Page 30 of Archangel

“Tell me how Sonya’s doing. I wasn’t expecting her home for another couple of days.”

I tried not to wince. “Momma always said it’s best to just rip the Band-Aid off. Peeling it off slowly prolongs the torture.”

Thorn chuckled. “That’s not cryptic or anything.” He leaned back, putting his feet on his desk and crossing them at the ankles. “What’s going on?”

“I’m in love with your daughter, Thorn. I’m going to make her my old lady.” I waited for the explosion. When none came, I continued. “She knows that’s my intention and has accepted my claim on her.” Still nothing. I was getting nervous. Thorn wasn’t that much older than me, but I felt like a naughty child being guilted into confessing his every transgression. “I’d like your blessing for this, Thorn. I love Sonya with my whole being, but she’s still your daughter. I won’t go against your wishes.”

“For Christ’s sake, Angel. Why the fuck do you think I sent her to you in the first Goddamned place?”

“I… uh, what?” My brain was pulling a four-oh-four on this one.

“She’s had a crush on you since she was sixteen! Not a normal crush either. I watched her weigh your pros and cons. She might not have realized what she was doing, but she studied you like she wanted to make damned sure you were worthy of her. I knew before she went to college you would be the only man she’d ever accept. It was you or nobody, and my baby girl isn’t gonna live her life by herself.”

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me right now?” I scowled. I stood and paced across the room, unable to process what the fuck just happened. Also, I was really glad I’d hadn’t jumped to conclusions with Mariana before.

“Oh, come on, Angel. You’re not mad. Well, other than at yourself for sweating bullets when you didn’t have to.”

“I was ready to take my beatin’ from you, Thorn. Now, you might just have to take your beatin’ from me.”

Thorn laughed, almost falling out of his chair. “And before you start pitchin’ a fit over you being married, I knew. I had Ripper dig up everything on you there was before I sent Sonya to you. So I contacted Gloria pretending to be the IRS and asked about her marital status.” The man looked entirely too smug. “My guess is, the reminder of you sent her your way. She had all the money in the world until her boyfriend found his next mistress.”

That got me thinking. “She forgot she was married same as me. Hell, she forgot all about meandthe money. Like you said, she had all the money in the world until he cut her loose. She probably hadn’t thought about me since the last time we talked.”

“If you’re in too much trouble over that with Sonya, I’ll vouch for you. The whole scene at Black Reign as it was described to me would never have happened if I hadn’t been digging into your past.”

“You coulda just asked.” I glared at him.

The bastard grinned. “Sure. But what fun would that have been?”

We had an early supper at Salvation’s Bane. Everyone laughed at my expense, and Sonya laughed until she had tears rolling down her cheeks and was clutching her stomach. So were all the other women. Especially when Thorn ratted me out with a video complete with very clear audio of the meeting in his office.

Yeah. This was my life now.

It was late afternoon when we rolled into the Black Reign compound. Everyone we met waved and called out to us. Sonya waved back and laughed. I got an itch between my shoulder blades. I couldn’t put my finger on the actual problem, but something was off. I began to see almost gleeful enthusiasm in the greetings called out from everyone we met. And I mean everyone. Seemed like every adult in the compound came out of the woodwork to greet us.

By the time I rolled into my parking spot in front of the entrance to the Oasis, there were several bikes pulling in behind me, followed by dozens more people on foot.

“What the fuck?” Instinctively, I pulled Sonya to me, wrapping both arms around her protectively.

“Relax, Captain Caveman.” She leaned up to brush a kiss over my lower lip. “They’re just being friendly.”

“Honey, no one in this compound has ever been this happy to see me.”

“Just coming by to welcome Sonya.” Jezebel smiled and reached for Sonya. Sonya went willingly, pulling away from me when I didn’t really want her to. “Why don’t you go unlock your Oasis, and we’ll all pitch in to help you move Sonya’s stuff into your home.”

I smelled a trap. It stank like three-day-old shit, but I could not see it. Instead of questioning Jezebel further, I nodded and went the few steps to my sanctuary to open the gate. This was the place I felt most at peace. I shared it with people from time to time, to help them find the same peace I’d found. It was also the place stacked three mountains high with… sex toys.

There was silence as I stared in disbelief at what I was seeing.

“Um, wow, bruh.” That had to be one of the younger prospects. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

Then the dam burst. Everyone laughed. The guys clapped me on the back, enjoying seeing me uncomfortable. Oh, it wasn’t the sex toys. I wasn’t a fucking stick in the mud. It was the fact two fucking clubs had got something this big over on me. And I knew without a doubt who had orchestrated the whole thing.

“When this is over, your ass is toast, woman.”

“Imma hold you to that.”

“Wench.”

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