Hope For More (Trinity Book 3)

by Devin Fontaine

  Verity shrugged and winked. “Well, it doesn’t matter what you wear. You’re gorgeous in a burlap sack.”

  Hope blushed and picked up her tray. “Do you want a table? I can get you a drink.”

  “Oh. No thanks. I’m waiting for Davin, so I guess I’ll just sit at the bar.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Hope spotted a customer, his hand in the air waving. “I gotta check on my tables, but I’m due for a break. We can visit when I take my fifteen.”

  Vee grinned and the sight filled Hope with so much warmth and joy, she wondered what it must feel like to be so happy. Not once in her life had Hope ever smiled like that. The two of them met as random strangers, thrown together as roommates under mutually depressing circumstances; Verity with a broken leg and Hope after being assaulted. Garrett tagged along, as he’d probably never let Hope leave his sight again after the attack.

  Soon after they got situated in the apartment, Hope noticed her quiet roommate was always down, perpetually surrounded by a profound sense of despair. Verity is beautiful, stunning even, but Hope quickly discovered Vee suffered from the worst case of low self-esteem of anyone she’d ever met. After she accidentally walked in on Vee changing and caught sight of the horrific scars on her back, Verity described the shocking details of her past—or lack of a past to be specific.

  At the time, Verity couldn’t remember anything about her life before she was twenty-two years old, including how the scars came to be. Hell, after hearing that, she totally sympathized with Vee’s lack of pride. Something traumatized Verity in a terrible way and though she had no memory of it, Hope knew her friend had been a mere shell of the girl she was supposed to be. Thanks to Davin, Verity pulled herself from the dark place she’d been in, recovered some of her memories, and most important, Davin brought Vee into the light. Hope would always be grateful that Davin gave Garrett and her a better place to live, but more important, the gorgeous man saved Verity from a lifetime of misery.

  “Great. Come find me when you’re on break,” Vee said as she headed for the bar. The impatient customer waved again, this time with a scowl on his pinched face. Wonderful. Looks like the tip would be tiny. Hope hurried to see what the guy wanted.

  “Hey.” Twenty minutes later, all of her tables taken care of and happy—for the moment, Hope dropped onto the stool next to Vee and handed her tray to the bartender, an alluring and friendly woman named Bethany, who for some reason made Hope uncomfortable. Nothing specific, just a weird feeling she got, similar to when the hairs on your arms stood on end. Bethany raised a brow as she slid Hope’s Coke across the bar. “Thanks, Bethany.” The bartender said nothing, as usual, but Hope did notice a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth and hid her own smirk behind the glass.

  One of these days, Hope would break through Bethany’s stony exterior and get her to smile. It was a personal goal of sorts.

  She sipped her soda and turned to Vee. “When is Davin supposed to show up?”

  “Soon.” Vee checked the time on her phone and placed it back on the bar. “I’m early. It was too far out of my way to go home first, so I came straight from work.”

  Hope put her elbow on the bar and propped her chin on her hand, ready to tease her friend. With a wicked grin, she dove right in. “So, how are things with you and Davin?” Ha! Vee blushed and ducked her head. Hope elbowed her in the ribs. “C’mon, Vee. You can tell me. When’s the wedding?”

  Verity’s head snapped up and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

  Well, that certainly got her attention.

  “No, no, no. Uh, no wedding. Just, no. We haven’t talked about anything like that. Davin hasn’t even mentioned it.” Hope had to stifle a laugh at Vee’s stuttering and failed spectacularly.

  Giggles burst free at the panicked and stricken expression on Verity’s face. “I’m only kidding around. I know you guys only just started to date a month or two ago.” Vee’s mouth alternated between hanging open and closing hard enough Hope heard her teeth clack. The reaction was so over the top embarrassed, she didn’t bother to point out how everything between the lovebirds moved fast enough to break the sound barrier. Honestly, a few weeks into the relationship, Verity moved out and after a brief stint in a studio apartment, gave it up to live full-time with Davin Cassavettes. Not that she blamed her. The man is literally drop-dead gorgeous. Like, billboard worthy, runway model, traffic-stopping gorgeous.

  “What about you, Hope? How’s it going, you know…” Vee paused and Hope steeled her spine for what she knew was coming. “Um, I mean with the trial and all.”

  The blood drained from Hope’s face and the room wobbled a little. “Fine. It’s fine.” Vee winced.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  The trial was something Hope tried not to think about. Ever. Sitting in the courtroom every day with that, that monster seated a few yards away, was by far the hardest thing she’d ever done. Garrett insisted on going every day, which helped, but what really got her through the nightmare, both in and out of the courtroom, was knowing how fiercely Thomas worked to ensure the thing ended up behind bars. To be specific, Thomas said he wanted the thing “somewhere that bastard will never see the light of day again.” Hope shivered at the very thought of her attacker going free.

  Vee took one of Hope’s hands in hers and that’s when Hope realized she was trembling. With a deep breath, she focused on Vee’s bright green eyes to put the deadly, furious stare of Balor Daemon out of her mind. The creature was evil incarnate.

  “Hope, you were there for me at a really, really dark time in my life. I just…” Vee lifted her gaze before continuing to speak in that soft voice of hers. “I guess I want you to know that I’m here if you ever want to, you know, talk. About anything.”

  Hope’s eyes stung and her throat burned with a flood of emotion. She blinked away the tears that threatened to fall and gave Verity’s comforting hand a squeeze. Somehow, Hope managed to respond without breaking down. “Thanks. I truly appreciate the offer.”

  “Or,” Verity continued, grinning as she dragged out the word. “If you wanted to maybe talk about a certain hunky prosecutor, I’d be all ears.” She waggled her brows and shot Hope a teasing smirk.

  She gaped and her face burst into flames. Oh my God. Hope turned so Verity wouldn’t see how bright red she flushed. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” What a pathetic response. Even Hope didn’t believe it.

  “Oh please,” Vee huffed and Hope heard the smile in the admonishment. “Give me a break. Every time you mention Thomas’s name, you get all giddy and light up like the man hung the moon. I bet you don’t even know you’re doing it, but your expression gets all dreamy.” Hope opened her mouth to think of a believable argument, but had nothing. Vee leaned in close so no one would overhear, not that the woman ever spoke loud enough for there to be a chance to overhear anything. “Don’t worry. I don’t think anyone else noticed. I’m just perceptive.”

  “What about Garrett?” Hope croaked. Shit, Garrett would blow a gasket if he thought there was anything going on between his little sister and the man prosecuting her case.

  Verity shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I only notice it because I know you so well, and to be honest, I kind of recognized the signs because I was the exact same way whenever anyone spoke about Davin.”

  “Oh thank God.” She exhaled. “Knowing Garrett, he’d probably try to beat Thomas up if he even thought we had something.” She startled and glanced at Verity. “Nothing is happening between us, you know. I mean, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

  Vee frowned, her wide, full lips turning down. “In case you weren’t sure, it’s actually okay to like the guy. And when the trial is over, it’s even okay to go out with him.” She shrugged. “Your brother will have to get over it. From what Faith told me, Thomas is a great guy.”

  Ugh. How embarrassing. “I forgot Faith works with Thomas at the courthouse.” Jealousy wasn’t the right word for t
he feelings that put the ache in Hope’s heart. Maybe envy? To be able to see and talk to Thomas every day without the heavy weight of the trial hanging over them. It would be too good to be true.

  “Maybe Faith can put in a good word for you.” Verity poked her in the side.

  Hope absently nodded and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Could she go out with Thomas? Would he even want to? Heck, she was no catch. She used to be a stripper, for God’s sake, and Thomas… the man is so much classier than that and deserves way better. He’s a world away from her crappy childhood and life of poverty, and that’s without taking into account dancing naked for complete strangers to get off.

  “You’re thinking too hard, Hope. If you like Thomas and he likes you, that’s all that matters. Trust me, I know what you’re thinking and you’re wrong. I didn’t think I was good enough for Davin, either.”

  “That’s completely untrue, darling.”

  Hope nearly fell off the stool when Davin spoke, as she didn’t know he was there. Apparently, the guy either appeared out of thin air, or moves in complete silence, because he nearly scared her to death. Davin placed his big hands on Vee’s shoulders and ducked to whisper in her ear. Vee shivered and Davin pecked her on the cheek before taking the stool on her other side, placing Verity between them. He stared at Vee as if she were his entire world. Hope hated that she was jealous, but no man ever looked at her like that.

  “It was I who wasn’t good enough for you, beautiful,” Davin said. He glanced past Vee, that knock-out smile of his wide as he acknowledged her with a slight dip of his head. “Hello, Hope. How are you?”

  For some reason, Davin made her skittish and tongue-tied. He was just so freaking good-looking it didn’t seem real. Every time, every damn time, Hope turned into a babbling idiot in his presence. She couldn’t help it. Not only was he totally intimidating, she was still unbelievably grateful for his generosity toward Garrett and her, letting them live in his amazing luxury apartment at a rent they could afford. At first, Hope thanked Davin every single time she saw him. Eventually, Vee stepped in and said she could stop gushing, accept his gift, and let the subject drop.

  “I’m doing great, Davin.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh, my break is over. I’d better get back to work.”

  “It’s so good to see you,” Verity said. When Hope stood, Vee joined her and pulled her into another hug. She spoke low in Hope’s ear. “Remember, you are good enough for him. Don’t you ever doubt it or I’ll kick your butt.”

  Grinning, she stepped out of Vee’s embrace and, without saying a word, Bethany held her tray out over the bar. “Thanks, Vee. I really appreciate it.”

  “Remember, I’m here if you need to talk about anything.”

  Hope gave her a nod and waved at Davin. “See you guys later.”

  “You too, Hope,” Davin said. His gaze returned to Vee and that was that. The man was so gone. He only had eyes for Verity. It was beautiful and depressing at the same time. She would never begrudge Vee her happily ever after, but couldn’t help but want that one day. With a sigh, she went back to work.

  Hours later, her feet ached as she finished up her shift, collecting dirty glassware and wiping down tables. Doing mindless work allowed Hope to replay everything Verity said about Thomas and how it could work out if she just took a chance. Closing her eyes, she imagined being on his arm, going on dates at nice restaurants, ones with cloth napkins and flickering candles and real silverware. She pictured Thomas’s handsome face, his thick hair, dark blue eyes, and rugged jawline covered with sexy dark stubble, and she all but swooned. The fantasy morphed and turned into a nightmare, everyone in the restaurant pointing and laughing because Thomas was out with a stripper. That’s when the dream fell apart.

  “You almost ready to leave?”

  “Oh!” She had been so deep in thought, she didn’t notice her brother. “God, Garrett, you scared me half to death.”

  Garrett pulled a face. “Sorry, Hope. It wasn’t like I snuck up on you.”

  “I know.” She rubbed her chest right over her hammering heart. “Just let me put my apron in my locker and I’ll be good to go.”

  “Sure thing, sis.”

  She shoved her things into her assigned locker and slammed it shut. To calm her racing pulse, Hope leaned against the cold metal and closed her eyes, again imagining what it would feel like to be with the sexy and kind Thomas More. The dreams turned more sensual. Hope visualized running her hands through his dark hair, her fingertips dancing across his carefully trimmed stubble, and could almost feel the different sensations, the silkiness of his locks and the sandpaper of his cheeks and chin. She pictured staring into the depths of those stunning cobalt blue eyes, gaze riveted to his thick, black lashes when he blinked. In her mind, Thomas’s large, strong hands made their way down her spine to cup her backside. He pulled her close until she pressed against his rock hard body. The one she conjured up dozens of times, constantly wondering what he hid under those suits.

  The door opened and Hope scrambled to pretend she hadn’t been in the middle of a sexual fantasy in the break room. Bethany shot her an odd look and shook her head.

  “What?” Hope stung with humiliation. It was kind of annoying that Bethany stood there and judged her. The bartender didn’t know the first thing about her.

  Bethany turned toward Hope and to her surprise, the woman was smiling. Actually smiling. Holy crap. Finally! Hope got a reaction out of her.

  “It’s nothing. I just think you’re interesting, that’s all.”

  “Interesting?”

  “Sure.” Bethany shrugged, her face giving nothing away. “That’s not a bad thing. Trust me.” She grabbed her purse and closed her locker. As Bethany passed Hope on her way out, she patted her arm. “Interesting can be pretty damn awesome.” After laying down her parting words, Bethany winked and left.

  “Interesting,” she repeated. Naturally, her mind went right back to Thomas.

  Would Thomas find her interesting? Or would he always think of her as that stripper who got herself assaulted? Tired of not knowing and not doing anything, she decided then and there she would find out exactly what Thomas thought of her. As soon as the trial was over, Hope would get Mr. Thomas More alone and see just how interesting, or not, the prosecutor thought she was.

  CHAPTER 3

  T he SWAT team waited at the entrance to the compound, armed and ready to move on Michael’s command. Dozens of cops fanned out around the perimeter in case any daemons tried to escape by scaling the walls. Tony wasn’t part of the team to breach the gate. SWAT consisted solely of Angels of Protection, Donovan Byrne included. Donovan pushed hard for this raid and Tony could tell the big guy was losing patience, more than ready to start. Even now, as Tony watched the muscular, redheaded angel, he noticed Donovan never really stopped moving. In fact, he would be shocked if the volatile immortal made it through the raid without losing control and showing his wings. Of course, if Donovan revealed them in front of any humans, specifically the prisoners since the rest of them are immortal, Michael would suspend Donovan for several weeks. Except for the fallen ones, every angel has wings. Nobody saw them because, on the Earthly plane, they are to be kept invisible at all times. Once or twice a year an angel lost control in front of a human, and inevitably ended up in front of the Archangel Raguel to receive punishment.

  “On three!”

  Tony turned to see Michael—impressive and imposing in all of his Archangel glory—wearing SWAT gear, standing atop of one of the armored BearCats that transported everyone who lacked the ability to dematerialize, mostly practitioners. At the station, Michael had cursed that he had to keep the Sword of Light hidden in a locker in the BearCat. The humans among the team would certainly question the chief of police wearing a sword in a sheath down the center of his back, the gilded hilt sticking up between his wide shoulder blades. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see if Michael ended up using his sword, human witnesses or not.

  Like every other immo
rtal in Eastlake Falls, Tony heard others spread fantastical tales of Michael wielding it during the Great Battle. Immortals—including Tony—who had been at the battle, knew the Archangel cut down a few daemons with his flaming Sword of Light, the blade burning bright as he wielded it in his powerful arms, not the thousands reported in the exaggerated stories that only grew more ridiculous over the centuries.

  He snapped out of his pondering when Michael began the countdown. “Three, two, one. Go!”

  A department sorcerer chanted, working to remove the wards whilst the SWAT team slammed the gate with a charmed battering ram. It took less than a minute to breach the entry. By then, the wards were down and various groups rushed inside in their predetermined order, moving quickly and quietly through the compound. Tony joined his team, which included St. Jude and an Angel of Protection named Ramiel, and hurried to their assigned area within the walls. They cleared the section fast, not uncovering a single scrap of evidence that humans ever set foot inside the low brick building or the surrounding grounds.

  “Group four checking in,” he said into a tiny microphone. “Negative for immortals or humans.”

  Other teams checked in with similar results. Tony’s frustration began to increase when across the compound, by his estimation more than a mile away, bright lights flared in the dark. Several shouts pieced the night.

  “Got something!”

  “Bring over the lights.”

  “They’re panicking!”

  Ramiel met Tony’s stare. “Come on. Let’s go.” The angel vanished.

  He followed suit, dematerializing only to rematerialize and find himself surrounded by chaos. Half or fully naked human females wept whilst led out from a plain, two story brick building.

  “Send medics!” someone shouted into their communicator.

  Tony bolted toward the females, determined to lend a hand. The sobbing females saw him coming and panicked, like a herd of gazelles spooked by a lion, turning en masse to run in the opposite direction.