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“And well? Angel, come on.”
It was Roman who spoke up, and it was the closest to a whine she had ever heard from him. She thought about it for a moment before relenting, “Fine. Mostly well.”
It looked like it pained him, but Roman eventually held out his hand. “Deal.”
Angela shook it. Then reached for her glass of water, draining it in one gulp. Her throat was parched.
“Now that’s settled, when do you want us ready?” Abel asked. “Better sooner than later, right?”
As Sal, Abel, and Morrigan got up, Roman halted them. “No. I don’t want any of you to come. I want you all to stay here with Angel.”
Abel stared at Roman like he was crazy. “You can’t be serious.”
“You’re not going alone,” Sal stated. “Are we really going to have the same conversation we did about you going to New York?”
“It’s not the same thing at all,” Roman retorted, rising from his seat as well. “I think I can handle two old rich fucks.”
“I don’t give a shit how old they are. You are not going alone,” Sal enunciated each word carefully.
Roman firmed his jaw. “I need to know Angel is safe while I’m away. Especially after the drive-by incident. I trust you three to do that.”
“I’ll get a bunch of my bodyguards to sit on her if you want,” Sal said, gesturing to Angela. “She’ll be safe. But you aren’t going out of town solo, Roman. End of discussion.”
Angela swung her head back and forth between the two men like she was observing a tennis match. Claire was doing the same. Morrigan looked amused, and Luca, resigned. She thought Roman would argue further but after some kind of silent communication that involved a lot of staring at each other, Roman’s shoulders relaxed.
“Fine,” he agreed. “I won’t go alone.”
Salvatore nodded once. “Good. You have dozens of men in your empire, Roman. Make use of them.”
“I’ll take some of them,” Roman agreed. “But Angel is the target. Not me. And we have that little rat problem. I don’t trust anyone right now. Other than you lot. So, I need you to stay here. Please.”
The reminder of the potential leak had Sal and Abel swearing. They looked at each other and then her before Abel said, “Fine. Sal and I will stay here. But you take Morrigan. And a shitload of our men.”
Roman blew out a breath. “Done.” He turned to Angela. “Are you okay with this?”
The fact that he asked her warmed her soul. He was a powerful man, used to being in charge and having his orders followed without question. Other than his immediate family, it would seem, based on the last few minutes. They weren’t scared to tell him no. But he always made an effort to offer her control under all circumstances. He knew she needed to feel some semblance of it, and she loved him for always remembering.
“Honestly? No. The thought of you seeing them, of listening to their reasoning about why they did what they did, makes me feel sick. But I need this to be done. I can’t keep looking over my shoulder. I can’t risk being distracted at work indefinitely. It’s already a struggle.” She rose from her seat, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt. “Go. Do what you need to do. Then come back to me.” She kissed him—hard this time. “Thank you.”
He stared down at her. “Any time. I’ve got your back, Angel.”
“I know you do. And I have yours,” she promised.
Roman’s grin was sinful. “I don’t doubt it. You’re badass.” He pinched her butt. “Now, your parents are in Paget Sound, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
He nodded, stepping back. “That’s only one hour from Dalton.”
She had no idea why that was important. “What’s in Dalton?”
“It’s not a what, it’s a who,” Roman replied.
“Ah, good thinking. I salute you,” Abel said, doing just that. “The Midas Touch MC have their club house in Dalton.”
Angela raised her eyebrows. “Who is that?”
“New associates. They took over the Razor’s old turf in the city, but their base is in Dalton. They’ve had a few months to settle in here, and all seems to be going well. We haven’t had many dealings with them—which is a good thing. It means they’re capable of handling their own shit. But Midas, their president, is a good man. He knows all about loyalty and repaying his debts. I’m sure we can count on him for backup. That way, I don’t need to take a giant entourage with me,” Roman explained.
