Page 16 of Damned By His Angel

“I don’t have any another choice,” I admit shamefully.

“Come on, darling, let’s give the brute his space. I think I have an idea that will benefit everyone.”

Cronos

I’ve stayed in the back all day avoiding Amelia. I was fucking livid with her earlier and the fact that she would think that I would seriously be fucking another woman with her sitting out front. I know she has issues after the shit she went through but she had no fucking right to project that shit onto me! Tracey kept as much space between us as possible as we embalmed the other two bodies. She couldn't get out of here fast enough and honestly, I couldn’t fucking blame her.

I double check the lock on the chemical room before switching the lights off and heading out front to deal with Amelia but when I reach the front she is nowhere to be found.

“Amelia?” I call out thinking she may be in the small kitchen or bathroom. When she doesn’t reply I check both places and still can’t find her. Worry begins to gnaw inside me. I exit the building and look around the parking lot that is empty except for my truck and the hearse. I lock up and jump in my truck, pushing it to its limits as I head straight home.

She wouldn’t have walked home, would she?

A pit begins to form in my gut when I pull up out front of my house and see there are no lights on inside. I rush through the small cabin and check for her, only to find the place empty. My worry starts to turn into panic as I rush back outside and climb into my truck, heading for the diner. Maybe she stopped there and grabbed something to eat? I double park out front, not giving a fuck. I scan the diner and curse beneath my breath when I don’t see her.

Did he track her down?

I rush back to my truck and smack my hand against the steering wheel before putting it in drive and driving to the local park. When I don’t find her there, I check the pier and still find no sign of her. I wrack my brain trying to think of what could have happened, then it hits me. I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll my contacts until I find his fucking number. It rings five times before he answers.

“Boy?”

“Where the fuck is she, old man?” I snarl, not bothering to hide the anger in my tone.

“Safe and resting.” A part of me is relieved to know she is safe and didn’t get taken or worse, run back to that cunt who hurt her and knocked her up. But, the other half of me, the part that thirsts for carnage and death, wants to snap the old fuck’s neck for daring to interfere in my business.

I white knuckle the steering wheel with my free hand so I don’t crush my phone. “She isn’t yours to care for!” I roar.

“From what she has said, she isn’t yours either!” Before I can scream at him he pushes on. “She’s pregnant, Cronos, and the added stress of what you did to her today isn’t good for her or the baby. You have my word that she will be looked after and kept safe here with me and Beth.”

“She doesn’t belong with you!”

“And from what I witnessed today, neither of you two are good together for more than a few seconds. Working and living together while you both are so angry at the other isn’t good for anyone, let alone the wee bub she carries.”

“I don’t give a fuck! She belongs with me?—”

“Then you need to find a way to forgive her, boy. I saw the anger and blame in your eyes today when you looked at her. If she is someone important to you, then you need to show her that.” I take a shuddering breath. “I know your past wasn’t easy but I also know she hasn’t been treated kindly either. I know the signs of abuse, boy. I won’t watch another woman suffer, I can’t.” Shame washes over me, I forgot all about what he and Beth went through.

“She can stay but I’m coming over.” I don’t wait for a reply, I end the call and swing the truck around to head to Bill and Beth’s place. The whole ride there all I can think about is how hard this must be for both of them, having Amelia in their house. They are good people and Bill doesn’t deserve the way I treat him, but I can’t seem to change that shit. He is the only person here that isn’t intimidated by me or scared to look me in the eye. Everyone else gives the Angel of Death a wide berth or crosses the street to get as far from me as they can.

I put the truck in park out front of their place and sigh when I see Bill sitting on the steps out front with two beers in his hands. I scrub a hand down my face before climbing out and making my way toward him. He nods his head to the spot beside him. I choose to ignore his request and snatch a beer from his hand, then lean against the railing.

“You hold so much anger inside you, boy.”

I snort before taking a sip of my beer. “Yeah, well, you would be angry all the time too if you lived through what I did.”

“We are the authors of our own destinies. You can rewrite your future anytime you want to, but you don’t seem to want to change your own outcome.”

“How the fuck would you know that, old man?”

He smiles sadly. “Because I’ve seen it all before. I was angry for a long time, Cronos. I wanted everyone to be just as furious as I was but they all kept on living while I died more and more inside with each passing day.”

“Our stories aren’t the same.”

“Not the same but similar.”

“What are you getting at, old man?” I’ve just about reached my quota for talking today so he better make his point fast.

“I see your anger and pain but I see her anxiety and fear. Together you both are a volatile mix until you each overcome the demons of your past.”

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