Free Jeremy (Broken Angel #4) by L. G. Castillo Page A

Rent sign in his hand. He’d passed by the sign sitting in front of the tiny cottage a number of times. It was adjacent to a larger home connected by a breezeway. The best part was that the place was only a few yards from the beach.
    He approached a table filled with an assortment of hand-carved wooden bowls. He rubbed his finger over one of the larger bowls’ smooth surface, thinking it would make a great gift for Bob and Susan. He motioned to the woman, letting her know he wanted to purchase it.
    He’d had no intention of finding a place to live. He’d been content with sleeping under a palm tree. It wasn’t until he’d spotted the For Sale sign sitting on a used Triumph motorcycle that he’d marched up to the yard, snatched both signs, and knocked on the couple’s door.
    He’d been itching to ride again since he’d had a taste of what it was like when he’d driven Naomi’s bike. Money wasn’t a problem, and he didn’t blink an eye when Bob told him the price to rent the cottage. There was a bank account for angel use. It was meant to assist the angels with their duties and only be used in an emergency.
    Eyeing the sleek motorcycle, Jeremy considered it an emergency. He had to have the bike. And, he admitted, sleeping on the sand was starting to get annoying. Despite how romantic lying on the beach appeared on the movie screen, the sand itched and it got everywhere—his hair, under his nails, his mouth, even between his butt cheeks. He wouldn’t wish the crazy itch he had south of the border on his worst enemy.
    Taking his purchase, he moved from one booth to another. At one booth, there was a young girl playing the ukulele. CDs were spread out over her table. Sitting on a stool, she swayed slightly as she played. Dark bangs hung over pretty brown eyes. She seemed lost in the music as she sang of having a sleepless night because she didn’t want the day she’d spent with the love of her life to end.
    A dull ache crept into his chest as the girl sang. Was this what he was doing on the island—living a sleepless night and holding on to something that was bound to end?
    He shook his head. Nope, he wasn’t going to go there. He had to make an effort and get his shit together. It was just a song. He continued his way through the market, leaving the girl’s pretty voice and song behind when he spotted a booth filled with leather belts, purses, shoes, and, to his delight, a pair of crocodile boots.
    “I can’t believe it.” He never thought he’d be so excited about shopping for shoes. He really hoped none of the archangels would take this moment to check in on him. They might decide to take away his man card if they saw how he squealed when he dashed to the booth. Yep, not manly or archangel-like at all. He didn’t care. He paid the cashier and, with a huge grin on his face, walked away with his boots safely tucked in a shopping bag. He couldn’t wait to put them on and take a ride around the island on his bike.
    “This is borrring! I want ice cream. You promised, Leilani.”
    Jeremy smiled at the sound of Sammy’s voice. He looked around, listening out for Sammy. It appeared to be coming from the center of a crowd surrounding a stage of dancers.
    “Just one more,” he heard Leilani say as he made his way through the crowd.
    He was about to say hi to Leilani when he saw the intense expression on her face. She was watching a girl dancing. There were several girls dancing, but everyone seemed to have their eyes on this particular girl. He could see why. The girl’s long hair sat in thick black waves on her shoulders. The pink flower tucked behind her ear highlighted high cheekbones on a lovely face. Her curvy hips swayed to the music. It was almost hypnotic the way they moved back and forth. And with every move she made, Leilani’s jaw grew tighter and tighter. He could almost see steam coming from her ears.
    He gazed curiously at the girl, wondering what she’d done to make Leilani so mad. The girl