Page 105 of Price of Angels

“You got bad taste in men, though,” he said, just before Mercy reached him and pulled him into a back-slapping man-hug that was more of an assault than an embrace.

Ava shook her head.

At six-four, Candyman was the only other Lean Dog with Mercy’s towering height, though Mercy liked to hold his own extra inch over the man’s head. He didn’t have Mercy’s exotic, obvious Frenchness, was instead fair-haired, tan, blue-eyed, the long and lean picture of a Texas working man. He was the sergeant at arms for the Texas chapter, and his reputation for violence was rivaled only by his reputation for burning through women faster than cigarettes.Womanizerwasn’t the right word, because he could charm a nun out of her habit. He was more like an addict. A cheerful one.

“Texas is in town?” Ava asked her mom.

“Some of them, apparently.”

Candy drew Mercy back into the thick of the crowd, an arm slung across his shoulders. They were like two giant little boys separated over the summer, coming back together at the beginning of the school year and anxious to swap stories.

They left a gap behind, an opening in the crush, and Ava felt her brows go up when she saw Michael step into it, heading for the table. And then she saw that he had his arm around Holly, and was towing her along with him.

Under the table, Ava touched her mom’s boot with her own, catching her attention, asking for her cooperation.

Michael reached the table, standing behind Nell, his face harsh and tight. He spared all of them a blank glance, then settled his eyes on Ava. The stress in his gaze told her the true story of his expression: he was anxious and nervous as hell about having Holly here. He was pleading for her help and cooperation.

“Holly,” Ava said, getting to her feet. “Hi. You made it.” She stepped around Nell and pulled the other girl into a fast hug.

Holly’s smile was wobbly and appreciative. “Hi.”

“You wanna hang out with us?” Ava asked. In a conspiratorial stage whisper, she said, “Those of us who don’t care about the strip show try to stay out of the way and not get stepped on.”

Holly looked uncertain, but she nodded. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

Over Holly’s head, Ava didn’t miss the look Michael shot her. Silently, he mouthed,Thank you.

Holly longed for her journal, so she could take notes, so she wouldn’t forget any of the important details.

Ava’s mother, Maggie, she already knew was married to Ghost, the club president. The other two women she hadn’t seen before at the bar. Nell – a blonde who wasn’t aging gracefully, but who had an infectious confidence and good humor – was married to a Dog named Hound. They had three children, all girls, all grown.

A Dog Hound had brought up from a prospect, grooming him to take over his duties someday, Rottie, was married to Mina, with a pretty, innocent face and a wealth of long black hair.

All of them were kind to her. None of them questioned her presence.

Until…

“So you came with Michael,” Nell said, and there was nothing sinister about her tone.

Still, Holly was cautious. She figured Michael had said nothing of her to them – that would have involvedtalkingto humans – but she didn’t want to overstep her bounds. She wasn’t going to assert herself as anything other than what she knew to be true.

“I did,” she said. She traced the condensation on her tumbler of Crown and Coke with her fingertips; the drink was doing its job, easing the tightness in her chest. The table was helping, being tucked away from the crush at the center of the room.

“I can’t say I’ve ever seen him bring anyone around.” Nell glanced at the other women. “Y’all?”

“No.” Mina shook her head. “I don’t even see him with the girls much.”

Holly took a large swallow of her drink and wondered what that meant.

“He must really like you,” Maggie said, giving her a smile that was friendly in essence…but assessing too. A deft, perfected dichotomy that was as intimidating as it was inviting.

“Well, I…” She had no experience with this kind of feminine game-playing. “I don’t know if he does. I like him. Hopefully that counts for something.”

Like. What a terribly stupid, inadequate word for almost anything.

Maggie’s smile twitched. “Hopefully.”

“So,” Ava said with a deep breath, and sounded like she was trying to change the subject. “Did he warn you that things would be so crazy tonight?”

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