twenty-two
She didn’t know why she was so upset. Okay, that was a lie. Angel knew exactly why she was upset: her kid sister was, once again, digging herself another hole and climbing right in without thought. Would she ever grow up to become a responsible adult, or was Angel going to end up burying her before her time?
The idea of her sister in danger was making Angel physically sick. Her stomach had been a mess all morning, the queasy feeling preventing her from eating and following her into work. Every time she even thought about food, she had to swallow hard and talk herself out of running to the bathroom.
“You okay, hon? You look a little green around the gills,” her manager said as she passed by with a tray filled with drinks.
Angel merely nodded and managed a small smile. She’d been quiet all evening, keeping to herself and taking care of her tables quickly and efficiently. It was a night she’d rather be home, lying on the couch watching TV and shutting out the world.
Except she didn’t think that would solve anything, but it was worth a shot, right?
On her way back to the bar, Angel swung her gaze around the floor, scanning the tables for any sign of Kade. He’d promised to see her later, but later had come and gone with no sign of him. She was concerned. What if she’d driven him away with her behavior earlier?
The kiss he’d left her with had certainly stuck with her, leaving behind a purple bruise on her upper lip, which he’d probably intended to do. He was so possessive sometimes, and she loved it. It made her feel claimed, wanted…even, dare she think it…loved.
Touching her fingers to her lips, a feeling of sadness threatened to overcome her. Kade was the closest thing to a real and loving relationship she’d had—ever. The time they’d been spending together was leaving an indelible mark, and when she thought about him going away, a peculiar kind of panic sprung to life that she didn’t like one bit.
Angel had never been dependent on anyone because no one had ever taken care of her but her. She was the adult, always had been, ever since she was a kid. But lately she’d been letting that steel guard slip without even realizing it, and now she felt the fissures of vulnerability creeping across her skin, little cracks in her façade spider webbing through her insides.
God, I’ve become dependent on him, she thought miserably. And yet, despite the self-loathing, she couldn’t drum up the desire to erect those walls again. They’d come down for a reason. She just prayed that Kade wouldn’t make her regret it.
Now, she needed to focus on what she was going to do about Rena. That girl was forever a thorn in her ass. Kade had all but promised he was going to take care of it, but Angel needed a certain amount of control over the situation to be sure it was taken care of. Like she’d told him, he wouldn’t allow a brother to fall victim any more than she would allow her flesh and blood to. So she needed a game plan.
And the only one she could think of was obvious: She needed to confront the problem at its source.
The idea of confrontation made her uneasy, and when a waitress with a tray of fresh chicken wings walked by, Angel’s stomach performed another flip. Clutching her stomach, she held her breath like she’d been doing all night, but this time, it didn’t work.
With a groan, Angel held her tray tighter and sprinted through the dining area to the kitchen, slipping the tray onto a counter and calling “I’ll be right back” to whomever was listening as she raced to the bathroom.
Punching open the door, she dodged a few surprised patrons and burst into a stall, barely making it to the toilet before the few liquids she’d managed to consume that day came back up.
Dammit, this was all Rena’s fault. Angel had moved away because of all of this drama. The stress of it always made her sick, and now here she was again, her world being turned topsy-turvy and it wasn’t even her fault. When would it end? She planned to address that as soon as her shift was over.
Exiting the stall, Angel’s steps faltered when her eyes met her manager’s.
“Okay, you’re not fine. And I can’t be having the other girls or myself picking up whatever you got, so I’m sending you home. You have lots of vacation time built up, so you’re gonna use it until you’re well enough to come back, hear?”
When Wanda used that no-nonsense tone, Angel knew there was no arguing with her. So she shut her mouth and nodded, then headed to the back to get her things.
Damn, she didn’t like the idea of missing work—for any reason—but it looked like she didn’t have a choice. If she explained to Wanda that she was only sick because she was stressed the fuck out, then she’d open herself up to questions she didn’t want to answer and that were nobody’s business. Telling one person under that roof was the same as telling everyone because everyone talked. There were no secrets in the club.
It was probably a good idea to take a little time off anyway, just until she got all of this crap sorted out. Once Rena was squared away and safe again, Angel could get back to life as usual. Bonus: now she wouldn’t have to go find and confront this guy she was seeing in the wee hours of the morning when she was tired and aching for her bed. This way, she was fresh-minded and just pissed off enough to wage a good, solid argument and come out on top. Hopefully. If not, then she had her trusty Taser to back her up.
***
Moose walked into the club alongside a few of his brothers with a single-minded focus: find his woman and lay a hard one on her, reinforcing that she was his and only his and he wasn’t about to let other people’s bullshit come between them.
But she wasn’t there. Wanda, the nearly elderly biker chick that Blake had hired to manage the place informed him—as her eyes openly ate him up from head to toe—that she’d sent his mouse home early for trying to spread the plague—her words, not his.
He took her meaning that Angel was sick and she didn’t want any part of it.
Concerned, he let his boys know that he wouldn’t be joining them for drinks tonight and hopped back on his bike and rode out for Angel’s apartment, needing to be sure she was all right. She’d been fine when he’d left her. What the hell had happened in those few hours?
Pulling up in front of her building ten minutes later, Moose’s frown deepened, and his concern grew. Her car was nowhere in sight.
So if she was sick enough to leave work, why wasn’t she home? Suspicion began to take root in his mind, taking him down dark paths. What if she had faked an illness? But what reason could she have to do that? Another man?
No, he thought immediately. Angel wasn’t like that. Her name matched her personality. She was sweet and innocent, not a backstabbing hussy. He could trust her as far as he could throw her, and considering her size, he’d venture that was pretty damn far.
The bike’s engine rumbled between his thighs while Moose sat staring up at the darkened windows, wracking his brain.
In a flash, like a lightbulb moment, he had his answer.
“Goddammit,” he growled, backing the bike out of the parking space and steering it back onto the road. He knew exactly where she was headed. And considering the lead she had on him, she was already knee-deep in trouble.
If he found her alive, he was going to kill her. If she was still breathing when he found her, he was gonna whip her ass good. Either way, she’d just bought herself a one-way ticket to Smackthatass Land.