I didn’t want to hand her over. That’s why I reached out to touch her first, to let her know that this wasn’t my decision. If I could have had it any other way, I would have, but I needed that information from Thaddeus, and I knew that it would be his way or the high way. I prayed that she could defend herself against his advances, because the thought of his slimy hands all over her made me want to grab a glass from behind the bar and drive it into his scummy, smarmy face. After everything else she’d been through—and now she had to think that I had betrayed her, on top of everything else. I hated this so much it made my chest physically ache, but I couldn’t see another way out of this. And now, at least, I had a name. A name that thrummed angrily around my head, burning bright against the blackness of my thoughts.

 

“Get your hands off her, man, I don’t want you sullying her up for me,” he leered at her. “And couldn’t you have put her in something a little more appealing?”

 

Angel shot me a look. She was asking for answers, but I couldn’t give her any. I avoided her gaze and pulled my arm away from her reluctantly, pushing her lightly towards Thaddeus.

 

“I didn’t dress her for this,” I tried to keep my voice light and cocky, finding some way to convince Thaddeus that this wasn’t getting to me as much as it was. Angel stumbled slightly at my touch, and Thad caught her, grabbing her firmly by the shoulders and giving her a sweeping look up and down.

 

“Don’t worry, she’ll still do just fine,” he assured me, and I wanted to punch in his dumb fuck face. The way he touched her, the way she pulled away from him and shot me a look that told me she had no idea what was happening and wanted it to stop…I couldn’t even shoot her a glance that told her that everything was going to be okay. I couldn’t even squeeze her hand, because that would have been enough to give away the fact that I actually gave a damn. Thaddeus thought he was just taking a toy for me, that I was doing little more than handing over my bike for a spin, but it was so different with her. I had never felt what I had for Angel for anyone before, and it was a motherfucker to know that she’d probably never really trust me again after what I had done.

 

“Just one night?! Thad ran a hand up her arm, ad she yanked it away as though he were a fly who was pissing her off with his presence. I had to hide a grin at her disgust. She had never reacted like that to my touch.

 

“Just one night,” I repeated firmly, running a hand over my head. Angel shot me a look, a hard one, one that was trying to figure out what was going on as much as I was. I still wasn’t certain that this was the right choice, but now I knew who had killed Angel’s father. She would thank me, eventually. I hoped.

 

“And you’re happy with your payment?” He pulled her tight against his side. She leaned away from him, arching her back to put as much space between the two of them as she could, but he just held her closer. I was pretty certain that he liked her resistance. It made him feel as though he was overcoming something by forcing her to pay him attention like this. He could have any woman he wanted, but of course he wanted the ones who didn’t want him back. He must have been bored of having women agree to sleep with him by now, and in his twisted mind, the way out of that rut was to find a woman who didn’t want him and twist the world to make it so she had to have sex with him. I had never known an asshole this awful before, and I had to clench my fists to keep from showing exactly what I thought of him right there in the bar. If I wasn’t certain that a dozen on his cronies would jump on me at once, I would have done it.

 

“Yes,” I agreed through gritted teeth. Angel had given up trying to implore me with her eyes, and was now just slumped up against Thad, resigned to her duty. I couldn’t bear to see her like this. I needed to get out of there. Thad seemed to have the same idea, and glanced at the door, tugging Angel along with him as he called over his shoulder to me one last time.

 

“I’ll make sure not to hurt her, Breaker, but I can’t promise she’ll be as good as new when I’m done.”

 

“Just get out of here!” I snapped, the last vestiges of good humor vanishing from my voice in an instant. Thad cocked an eyebrow, and wagged a finger at me tauntingly.

 

“Careful how you speak to me. Or I might take it out on her.”

 

And before I knew it, he and Angel were gone, and I was left wondering if I hadn’t just made the worst decision of my life.