Page 21 of Angel

“Drinking on the job, I see.” I groan at the sound… and from the displeasure of having Venom stand next to me. He slouches along the bar, propping himself up with his arm.

“You know, the more we’re around each other, the more I despise you. I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Now, that hurts.”

I raise a brow and flick my hair back off my shoulders; all the while, the horny bartender continues to watch us. Just as I’m about to quietly ask how the club meeting went, my cell buzzes. Several missed calls from Chain and Tequila.

Tequila: Checking in. Chain and the other guys haven’t stopped watching the GPS since you left. He’s also pissed you ditched your tail, who BTW is getting his assed chewed right now. Send a thumbs up if okay.

It hasn’t been that long, and she’s already checking in on me. I smile, sending the thumbs up emoji. If I can survive my past, I can survive this.

Shit. That reminds me… I need to check the burner phone in my car.

I take the rest of my drink back in one swig and beeline for the door. Good thing my alcohol tolerance is high.

“Where you going, honey? Party’s just starting.” Mouse snickers, but I buzz right past him, dodging another one of his attempts at touching me with his grubby hands.

“I’ll be right back.” I smile and shrug. I step into the cool night air, feeling small droplets of rain graze my face. I quickly check my burner and freeze; ice runs through my veins.

Unknown: Usual spot. You have 30 minutes.

The timestamp reads twenty minutes ago. Did my heart stop beating? I swear it did. The spot is at least thirty minutes from here.

I’ll be late. I can’t be late… The world wants to collapse around me. I can feel it. I need to leave, and I need to leave now. You don’t keep him waiting. The man who terrifies me… surprisingly, he’s not part of this club.

I quickly spin, and my body collides with a wall. No, not a wall—a chest. A hard, cement, steel chest. I lose my footing, a side effect of my anxiety combined with the sudden impact, and start to tumble backwards…

Destination: hard ground.

A strong, solid arm hooks around my waist, saving me from plummeting ass-first. Normally I’d be on high alert and go into a full-blown panic attack, but our eyes connect and a warm, calming sensation flows through my body. I blink a few times to make sure this is real. Me, staring up into a pair of emerald-green eyes—eyes that I swear are glowing down at me. But even with the glow, they seem deserted and empty.

I play with his shirt as my hands rest on his muscular pecs, my body surrounded by his much larger frame. Venom’s much larger frame. This should frighten me, but it doesn’t. Am I breathing? I don’t remember breathing. Heat rushes through me as he squeezes my waist tighter. I’m not going anywhere. I’m already immersed in his chest, so he doesn’t need to hold me so intently.

“What do you think you’re doing? Let me go.” My voice was meant to be stern, but instead, it’s breathy and soft. I try to convince myself I don’t like the way it feels being in his embrace. And I try to convince myself it’s fear, over anything else, but the warmth on my cheeks and the reaction of my body both tell me I’m lying.

“Fine. As you wish, peach.” The heat—once wrapped around me with such shocking security—vanishes. And I stumble backwards, catching my balance before I fall this time.

“Jackass,” I mumble, as I’m already walking away. But really, I’m grateful.

“Where you going? Job too difficult for you already?”

“I have somewhere I need to be.”

“Right, well, hurry back, sweetie pie. Wouldn’t want you to miss all the fun tonight.” The mockery is like nails to a chalkboard.

I don’t answer. The only thought running through my mind is how I need to be there, and how I need to be there now. When a man like him—one who terrifies you down to your core—calls or texts, you better drop everything. Because my boss doesn’t like to be kept waiting, and I’m not talking about Chain.

SEVEN

Venom

Curiosity floods my veins. But it’s not enough for me to give a fuck. Sure, I might be wondering where the hell it is she’s taking off to in such a damn hurry, but it’s only because I don’t want her club chewing my ass out for her rebellious shit.

I knew she was going to be a pain in my ass. I just didn’t know how much.

When her sleek, pretty-as-a-button Camaro disappears into the distance, I walk back inside, annoyed as fuck. It’ll be a matter of minutes before her club calls me. They want me to be her babysitter. Fuck that. I’m not her babysitter.

Still, if I don’t give a fuck, then why does my arm burn from her lingering touch? Why do I still feel her small, perfectly toned waist beneath my skin? And how she trailed those shiny, manicured nails of hers down my body…

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