Page 11 of Surrender (Angels Halo MC Next Gen)

Seeing he’d picked a booth by the window, I tried not to freeze up. Since Budapest, it was hard for me to relax out in public, and sitting by a window? I could already feel the panic trying to choke me, but I forced my muscles to relax as I approached him.

Seeing me, he stood, unfolding his giant body from the booth where he’d taken up most of the space on one side. “I was starting to think you were going to stand me up,” he teased, bending to hug me.

“We lost track of time,” Elias excused behind me, causing his brother’s head to snap up.

I heard Reid’s gruff laugh, his arms contracting around me for a moment before stepping back. “Didn’t know you were joining us, little brother.”

“We’re starving,” Elias said, grasping the back of my shirt to tug me away from Reid. “There aren’t any free tables, so I guess we’ll join you.”

“Sure, you can join Sammy and me,” Reid said with a smirk. “We don’t mind, do we, beautiful?”

My eyes ping-ponged back and forth between the two of them, more thrilled than annoyed that they were having a pissing match over me. I tried not to, but my body melted into Elias’s touch. “All I care about is eating,” I said with a shrug, noticing a waitress walking our way.

“Have a seat, baby girl,” Elias urged.

I glanced around for any other empty tables, but there was nothing, not even an open place at the counter. Biting back a sigh, I sat, only to have Elias slide in beside me. Feeling the heat of his thigh press up against mine, I was able to relax a little.

Reid laughed as he retook his seat across from me. “How was your first day, honey?”

My skin felt like it was crawling, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was just uneasy from being exposed by the window or if someone was watching me. I was being ridiculous. Even if someone did want to take a shot at me, the window was bulletproof.

When Nova was fifteen, Ryan had heard a vehicle backfire while they were on the phone. He’d freaked out, thinking someone had shot at her, which wasn’t unreasonable for him to imagine, given that our enemies had targeted her before. Two days later, all the windows in Aggie’s had been replaced.

Even though I knew that, it didn’t stop my heart from racing. Uneasily, I pressed into Elias, needing his warmth, his…protection. “It was productive,” I answered Reid. “My boss is a bit of a hard-ass, but I think I’m going to enjoy the work.”

Elias placed his hand on my thigh. “Hard-ass?”

I looked up at him through my lashes. “Absolutely.”

“Hey, Reid,” the waitress greeted when she stopped at the table. She offered us menus and asked what we wanted to drink.

“Stef.” He tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Kingston working tonight?”

“He’s in the kitchen. You want your usual?” She flicked her gaze to Elias and then me. “Country-fried steak and mashed potatoes?”

“Since Kingston is working, I’ll take a cheeseburger, no onions, extra tomatoes and pickles. Fries for the side,” I told her before either man could respond. “Diet Coke to drink.”

She scribbled down my order. “You want this on three separate tickets?”

“Two,” Elias informed her, cutting off his brother when he started to answer. “Reid’s on one, Samara’s and mine on the other.”

“Put Samara’s on mine,” Reid argued. “She’s my date.”

“I’m paying for her meal,” Elias half growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously on his brother.

I thrust the menu back at Stef, shutting them both up. “Three separate tickets. Thanks.”

Elias leaned back, trying to stretch his legs under the table. “Doesn’t matter. I’m still paying for your food.”

Rolling my eyes at him, I tried to get comfortable.

Bulletproof glass. Relax. Relax. Relax.

“You want to stop by the bar and get a drink after, Sammy?” Reid asked, thankfully distracting me.

“I have an early morning conference call,” Elias announced, pretending not to hear his brother’s invitation. “Would you like to sit in on it? I bet you will have some notes to incorporate into the design. If it goes well, you could start taking point soon.”

Excitement pushed down some of my discomfort. Beaming up at him, I nodded. “I would like that.”

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