Page 44 of Angel

“You’re right. I’m not that kind of man. And it doesn’t mean my club will be your kind of club. We aren’t going to be holding fundraisers, or visiting children’s hospitals. But I don’t want us involved in the reason we’re all in this fucking mess to begin with. That shit ain’t my cup of tea.”

We don’t speak; the only sounds are the noises from the night. But I know we agree. We understand one another. A silent breakthrough.

“I still can’t forget what you did, helping kidnap one of ours, Charger’s woman, remember? She used to be yours at one point, or am I mistaken?”

The slight breeze is calming, and I breathe in the night air, collecting all it has to offer. “Yeah, that wasn’t supposed to go down. I didn’t know that would happen.”

He studies me. “Jules seems to be convinced you’re not the complete piece of shit we all believe you to be,” he says, creating rings of smoke.

I wince. I don’t deserve her defending me. “Well, she’s wrong.”

“Is she?” I don’t answer, but this conversation is getting a little too fucking cozy. “It didn’t go unnoticed, the way you hold a protective barrier around Angel. Am I wrong about that too?”

I crack my neck and contemplate confessing the undeniable possessiveness I have for his club member. But I don’t. And instead, I ignore him and start walking back to my clubhouse.

“Where the fuck you going?” Chain throws down his cigar.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I learn anything new. It’s not like you don’t know how or where to find me.”

I hear Chain call me an asshole as he stomps up to his club, and I take a glance back at it. Envious. This could have been nice. A club to call family. A home away from home. I laugh out loud. Right? Me? What a joke.

I take off for the hour trek back to my club, hoping Angel’s all right.

FIFTEEN

Angel

Chain pinches the bridge of his nose while I sit across from him. The air inside his office is thick and tense, with the anticipation being an absolute killer. But as I sit here, awaiting my sentence, I think about Venom. He recognized my anxiety for what it was—I was drowning in my fear. He understood.

I didn’t think we would have anything in common, especially that. But if it hadn’t been for him, I might have felt the harsh sting of Mouse’s palm across my face.

“Look, the reason I’m so hard on you is because you’re like my daughter. The one I never had and the one that is giving me a lot of grey fucking hair.” The desk creaks as he leans forward.

“If I may—”

His tattooed hand shoots up, cutting me off, and the silvers of his rings flash with threat. “I’m not finished. Now, I’m not sure what the catalyst for your power trips is recently, but they need to end here, and they need to end now,” he demands, shoving a finger on his desk. “One more fuck up, and I’m taking your patch. You hear me?”

The whites of his eyes blaze with seriousness. And my heart thumps. Nothing’s worse than this. I’ve disappointed him. But this is nothing new. I always disappoint. Just like I did with my own biological father. I don’t want to lose my patch; I don’t want to lose being a member of this club. But let’s be honest: it’s probably only a matter of time before that happens.

“Yes, sir.” I try to smile, but it’s nearly impossible.

“Good. And I mean it, Angel. You’re done. You are not to step foot inside that club again. Now go.”

I leave Chain’s office in silence, wishing I had a time machine. I check my burner phone for any missed texts.

Unknown: Tomorrow, room 214, ten p.m.

I sigh, and the sick sensation in the pit of my stomach rears its ugly head. I feel like dying in defeat. Giving up. Will this ever end? Will it ever end? I lay my head back on the wall, wanting to sink to the floor.

“Okay, it’s intervention time.” Jules stares at me with her witty smile and so does Tequila.

“No offense, but I’m not really in the mood. I just want to go to bed.”

Jules hooks her arm through mine. “We aren’t taking no for an answer. Besides, Charger’s with Chloe and that means girl time.”

“Yup, so let’s go. Lucy is manning the Fallen Star,” Tequila says, latching on to my other arm.

“Where we going?” Throttle smiles with Tank next to him.

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