Page 59 of Surrender (Angels Halo MC Next Gen)

Inhaling deeply, I felt another wave of peace and had to swallow the lump that filled my throat. Fuck, I’d missed him so much.

After a shower, I settled on the couch with my phone and laptop, catching up on any missed emails and letting Jos know I was back.

“Ah, thank God!” she cried. “I swear this place has gone to hell since the moment you left. Elias has steadily gotten grumpier, and clients are being total assholes. On top of that, we haven’t had a receptionist all week. Gina must have known I was looking for a replacement, because she no-showed every day without calling. If someone hadn’t seen her at Aggie’s twice for dinner, I would have thought the girl was dead.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I could have gotten back sooner. Things were kind of hectic.”

“I completely understand. Is everything okay? Your parents…?”

“Papa is doing much better,” I assured her. “Nova sends her love.”

“Please, I’m begging you, if another emergency pops up, take my son with you so the rest of us aren’t subjected to this side of him.”

I wished I could promise her that.

“I have everything ready for my meeting with Lynn Berkeley on Monday,” I said to change the subject.

She made an annoyed sound. “Oh yeah, her.”

Laughter bubbled out of me. “What’s that about?”

“She’s called here four times this week. To speak to Elias.” She grunted in displeasure. “She may have called yesterday, but I wouldn’t know. Because I was so busy, I turned off the phone to give myself a few hours to catch up without being distracted.”

Irritation slithered down my spine as I remembered Berkeley texting Elias the night before. “She did mention they were old friends when we had our initial meeting.”

“Hmm, I guess. He took her calls, but…”

White noise filled my head, blocking out everything else Jos said. Breathing in and out in slow, measured increments, I tried to focus on anything but what Elias and his kink buddy could have been talking about each time she called. His office phone. Which I wouldn’t know about. Because I hadn’t thought about them communicating over a landline.

After the surprise of having her show up for that new consult, I should have covered that base. But I’d gotten distracted with what happened to Papa.

I’d have to fix that.

“Anyway,” Jos said with a sigh, and I finally tuned back into the conversation. “I’ve been talking to Gracie. Nishia had her casts taken off, and her jaw is fully healed now. She’s sweet, and I think maybe she could be a good fit for us. What are your thoughts?”

My mind rushed to catch up. “I adore her,” I said with sincerity. Nishia was a broken soul who had been tossed at the gates of Sanctuary after having been put through untold horrors. Jack was already in deep with her, which had knocked everyone sideways with how over the top he was when it came to her.

His little fairy pulled at something inside me that I didn’t want to examine too closely, but in a surprisingly good way.

“Me too. I’ll have Elias offer her the receptionist position. She seems to feel comfortable around him.”

Oddly, I didn’t feel a jolt of jealousy when she made that comment. Nishia was so besotted with Jack, she didn’t see anyone else. Given her dark hair and blue eyes, a few people had commented that we could be related, but I’d taken that as a compliment because Nishia was gorgeous. I was glad she was comfortable around Elias. It meant she felt safe, and she deserved that.

But Berkeley, she kept pushing me closer and closer to doing something I couldn’t come back from.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

samara

I walked into Hannigans’later that evening in hopes of blocking out the noise in my mind.

Unless he’d spoken to his mom, Elias wouldn’t know I was back yet. And he hadn’t come home by the time I’d gone in search of a much-needed distraction. Maybe I should have texted him, let him know I was home, but after talking to Jos, and her unknowingly dropping a bomb about Berkeley calling him at the office—all fucking week—I knew it was a bad idea.

My goal was to let off steam. And hopefully not kill anyone in the process.

Saturdays at the bar could get crazy, and this one was no exception. Scanning the crowd, I glanced for any sign of Elias, hoping maybe he’d come there as soon as he was done with work, but I hadn’t seen his truck in the parking lot. Then again, he wouldn’t just show up. He’d want a shower first.

Going straight to the bar, I caught sight of Jack dealing with a trio of already drunk girls. As I drew closer, I caught snippets of their conversation over the noise of loud chatter, pool balls slapping together, laughter, and glasses clinking.

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