sister into the open plan lounge to the right of the front door.
Lucifer loomed behind them, his impatience a palpable cloud at her back. She sincerely hoped he wasn’t doing that icky smoke out his nose thing again.
Her baby sister needed her, and Bianca maneuvered Carmen to Christen’s huge faux leather sofa and sat beside her. “Why don’t we sit here, and you can tell me what happened?”
The sofa ate up most of the space in the room. Judging by the other bits and pieces of Carmen’s crammed around the sofa, things had progressed further than the odd sleepover. A laundry basket of Christen and Carmen’s clothing sat on the chrome and glass coffee table. Carmen’s WiFi speaker was fighting for space on the mantel beside Christen’s oversize TV.
Scowling, Lucifer dropped into an armchair Bianca had last seen in the flat Carmen shared with an old school friend. Between the table, the armchair, and the giant sofa, he had his knees almost up around his ears.
Bianca would love to snap a quick picture, but Carmen was looking at her with a splotchy tear-stained face. “It’s not true what Patty said.”
Bianca didn’t have it in her to lie, so she went with a verbal sidestep. “Did he say anything about where he might be going?”
“Nooo,” Carmen wailed and pressed her face into Bianca’s shoulder. “He didn’t even say he was going anywhere.” She peered up at her. “But he wouldn’t have left me like that. I know he wouldn’t.” Carmen sniffed and frowned. “At least, not without a good reason.”
Bianca made a comforting noise.
Lucifer sent her a pointed stare to get on with it.
He must be getting a crick in his knees.
She pushed a tendril from Carmen’s soggy face. “How about a cup of tea?” Instead of getting a knee cramp and glaring at her, Lucifer could make himself useful.
Carmen sniffed. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” Meeting Lucifer’s gaze, Bianca jerked her head at the kitchen.
He glared back.
She glared harder.
The door opened, and Raphael strode in. “Tea sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Unwrapping herself from Bianca, Carmen gaped at him. “Who are you?”
“I’m Raphael.” He smiled. His golden eyes shone like they were lit from within. “But you can call me Rafe.”
“Rafe?” Carmen swallowed.
Raphael was a lot to take in with his perfect body and gorgeous smile. He’d also never told Bianca she could call him Rafe.
“Good.” Lucifer shot to his feet, dislodging the shade on an arched floor lamp. “Raphael will make the tea while Bianca and I look around.”
Carmen bristled. “What do you mean look around? I told you he wasn’t here.”
“For clues as to where Weaz—Christen has gone.” Lucifer wrestled the lamp shade back into place.
Carmen narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”
“So we can find him.” Bianca was getting too much enjoyment out of Lucifer versus the lamp shade.
“Would you like to show me where the tea things are?” Raphael held out a hand to Carmen. “And I’m sure they’re only going to have a quick look and see if they can find anything to tell us where Christen has gone.”
“They won’t hurt him? When they find him.” Carmen took Raphael’s hand and stood.
“Of course not.” Raphael put an arm around Carmen and guided her to the kitchen. “We want to find him and bring him back to you.”
Bianca glared at Raphael. Archangels shouldn’t blatantly lie like that. They had no idea what they were going to do with him when they found Christen.
“Oh-okay.” Carmen stared at Raphael like he’d bewitched her.
Maybe Bianca had gotten used to perfect beings popping in and out of her life, but Raphael had never had that effect on her. Objectively speaking, she recognized he was beautiful. Rich, flawless umber skin over aquiline features. A carved, pouty mouth and those mesmerizing golden eyes. He was a lot for a girl to take in. Except it didn’t affect her.
With Lucifer, on the other hand, she had to remind herself not to stare. Probably because he could be such a dick. Her reasoning didn’t even make sense to her, but she wasn’t going to interrogate it.
“Shall we?” Lucifer motioned the stairs beside the kitchen.
Carmen’s head snapped round. “Don’t go into the spare bedroom. That’s Christen’s private space. Not even I go in there.”
Bianca’s gaze met Lucifer’s, and they both knew exactly where their search was going to start.
