Holding her hand tightly in mine as we leave my room is the only thing that’s keeping my anger and rage simmering just below the surface. She has a black eye, marks on her cheek, and a cut on her lip. How had I missed them before?
My thoughts flash back to earlier when I’d first seen her legs. Her fucking legs and her ass, and God knows how far up the damage actually goes. Fresh red welts and newly scabbed cuts mixed with older scars, so many fucking scars. Her beautiful skin is marked, a permanent reminder of the pain her fucking father has caused her. I want to hunt him down and hurt him just like he’s hurt her.
When I’d grabbed that chair my vision had been red. I’d seen the signs, I knew that something wasn’t right, and I’d let her go home. Smashing that fucking chair against the wall was the only thing that had stopped me from leaving her in my room and going to kill the fucking bastard. My mind had been so consumed by my anger that I’d almost forgotten she was there.
She’d screamed. I’ll never forget that sound. While I was losing my mind and smashing up furniture, she’d curled her tiny body into a ball and had huddled into the corner of the room. The moment I’d seen her like that my anger had drained away. Her asshole of a father might be the one who causes her physical pain, but I’d hurt her today.
I feel sick as I remember the fear I’d felt at seeing her in that corner. Her head had been buried against her knees and her hair had shielded her face from view. She was so still and so small and I’d thought she was unconscious until I heard the quiet humming sound she was making. I don’t know what song it was, but it was the same tune over and over again.
I’d lifted her into my arms and talked to her, begged her to come back to me. Fifteen fucking minutes I’d held her close, waiting for her to come around. I never want to see her like that again. I never want to be the cause of that again.
I force my mind back to the present and look down at her. She seems to have forgiven me, but I haven’t forgiven myself. I want to be selfish with Angel. She wants to run away, but I want to keep her here with me. I thought I could keep her safe, but maybe getting her away from Archer’s Creek, her father, and me, might be the best thing for her.
Her tiny hand in mine keeps me grounded and I silently lead her down the dimly lit corridors until we get to Prez’s office. I knock and Anders’ voice immediately calls for us to come in.
Opening the door, I guide her inside. Prez is sat behind his desk with his old lady, Grits, perched to his left and Blade in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Angel cautiously lowers herself into the seat next to Blade. Her bruises look darker in the harsh office light and I sit down next to her, angling my body in front of hers protectively.
She looks terrified; her hands are clasped together in her lap and her chin is lowered submissively. Her waterfall of hair has escaped from behind her ears and is hiding her face. Moving unconsciously, I lift her chin up with my finger and turn her face to mine. I smile at her and hope it reassures her slightly. She offers me a silent nod and then I watch as she pulls in a deep breath and turns to face Prez.
Prez, Grits, and Blade, are openly assessing us and I fight the urge to squirm in my seat. Prez turns his attention to focus on Angel and I watch his eyes narrow when he sees the bruises on her face. Standing, he reaches across the desk and holds out his hand. “Hello, my name is Anders and I’m president of the Doomsday Sinners.”
Angel turns to look at me for a moment before she stands and tentatively places her hand in his. “Hi, I’m Angelique Jefferies.” Her voice is quiet but strong and my chest fills with pride.
Prez points to Blade and then to Grits. “This is Blade, the club’s vice president, and this is Grits, my old lady.” They both nod at Angel in acknowledgment. Prez sits back down and Angel follows suit. “Well, young lady, you seem to have got yourself mixed up in a heap of trouble,” Prez says matter of factly.
“Sir, I didn’t come here to get Daisy or any of you mixed up in my life. In fact, that’s the last thing I want. All I need is a ride to the bus station, or for someone to call me a cab. I just want to get as far away from Archer’s Creek as possible, as quickly as I can. I wouldn’t be here at all if I hadn’t missed the last bus of the day and I apologize if I’ve inconvenienced y’all.”
Angel’s cheeks are tinged with pink and her fingers are restlessly plucking at the fabric of the sweatpants she’s wearing. I don’t know her that well, but I can tell that she’s uncomfortable, so I drop one of my hands over both of hers and squeeze reassuringly. She glances to where my hand covers hers and pulls in a deep, calming breath. When she looks back to Prez her chin is raised a little higher, and she patiently waits for him to speak.
“What happened to your face, Little Dove?” Anders asks, his voice gentle and coaxing.
She stiffens. “Nothing, it was an accident,” she replies robotically.
A growl escapes my throat and I lift my hand from hers. “Her father beat the shit out of her for sneaking out the other day.”
“Daisy,” Angel cries but I ignore her.
“Not the first time it’s happened and it’s not just her face,” I grit out between clenched teeth.
“What else did he do to you?” Anders asks Angel, but her eyes are focused solely on her hands in her lap and she ignores him.
Prez turns his question to me with a raised eyebrow. “What else did he do?”
I won’t let her lie to protect her jackass of a father, but this isn’t my story to tell. Angel needs to be the one to explain so I move from my chair and drop to my knees in front of her. Covering her hand with one of mine, I lift her chin with the other. She reluctantly makes eye contact with me and I smile at the annoyance that’s so obvious in her expression.
“Do you trust that I want to help and keep you safe?”
She thinks about it for a few moments and then nods. I release the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and nod in return. “Then tell him what happened. I want to help and he wants to help you, but we can’t do that unless you tell him everything. If we can’t help, then I’ll get you as far away from here as you want. I promise.”
Angel stares at me and then nods. Getting up from the floor I move back into my seat, then reach over and entwine my fingers with hers.
She lifts her head to look at Prez and then speaks. “Since my sister died two years ago, my father has chosen to punish me when he thinks I’ve done something wrong. He enjoys using his belt.”
There’s an audible gasp from Grits, and Prez places a reassuring hand on his old lady’s leg. “When was the last time this happened?” Prez asks.
“Four days ago,” Angel says quietly.
Prez nods thoughtfully then turns to Grits. “Go grab a drink, baby. Blade will come get you in a minute.” Grits nods and immediately gets up and leaves the room. Prez waits for the door to close and then turns back to Angel. “A man came to visit with your father today.”
Angel nods. “Yes, Senator Carduccio.”
“Did he come on his own or were there other people with him?”
“He came with his son, his wife, and four other men that I think were security guards.”
“Why were they there?” Anders asks.
“My father told me that important people were coming and that he wanted them to meet me. We had sweet tea, and I was introduced to them all. My father, the senator, and his son, all went to talk on the patio and shortly after that Mrs. Carduccio was called away on a phone call. I went upstairs to my bedroom and overheard the men talking. I heard my father negotiate using me as payment for money he owed.”
“Did they say how much money your father owed?” Prez asks.
“One hundred thousand dollars,” Angel answers.
Prez pauses for a second, staring intently at Angel. “Why would your father offer you up to pay a debt?”
Angel wipes away a tear that has streaked down her cheek. “Because he’s a monster. He talked about me marrying the senator’s son. But the senator said they might put me out to work instead. My father told them that I’d make them a lot of money if they did.” Her voice breaks and more tears roll down her cheeks.
“Why should we help you, Angelique?” Prez asks, his voice hard as steel.
Angel angrily wipes the tears from her face. “I don’t want your help. I just want to get to the bus station in Houston.”
“Carduccio is a very powerful man, Angelique. How far do you think you’ll get before he finds you? If you belong to him, he’ll hunt you down. He likes to keep a tight leash on his possessions.”
Angel suddenly stands, dropping my hand. “I don’t belong to him. I’m a person not a possession. I cannot be bought and sold.”
Prez nods, a small smile twitching at his lips. “That’s better, Little Dove. You stand tall, you don’t cower. Ever. Why didn’t Carduccio take you with him today?”
“He told my father to bring me or the money to a warehouse in five days time,” Angel says.
Prez’s smile gets bigger, and he nods. “Good, that’s good. As long as they don’t find you and hand you over before the payment date, your dad will have no choice but to pay what he owes. We’re gonna keep you safe, Little Dove, but I’m sorry, running isn’t an option.”
“What?” Angel shouts. “No! I need to get out of Archer’s Creek. My father will find me here. I need to get away, I need to run. He’ll know I’m gone by the morning and start looking for me.”
“Little Dove, if you run, your father and Carduccio will have you found and back home in less than two days. No-one will ever think to look for you here. The compound is a fortress; no-one gets in without coming through the guard on the gatehouse. I promise you, this is the safest place for you until the exchange date has passed.”
“No, no, no,” Angel exclaims shaking her head. “This isn’t your problem. I don’t need to be saved, I just want to get away and start again.”
Prez stands and walks around to the front of his desk. Perching against the wood in front of Angel he reaches to take her hand. She flinches. His eyes harden, and he slowly moves his hands behind him to rest on the desk. “We’re not saving you, Angelique. We’re just keeping you safe while you save yourself.”
“You really think it’ll be easier to find me on the other side of the country than five miles from our house?” Angel asks sardonically.
Prez laughs. “Yes, Little Dove, I do. You said yourself that by the morning your dad will know you’re gone and start to look for you. He’ll report you missing and have every police department in the state on the lookout for you. But no one will ever think to look for you here. It’s the perfect hiding place.”
Angel falls back into her seat and seems to be lost in thought. After a few moments she lifts her head up to look at Prez and slowly nods. “Okay. Thank you. But once the exchange date has passed then I leave.”
Prez looks from Angel to me and back again, smiling widely. “Of course, Little Dove. Now Blade is gonna go fetch my old lady. She’s gonna take you back to Daisy’s room and have a look at your legs to make sure they’re not infected. She’ll stay with you until he comes back. You’re safe here, but don’t wander around on your own. Do you understand?”
Angel nods and Blade leaves without a word, returning a few moments later with Grits following behind him. The prez’s old lady smiles kindly at Angel. “Come on then, sweetie.”
Angel looks at me and when I nod reassuringly, she stands up and follows Grits out of the office. When the door closes behind her, I pull in a deep breath and wait. Prez is silently assessing me, but I can feel Blade’s gaze on me as well. His intense eyes lock with mine and he stares at me for a moment, then nods and turns his attention to Prez.
“Do you believe her?” Blade says gruffly.
“Yes,” Prez replies.
I let out a ragged breath. I’d hoped that Prez wouldn’t question Angel’s sincerity, but I’d feared he might. Because women like Angel aren’t real—she’s too beautiful, too innocent and too sweet. It’s almost easier to believe she’s fake because in this life no-one is that guileless. Except her.
“She could have cried and whined about the hand life has dealt her, but she hasn’t; she’s still fighting. I genuinely think she’d be happy if we dropped her off at the bus station. She doesn’t want our help. She might be starting to see that she needs it, but she’d be just as happy with a ride. Plus, she’s not an actress. I’ve met a lot of manipulative women in my life and Dove isn’t one of them. She’s just a frightened teenager,” Prez says, his voice impassioned.
“I agree. She’s got nothing to gain from coming here. I thought she might be working with Carduccio, but now I’ve met her it just doesn’t ring true,” Blade says.
“What are we gonna do Prez?” I ask.
Prez blows out a breath and rests his chin on his steepled fingers. “Way I see it, we’ve got a couple of options. We can lie low and wait for the exchange date to pass, or we can make her club property and let Carduccio know that she’s not for sale.”
“Does Jefferies have the money to pay what he owes without her?” Blade questions.
Both Blade and Prez turn to look at me and I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t know if Angel knows either. My guess is that if he’s trying to sell his fucking daughter, he doesn’t, and he’s fucking desperate. Either that or he’s a heartless bastard who really couldn’t give a fuck about his own flesh and blood.” My fingers clench into fists just thinking about Angel’s father. I want to hunt him down and kill him for hurting her. He deserves to get everything he’s ever done to her delivered back to him three-fold. Karma’s a massive bitch and I want to be the one who delivers her retribution.
Prez nods thoughtfully. “Ask her, see if she knows what the money situation is. I think we should lie low and see how the mayor reacts to his daughter not being in her bed in the morning. She’s pretty adamant about leaving once this shit storm is over, so we don’t wanna get her too ingrained in the club unless we absolutely have to.”
A growl escapes from me at the idea that she’d leave, but I’ve got no claim on her. If what happened earlier is any indication of what having me in her life would do to her, then for her sake I need to let her run when the time comes.
“You laying claim to her son?” Prez asks.
I silently shake my head, but never make eye contact. I hear his low chuckle at my response. “I’ll ask you again in a few days time. That pretty little dove has got you all torn up already.”
My eyes shoot up to Prez’s and his are full of knowing amusement. He turns to Blade. “Blade, go spread the word that the girl in Daisy’s bed is his new plaything. See if anyone recognized her as the mayor’s daughter and shut that shit down if they did. Daisy, go keep your eye on her; get her some clothes, something that won’t make her stand out. Tomorrow, we’ll keep our ears to the ground and see what Jefferies does.”
Both Blade and I nod and rise from our seats, I open the door and leave Prez’s office with Blade following behind. I turn to head toward my room, eager to get back to Angel, but Blade’s hand on my shoulder stops me. “That’s the girl,” he says.
I nod. “Yep.”
He nods back, a smile twitching at the edges of his lips. “I can see why.”
A wave of anger pulses through me and I react, grabbing a handful of my V.P.’s shirt in my fist. “What the fuck are you talking about? She’s mine.”
Blade laughs loudly, prying my fingers from the fabric of his shirt. “I know, brother. I know. I was just wondering if you knew yet. She’s a beautiful girl, but she comes with a hell of a lot of baggage, make sure you’re ready for that before you claim her.” He pats my shoulder and then heads for the bar.
Spinning on my heel I hurry to my room and my Angel.