Page 16 of Jack

“Hello, angel.” The deep voice has me snapping my gaze to the man behind the desk.

My anxiety amps right back up. No one has to tell me. Somehow, I just know. This is him. This is Jacob. Even with him sitting, I can tell he’s as big as the rest of these men. He’s strong and confident. He holds himself a little differently thanthe others. He’s their leader. He’s bold, brave, and a protector—or someone’s destroyer. Your attitude determines which side of this man you get. No clue how I know all that just by looking into his eyes. I’ve never been able to do it before.

Oh, please let me be on his good side.

He smiles and motions to the chairs in front of the desk. “You definitely are, angel.”

I groan as I sink into one of the leather chairs. I said that out loud. I’m going to have to get better control of myself than this.

“Shepherd, thanks for bringing her.” The man behind the desk stands and clasps arms with my helper.

“Jacob, this is Lily. I’ll let her tell you her story.” Shepherd pauses and places a hand on my shoulder. “Stay brave, Lily. Tell him everything. Jacob’s a good man. You can trust him. You remember?”

He means, do I remember what Nina told me to say? I nod. I may not remember what she said word for word, but I remember enough.

“You’re leaving?” I glance over my shoulder at the door. I don’t want him to go.

“Just for a moment. Your story is yours. You don’t need me or anyone else hearing it. I’ll come back in a bit if you want.”

“Yeah.” They seem to have a system for how things are done. Asking him to stay would probably be pointless, no matter how comforting his presence would make me.

Shepherd places my bag on my lap and leaves the room. I’m left alone with Jacob and Worley Bird. The big biker by the door isn’t as scary. He smiles. His face holds no anger, only kindness and concern. I know the face of evil. I have nothing to fear here.

A light tap comes on the door. Worley Bird opens it just a crack at first. He quickly opens the door wide and lets a woman in. I follow her as she walks across the room beside Jacob. She never takes her eyes off me.

“This is my ole' lady, Evelyn.” His arm lovingly goes around her waist. The two share one of the sweetest smiles I’ve ever seen before looking back at me.

“Hello, angel. Do you have a message for us?” Evelyn asks.

Okay. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. Maybe kindness because they don’t know my name. It’s not. There’s a meaning to this. Why are they all calling me angel? My helpers called me by my real name. No one here has asked.

“Um.” I swallow hard and think. Message? Oh, yeah. “I was told to ask for Jacob.” I give the man a nervous smile. “And to say Ariel.”

Jacob and Evelyn’s small smiles completely fade as their eyes meet. She closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. An indescribable pain radiates from her. One of the reasons I became a nurse was because I sensed other people’s pain and wanted to help heal it.

“Okay.” Jacob clears his throat. “Can I get your envelope?”

“Oh, yeah.” I quickly unzip my bag and hand him the sealed envelope Nina shoved inside.

The door behind me opens and closes. I don’t turn around. My heart has latched onto the broken woman behind the desk. Embarrassment and shame fill me as I watch her go through my file with her husband. I’m assuming ole' lady means she’s his wife. Whether these two are legally married or not, she definitely has the role of his wife.

Someone moves to stand beside me. I look up at Shepherd. He came back. Someone else moves behind me. I don’t look to see who it is. My eyes remain on Evelyn. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Jacob closes the file. His hand balls into a fist before laying them flat on top of the file.

Evelyn wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. Seeing her break almost breaks me. I didn’t see everything Nina put in thatfolder. If the contents detail my life with Joel, why does it make Evelyn cry?

“Who sent you to us?” Jacob asks.

“Nina Lowe.”

The couple look at each other again before turning to every person in the room. I know there are more than two people behind me. How many more? I’m not sure, but I feel their presence. Jacob nods to them.

Evelyn walks around the desk and offers me her hands. Without hesitation, I place mine into hers. She pulls me to my feet. We’re about the same height. I don’t flinch or protest when she reaches up to remove my sunglasses.

Jacob quickly stands. He fights to keep his hand flat on the desk. “Welcome to the Viking Warriors.”

“And to Ariel’s Angels,” Evelyn adds.

Okay. I saw the club name on the back of Worley Bird’s vest. Nina told me to ask for Jacob and say Ariel. Since arriving here, they’ve called me angel. It’s all connected somehow.

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