Page 23 of Dark As Coal

Running right behind them, I didn’t even notice the gravel digging into my socks.

And the sight before me had me cringing.

Couches were overturned. The big metal cut-out sign of the insignia for the club that hung off the main wall near where they held church was lying on its side halfway through the clubhouse.

I heard Angelyn before I saw her, and she was trying to get him to calm down by yelling at him, did she not realize that that wouldn’t work?

Priest yelled at her, “Know you’re trying Angelyn but you’re only making it worse. We are waiting for someone, so just back off.”

“I can’t back off. He’s hurting.” She said as she tried to step towards Coal.

“Angelyn, know you haven’t been here that long, but you need to get this. There is only one person on this planet who can talk Coal down when he gets like this. And you are not her.” Pipe snapped at her.

“Well, she’s not here so he must not be too important to her,” Angelyn said as she snapped at Pipe who raised a brow at her.

Every man in the room chuckled, but it was Whit who said, “Yeah, you're delusional.”

Whatever Whit was about to say was unsaid when his eyes landed on Asher and then they searched for me.

He smiled then, “Tell us what we need to do, doll.”

I smiled at him and then looked at Coal as I said, “Get everyone behind me.”

“You heard her, everyone behind Adeline,” Asher called out as Coal grabbed the door to church.

And then he practically ripped it off the hinges with his bare hands and before he could throw it, I called out very softly, “Coal Baby?”

I kept my eyes trained on him.

However, we all ducked when he let go of the door… none of us noticed Angelyn creeping toward him, but he did, and we knew that when he threw Angelyn across the room like she was a rag doll.

Luckily, Irish was able to grab her so she wouldn’t be harmed. Much.

I heard Asher say in a growl, “You go against one more thing I tell you and I will put a bullet right between your eyes.”

Standing there in my short shorts, my knee-high wool socks, and the oversized hoodie I waited for him to look around the room.

And when he did, I called out again, “Coal Baby.”

That was when his crazed eyes landed on me.

As I looked into his eyes, saw the fire in them, the heat that warned you, that if you got too close you were going to get burnt.

But getting burnt by him was something I lived for.

Craved it.

Needed it.

Stepping over the cushions that were lying on the floor, I lifted my foot to step over another one when I heard Coal growl low.

Freezing, I looked to where his eyes were trained and saw that right below where I was going to place my foot was nothing but broken glass.

Nodding, I stepped somewhere else that was clear and then looked up at Coal.

The beast was still out of him raging but it was eerily calm now.

So calm in fact, that I didn’t move for a few seconds.

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