Independence: #2 Angel Read online

  “He struck you?” Gabriel voice dropped several levels and he felt his blood begin to boil.

  “We were at her old apartment waiting on Patsy to go to the movies. Her friend was dropping her off, only she knew the car wasn’t supposed to be there and Carl came up with her,” Bailey sipped the water in her hands. “He lifts weights and is very large. He threw Earl out of the apartment. That was about two weeks before Halloween. We haven’t seen him since. That’s why she moved. My apartment has better doors and security.”

  Bailey didn’t look up until the silence stretched into several minutes. She really didn’t like the dark expression on Gabriel’s face. The thoughtful look on Colin’s face worried her more. But what if she was wrong? What if Angel had a chance for something like she shared with Gabriel and she missed it?

  “Please, Sir, I don’t want to see my friend hurt more,” she finally said with a bit of firm back in her voice.

  “Do you believe Colin would harm your friend?”

  “I believe it would hurt Angel to be mean enough to drive him off,” she answered immediately, keeping her gaze from them both to avoid doubting herself. “Angel refuses to allow anyone into her life because of what might happen to them. She’s…she’s been pushing me and Patsy away since this happened, Sir. You don’t understand,” she finished raggedly.

  “I understand fear and I understand your friendship is valuable to you,” Colin told her quietly, his palm over to tip her chin up. “I also understand bullies. Can you trust me to help her?”

  “She says the last thing anyone needs in their life is a friend with baggage,” Bailey said softly, peering into a pair of compassionate dark eyes, unable to stop the moisture forming. “She was married before. For five months. Just before she turned eighteen. Her father said she asked for it. She went to a party and had too much to drink...from her description of how she felt, I think he put something in her drink. He forced her to have sex with him and she got pregnant. She lost the baby at two months and the family of the boy forced through an annulment because Angel threatened to kill him if he touched her again. You don’t understand,” she repeated again, not fighting it when Gabriel gathered her against his chest. “You’re different. You have compassion and consideration…”

  “She’s been through a lot,” Collin said calmly.

  “I think Colin is a big boy and can handle himself, pet. And I also believe your friend deserves a chance to see a different side of life than she’s been handed,” Gabriel continued stroking his palm down the back of her head. He felt her head rock back and forth and kissed her lightly. “Bailey, we will have one thing absolutely clear,” he didn’t wait for her to move, but took her shoulders in his hands and lifted until they were nose to nose. “Any indication that the bastard is near, and I want an immediate call. Do you have his photo?”

  “Patsy does,” she answered instantly. “She snapped pictures with her phone and we…we gave them to the police.”

  “Well, we have a friend in the department now. I want them and I’ll be in touch with Lieutenant Templeton on Monday,” Gabriel told her firmly, accepting her nod before lowering her to the floor.

  “She looks Native American,” Colin said thoughtfully. “With the exception of the pixie haircut.”

  “Her mother was Native American. She died when Angel was born. She’d left her husband, but he found Angel and took her from her grandparents. He said she’d been too puny to bear him strong healthy sons so he married the woman who is her step-mother.” Bailey stiffened her shoulders when she heard her own voice quake. “She cut her hair because he…the man her father wants her with…he grabbed and told her it…it would make an excellent handle for when…when he fucked her,” she whispered at the memory.

  “You were there?” Gabriel ground his teeth at the shudder racing through her and held her closer.

  “Yes. It was right before Patsy’s friend got there and twisted his arm behind him and threw him out of her apartment. I wasn’t very much use…should have kept a baseball bat with me,” she said with a watery smile.

  “Thank you, Bailey,” Colin leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I will do my very best to avoid her arrows.”

  “Why?” She blurted the one word question that seemed to baffle the men. “Why her? There are so many girls…women…here who look at you both like the first present on the Christmas tree and you targeted her.”

  “She asked the same questions when I…targeted…her,” Gabe told him with a low chuckle.

  Colin’s laughter joined Gabriel’s, his head shaking slowly. “I honestly don’t have an answer to that one. Something pulled at me when I watched her at your house that first time,” he shrugged and drained the bottle of ale before sliding it down the bar toward Reed. “I might just be having a mid-life crisis moment.”

  “At thirty-five?” Gabriel chuckled. “Good luck. I think I have a few things to introduce my little sub to. She deserves a reward for being honest and brave enough to share with us,” he winked at the suddenly drawn in breath, his hand taking hers and towing her off to the curving stairwell and the second floor.

  Colin had been watching Angel dance off and on; various younger men and various songs. Never a slow song and never were they allowed to touch. One time when one ignored her and used his hands to skim down her ribs to her hips, she stepped back and walked from the floor, ignoring his calls to return. She flipped him off and kept walking to her quiet corner. When he followed, she caught the attention of a monitor and had him removed. So the lady knew the rules and how to use them when she needed to.

  A very good sign.

  Then he saw the tears slide down her cheek.

  Chapter Two

  She wasn’t sure why she was there.

  Not really. Illusions and make believe were the first things that came to mind.

  A diversion, she thought with a sigh. Someplace new to hide, the little girl in her whispered. The music was just loud enough, just buoyant enough to occupy some of her thoughts. She’d made the decision that she no longer was going to run. She’d fight back the best she could and if she failed… The important thing was keeping her friends safe. Keep them away from her family and Earl.

  “Why the tears, pet?”

  Angel looked from the offered white handkerchief to the soft smile on the face of the man she blinked up at. She recognized him. Or at least, she was positive she’d seen him before.

  Surprise was in her eyes when her palm touched the stream of water coming from the corner of her eyes. Her head shook, her expression unchanged.

  “Thank you. Must be a leaky ceiling,” she flicked her eyes upwards and shrugged, her attention back on the dance floor. She’d trapped enough details of him in that single look. His hair was dark blond and he had disturbingly dark blue eyes that saw too much. He was tall. Big, she corrected herself. His clothing followed the lines of his body the way a lover would hug him.

  “That’s one I hadn’t heard before,” he said with a laugh.

  “Glad I could improve your mood.”

  “So you don’t like talking about crying?”

  “Big girls don’t cry,” she answered without taking her eyes from the dancers. Certainly was a costume for every occasion, she thought, seeking a distraction from the strength in the man too close to her. “I’m sure it’s a law somewhere.”

  “We’d never get any work done at the prosecuting attorney’s office if that was the case,” he replied casually, sinking to the wide cushioned bench and resting his elbows on his parted knees. “Crying isn’t so bad. You can purge a lot of pain that way. And there are always happy tears to be spent.” Colin decided he was definitely losing his edge.

  Angel continued to stare straight ahead, not a muscle moved on her face.

  Time for another track. “Would you like a tour?”

  Angel took her gaze from the large dance floor and looked him over. He was close, she decided, too close and she shifted slightly to the side, giving him a much longer appraisal
. Hair that looked not quite a dark blond shade and in multiple layers that fell over his ears and across a high forehead. Weren’t lawyers supposed to have short military style cuts?

  Blue eyes and yep, pale lashes. He didn’t look bulky, more lean with an oval face and square chin. Nice lower lip, she thought absently, the corner of his mouth a little tilted while he patiently waited for her response. But since her intent was to piss him off and make him leave her alone, she continued her inventory.

  A soft looking leather vest in a caramel tone that was actually kind of nice. A plain, dark tee shirt and a pair of dark chocolate leather pants. That had to be cold to wear outside, she thought with a tiny frown.

  “I have a heavy coat for the outside,” Colin said as if reading her mind, the grin that had been on his face moving to his voice. He liked her voice. She hadn’t said much, but it was low and naturally husky. “Have I passed your inspection?”

  She wasn’t sure why she continued to stare at him, taking in the small collection of half inch scars at the side of his jaw and onto his throat just beneath his left ear.

  “I’m not very good company.”

  “But you’re considering my offer of a tour?”

  Finally her eyes returned to the name plate that she guessed was stuck on because no one serious about their leather would put pin holes in it.

  “You work here?” She finally asked, turning her attention back to the dance floor. Colin was the name on the plate. But she knew she’d seen him before somewhere. Again, though, people come into the bakery from all over the place. Not so much during winter, but in summer… Bailey’s house, she realized with a slight jolt.

  “Not so much work. I help out with some things. Sometimes I tend bar; manage now and then if Master Gabriel is busy,” he decided he’d begin working the proper language into their conversation and gauge her reactions. “I monitor the floor or play rooms and even give demonstrations now and then. It’s not my day job, though.”

  “Prosecuting attorney,” she repeated without looking at him. “Who knew,” she murmured at the thought of him walking into court like he was dressed now.

  “I’d say we get time off for good behavior, but I’d hate to see you crack a smile,” Colin was positive he saw her mouth twitch. A very sexy full mouth that made him think what a shame it was she kept it restricted to so little use.

  “If you’re friends with…” she hesitated slightly. She knew the protocols. She’d read books and even browsed the internet when Bailey had talked about the club with her and Patsy. “With Master Gabriel, and you’re staff, why aren’t you busy?”

  “I am. I’m having a conversation with a beautiful woman about giving her a tour of the facilities.”

  “It’s a sex club,” she said tonelessly.

  Colin leaned back and stretched his long legs out, his hands up and cupping the back of his head as he followed her stare and thought about her statement.

  “I suppose that’s one way to see it. It’s a place where people can meet up and, if it works out, have sex that, at least if they remain in the club, comes with strict safety rules,” he said carefully. “It’s a place where people don’t have to worry about being judged, though a lot do, just because it’s human nature to question our place in society and what society believes is acceptable. It’s a place where a person can explore their sexuality with others. It’s a place to get a drink or two and dance and feel safe. You know the club safe word because you’d have read the short list of rules before coming inside. If you felt less than safe, you could shout the word and have half a dozen security people here to maintain your sense of safety within seconds.”

  Colin watched his words and the reaction she was having to them. She’d pulled her lower lip between her teeth, worrying it in thought. Hands that had been lying flat over the belt of her jeans, had wrapped around her middle and held on. He kept the mantra playing inside his head that she wasn’t accustomed to this level of communication. From what he’d learned, she was unaccustomed to affection or positive attention of any kind. Another mantra he had to keep in mind.

  “So I think calling it a sex club rather limits the possibilities,” he gave a little pause. “And something tells me you’re a woman with a mind filled with imaginative possibilities.”

  “Lawyers are very good with words,” she said simply, her attention all his when a deep, husky laugh broke from inside him. He hadn’t moved. Still leaned against the wall next to her, but his laugh was good. Nice. She missed that with her friends. But she didn’t have male friends. She had friends with boyfriends. She didn’t want to hurt them and she worried they’d come to expect things from her she wasn’t able to give them.

  “There’s that sad face again,” he said softly, fighting the natural urge in him to stroke her face or just touch her shoulder. The thought of his fingers sifting through the uneven pixie haircut made him pull in a slow, deep breath. “What made you sad, pet?”

  “I’m fine, thank you. Must be gas or something,” she said with a shrug, turning her face a little more toward the dancers.

  “This is a strange place to come if you’re not feeling social.”

  “Look,” Angel sat upright and clapped her hands on her knees. She pulled in a long, slow breath and faced him. “I don’t want to break any rules. I don’t want to…to offend you. You look like and better still, you talk like a nice person. Articulate, with a sense of humor. And even if you don’t look like a lawyer, somehow I can see you up there twisting some other attorney into knots. So that’s all good,” she said with a nod. “And you aren’t wearing a wedding ring like the jerk on the dance floor who wanted to cop feels and claim it was dancing. But I’m really, honestly not a good person to be around.”

  “How about a drink at the bar?” Colin let another laugh free at the genuinely stunned look on her face. “I heard every single word you said, I promise. That’s a harsh assessment of yourself and I think you’re wrong,” he straightened up slowly and turned his knees toward her. She had chosen a corner. Bad move, gorgeous, he thought and leaned a little closer.

  Whether it was bravado or fear, she didn’t move unless you count the flare of defiance in her eyes, the stiffening of her spine and slightest tilt to her chin. There was a look in her eyes that warned him not to dare while another flash and dilation told him there was a spark of a thrill shooting through her.

  Colin kept his back straight and leaned in another couple inches until his face was near her shoulder.

  “You smell like sugar and chocolate,” he said quietly, his voice low and level. He smiled when she had to lean in a little just to hear him. “Hmm…and maybe just a hint of cinnamon. Those are interesting scents to find in this place.”

  “You should back up,” she managed to whisper. She wanted to hold her breath but knew it wouldn’t stop him from sniffing at her, so that move was irrational.

  “Do you feel threatened, pet?” Colin kept his voice smooth, calm and his eyes locked on hers. She didn’t budge. Didn’t pull away. But her pulse was hammering and her breathing had become very fast.

  “I…” Angel stopped and for the first time in ages had to think to find the words for what she was feeling. But it definitely was not threatened. And she should. She always felt threatened. He was large. Tall and lean with eyes that seemed to see more than she wanted out in the world.

  “Honesty, pet. You’ll always be honest with me, even if it hurts.”

  “No. Not threatened at all.” He had one of those voices that hypnotized, she thought suddenly, shaking her head and ordering her body to move. Only it wasn’t listening and other parts of her didn’t seem to mind that he was close or that he smelled like leather and ale.

  “But you’re not ready to talk about what you are feeling,” he guessed easily, accepting the quick nod of her head. “Our communication must be verbal, pet. We both have to know the answers and responses aren’t being misunderstood. I don’t want to guess incorrectly and I do want your trust.”

&nb
sp; She looked at him for a long pause, drawing in a slow, steadying breath.

  “I’ve never spoke about…”

  “It’s because I’m a man.”

  “Maybe…alright, yes…yes, it is…”

  Colin raised his hand slowly, watching and waiting for her reaction and adjusting to each tensed breath she took until he could touch the side of her face.

  “I’m sorry for the males in your past,” he told her, knowing it wouldn’t be the last time he apologized for the men in her life. “When you’re ready, you’ll tell me. For now, how about that tour? I can answer any questions you might have if you’re interested in learning more about BDSM.”

  A tour, her mind shouted. It will get you off the bench and he’ll be busy talking and not staring at you like you’re dinner. Okay, good plan.

  “A tour,” her mouth said, about to stand up when his hands took both her wrists and held them. Tightly. She pulled but he didn’t release her. She felt her breath catch and refuse to flow from her lungs.

  “Shhh…it’s alright, pet. I promise you, I’ll never do anything you’re not okay with,” Colin waited until she stopped trying to pull her hands free and she took a deep breath. Then he slid his hands down to take both her palms in his. He let them rest in his hands, her palms aimed up and neither of them moving for a long minute. “It’s not so bad. I watched you on the dance floor. Are the panic attacks from being touched?”

  A flicker of alarm burst and she tried pulling back but his fingers tightened and just held her in place. No one touches you ever again or I’ll kill them and you for allowing it to happen, her father had told her all those years ago. She lay in the hospital bed staring out the window while he lectured her about her failed marriage and relationship with the boy who’d forced her to have sex with him.