Angel's Halo: Forever Angel

by Terri Anne Browning

  He watched me for a long moment, and I just sat there, waiting for him to shoot me down.

  “Is that what you really want?” he finally asked.

  My heart jumped that he wasn’t outright telling me no. “Yeah, it kind of is. I don’t want a big wedding. Hell, I don’t want much of a wedding, period. I never thought I would even get married, but here I am with a ring on my finger and a sexy biker asking me to make plans with him.” I shrugged, feeling out of sorts. “I love you and I want to marry you, but… I don’t know. I just want this to be about me and you.”

  “Okay,” he said, surprising me with how easily he was giving me what I wanted. “As soon as everything is calm here, we’ll take a trip to the Bahamas or wherever you want. I’ll marry you on the beach. Fuck, I’ll marry you anywhere you can think of. I just want you.”

  “And that’s why I love you,” I said with a choked laugh, happier than I could ever remember being in my entire life. “Now I have something to plan while I’m being held prisoner in our room. This should be fun, though.”

  Standing, he tossed the paper plate in the huge trash can by the door then came back and offered me his hand. “Come on. You promised,” he half whined, half growled when I just looked at his palm. “Please go back to bed and rest.”

  Sighing heavily, I took his hand and stood. “Only because you said please.”

  Chapter 19

  Jos

  I finished stacking all the contracts that needed my immediate attention and picked them up. This was going to take more than a few hours in the office to sort out, so I would have to take the most pressing things home with me.

  Grabbing my phone and my keys, I walked out of the small work trailer and headed for my car. Dad’s motorcycle was parked right beside it, but he must have gone out to one of the work sites with one of the foremen to check on that shipment I’d been concerned about earlier.

  I wasn’t worried, though. I wasn’t expecting anything to happen to little ol’ me. There was no reason they would even bother with me. Still, I knew it would make Tanner feel better, so I hadn’t complained. One or two of the MC brothers had come out to help Dad watch out for me, but they’d changed so regularly throughout the day, I’d stopped paying attention.

  “All done?”

  I lifted my head from the top paper I’d been glancing over, frustrated because we were going to have to get—beg for, actually—an extension on the contract for the repairs to the grocery store that were supposed to be finished in the next week. It was past dinnertime, the sun long gone, so all I had to see by were the security lights that hung off the ends of the work trailer. Hawk stood on the other side of my car, leaning his arms on the roof. His blond hair was covered with a black beanie. The thick coat he wore hid his cut, but I knew it was under there. The Angel’s Halo VP didn’t go anywhere without that leather vest on.

  I’d had a mad crush on him and his brothers when I was growing up, but those feelings all disappeared when Tanner caught my full attention. Still, Hawk Hannigan was fun to look at.

  “I didn’t see you there,” I told him, shifting the stack of files to my other arm as I unlocked my car with a push of the key fob. “Have you been here all day?”

  “Butch called to say he was going out to one of the sites, and then Brady had to go to work. I figured I had you covered.”

  I opened the back door and dropped my load beside Reid’s car seat before straightening. “I wasn’t questioning your ability to watch my back,” I assured him with an easy smile. “I just figured you would be watching over Gracie.”

  His lips pressed into a grim line. “I would be, but she says I’m too much of a distraction. Jet and Colt take turns sitting around out front or drinking coffee with the receptionist. She’s probably already home now, though.”

  I glanced around for his motorcycle, frowning when I didn’t see one. “You’ve been standing out here in the cold the whole time? You could have come in and warmed up.”

  “It’s too noisy when the heating turns on,” he explained. “I can’t hear if someone is pulling up from in there. Gotta be vigilant with Bates walking around.”

  I tossed him the keys over the top of the car. “Since you don’t have a ride, you drive while I deal with a few phone calls.”

  Grinning, he walked around the car and folded his huge frame behind the wheel. I was already on the phone with a client before I shut the passenger door.

  “Put your seat belt on,” Hawk grumbled as he pulled out onto the highway.

  Rolling my eyes at him, I did, continuing my conversation with the thankfully sympathetic man on the other end of the phone. Grandpa’s passing had reached everyone’s ears, so I didn’t have to offer too many incentives to get the extension, which would keep us from coming out in the negative in the process.

  Ending the call, I dropped my phone in my lap with a relieved exhale.

  “You’re pretty good at that for a newbie. Uncle Chaz taught you well.”

  My heart squeezed, thinking of my grandpa, but I warmed at the compliment that the man I’d adored my entire life had prepared me well to be his successor. “Thanks. I loved every summer I spent following him around, playing his secretary. It was fun, so I didn’t consider it work, but now I see he was subtly grooming me to fill his shoes one day.”

  “Just imagine, one day all of that will belong to Reid.” His brow knitted together. “Just like my kid will inherit a part of the bar.”

  “Scary, isn’t it?” I asked with a small smile. “That our kids will be in charge of all this in the future.”

  “I just don’t want to fuck them up before they can,” he admitted, his tone somber.

  “With you and Gracie as parents?” I shook my head. “Your kid will be one of the lucky ones, Hawk.”

  He took his gaze off the road to glance at me, a ghost of a smile teasing at his lips. “It’s good to have you home, Jos.”

  I started to laugh, but it turned into a scream of fright when my car was bumped from behind. We swerved, crossing into oncoming traffic. Hawk cursed violently, but he somehow avoided the eighteen-wheeler going the other direction. He got control just as we hit a deep ditch on the other side of the road and came to a jarring stop.

  I was shaking, my heart beating me to death with how hard it was pounding against my ribs. Beside me, Hawk was already on his phone, but I was glad he hadn’t gotten out yet even though two passing vehicles had already stopped up above us. Their hazard lights were on, and I saw the shadows of the drivers running toward us.

  “Jos, are you okay?” he demanded as he waited for the person on the other end of the phone to answer. “Jos? Hey, honey, talk to me.”

  Somehow, I was able to swallow my fear and finally nod. “I’m okay. Just…just really shaken up.”

  “Nothing hurts?”

  “No,” I said weakly.

  He hit the overhead light, his eyes scanning over me. Then I heard the murmur of a deep voice from the phone. “Hawk?”

  “Bash, fuck, someone rammed Jos’s car and knocked us off the road. They must have had their lights off when they came up behind us, because I didn’t see anyone tailing us before it happened.”

  There was a knock on my window since it was closer to the road, and I squeaked in fright. With the glare of the overhead light, it was hard to see out, but I caught the outline of a thin man, and I cracked my window just enough to hear what he was saying.

  “Hey, you guys okay in there? Anyone need medical attention?”

  “Fine,” I assured him, but my voice came out weak. I cleared my throat, trying to make it stronger. “Just shaken up.”

  “I called the cops. Man, that truck with the lights off scared the hell out of me. Didn’t see the driver, but I bet it was drunken teenagers doing one of those damn challenges they’re always causing trouble with.”

  I wasn’t sure that was who’d hit us at all. It struck me then that someone had just tried to kill Hawk and me, a
nd I already knew who was at the top of the list of suspects. And this guy, who only wanted to help, had just called him to report the accident.

  --

  Bash and Jet showed up before the cops did. Not Bates, but one of his deputies. By then, Hawk and I had already gotten out to assess the damage.

  The back end of my little car was smashed in, but it could have been so much worse if Hawk hadn’t acted fast and kept us from becoming a crushed tin can.

  I shuddered, remembering the brightness of that eighteen-wheeler’s headlights, the sound of his horn screaming through the air as we narrowly missed impact with each other. The truck wouldn’t have even noticed the jar from it, but it would have hit me dead center. Right at that moment, Reid could have been motherless.

  I owed Hawk my life.

  “Easy there.” Jet’s voice was soft as he caught me around the waist when I began to sway. “Just take deep breaths. You’re okay.”

  I turned my head, pressing my face into his coat as the tears spilled out of me. I’d almost died. I was nearly taken away from my son. Hawk could have died without ever having seen his own child being born.

  “You sure she doesn’t need medical attention?” the deputy asked, sincerely concerned for me.

  “She’s just in shock,” I heard Hawk excuse. “It was a close call.”

  “Well, I have statements from all the witnesses and the two of you,” the young man said, closing his notebook. “We’ll get a wrecker out here to haul the car into the station, see if we can get any paint off the bumper to analyze. We will also be looking around for any signs of trucks with damage. Might be able to find the person who did this if we’re lucky.”

  I wasn’t going to hold my breath.

  With the release of my tears, it was as if I also unleashed my anger. I turned, ready to start cussing out the deputy, tell him exactly who I thought—who I fucking knew—did this. Jet must have sensed my rage, because he pulled my head back to his chest, locking me into place while he quickly made an excuse to get me home.

  I was put in the back of Raven’s SUV. Jet climbed in behind me, putting my seat belt on me like I was a child. Moments later, Bash and Hawk joined us, Hawk carrying all the files I’d forgotten in the back seat of my car.

  “Wait,” I said when Bash started the vehicle. “Reid’s car seat.”

  “It’s not usable now, Jos,” he explained. “Anytime you’re in an accident, you have to replace the car seat. Don’t worry. We have a few extra ones at the clubhouse.”

  My phone went off, but it took me a few seconds to realize it before I picked it up. “Hello?”

  “Hey, baby. You coming tonight?” Tanner’s voice was full of mischief, and I suddenly had to fight a new wave of tears. “I was good all day.”

  “H-Hey,” I murmured, leaning my head against the window and closing my eyes. “I… I, um, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it in tonight.”

  “What’s wrong?” he demanded, sounding alert.

  “There…” I swallowed hard, scrubbing a hand over my damp cheeks. “There was kind of an accident a little while ago—”

  “Are you okay?” he asked before I could finish. “Is Reid?”

  “We’re both fine.” I gave him a quick replay of what happened on the way back to the clubhouse after work. By the time I was done, I could feel his tension crackling through the phone.

  “Don’t leave the clubhouse,” he growled and hung up.

  I sat there a little hurt he hadn’t said more, but before I could think about it further, Bash was pulling through the compound gate. Hawk got out, opening my door and helping me to the ground. My legs felt shaky, my stomach tossing. I clenched my hands into fists because they were still shaking and walked into the clubhouse.

  Raven and Flick were there as soon as I stepped through the door. “Come on,” Raven ordered, guiding me toward the bedrooms. “Let’s get you sorted.”

  I didn’t question her, just followed her while Flick followed behind. We went to Tanner’s room, and Flick helped me take a shower. When I came out, drying my hair with a towel, it was to find Raven sitting on the bed with three red plastic cups and a bottle of Jameson.

  “Where’s Reid?” I asked, my voice still devoid of strength. “I should get him ready for bed. It’s already past—”

  “Stop worrying about Reid. He’s already asleep in my room with Max,” Raven assured me. “Just relax. How are you feeling? Do you have whiplash?”

  “My muscles ache because they are so tense, but otherwise, I’m fine.” I took a sip from the cup and welcomed the burn from the whiskey, but it did nothing to alleviate the chill that seemed to be freezing my blood. Alcohol probably wasn’t the best idea when my stomach was tossing, but I welcomed the numbness it would hopefully bring.

  There was a tap on the door, and Raven walked over to open it. Kelli stepped in, and Raven shut the door behind her before crossing to the bed. “Sit down so I can tell my brother you were resting.”

  “I’ve been sitting all day,” the beautiful brunette grumbled, but she sat at the end of the bed. “I’m tired of sitting.” Her eyes fell on me. “How you feeling, Jos?”

  I could only shrug as I lifted the cup to my lips again and took another sip.

  Flick sat down beside me, sandwiching me between her and Raven. “Looks like Bates is getting nervous,” she murmured so quietly I had to strain to hear her.

  Raven nodded. “We need to deal with him sooner rather than later. I get Bash doesn’t want to draw attention to the club, but Bates has too much to lose if he thinks Tanner might narc on him.”

  “They have eyes on Bates, so was it really him who did this?” They were talking over my head as if I weren’t even there, but I was okay with that. I didn’t think I could participate given how I was feeling right then, so I just sat there drinking my Jameson and listening. Kelli leaned forward, listening intently, taking the offered cup of whiskey Raven handed out.

  “Maybe he snuck out without our eyes seeing. Or maybe he has a lackey doing his dirty work,” Raven suggested. “But I don’t see him having a partner. He seems like too much of a greedy, distrustful sonofabitch, so I can’t see him confiding in someone or giving them the responsibility to take out Jos to prove a point.”

  “I have an idea.” Kelli’s voice was just as quiet as the other two, but there was something on her face that screamed at me to pay attention.

  “We’re listening,” Raven assured her.

  “That stuff you gave Colt to drug me with—”

  “I said I’m sorry about that, didn’t I?” Raven groused as my eyes widened. What the hell had happened that Colt would drug Kelli? I thought they were crazy in love. “When will you drop that? Fuck.”

  Kelli rolled her eyes. “Shut up and listen for a second, blondie.”

  Flick snickered. “I love how alike you two are.”

  “You want to hear my idea or not?”

  “Please enlighten us,” Raven said dryly.

  “How much of it do you think it would take to kill him?”

  “Shit,” I whispered, downing the last of my whiskey and then holding the cup out for Raven to refill.

  “He’s a big guy, but he’s got to be over fifty by now,” Flick stated. “And I’ve seen what he orders when he has meals at Aggie’s. His heart is a ticking time bomb. Shouldn’t take too much, I wouldn’t think.”

  “We would need to make it look like he’s got a problem,” Raven commented, deep in thought. “It would eat up my supply of the little cocktail I make for the boys, but it would be worth it.”

  “Are we bringing the guys in on this?” Flick asked, which seemed to be the most worrisome question among the three of them.

  “Fewer people who know, the better,” Kelli said with a lift of her shoulders, then her eyes were on me. “You gonna narc on us?”

  I thought back to how hurt Tanner had been when I first saw him. The way my heart stopped both times he coded. How
terrified I was when I saw those oncoming lights headed straight for me. Tipping my cup back, I swallowed the contents in one gulp. “No,” I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “I’m in.”

  Chapter 20

  Jos

  The sound of the door softly clicking shut had my eyes snapping open. The buzz I’d had from the Jameson was all but gone now, replaced by a fear that suddenly had me sweating. I didn’t move, didn’t even breathe as I waited, listening.

  Seconds later, a curse filled the air as the person who’d just entered the bedroom collided with Reid’s pack ’n play. Relief washed over me, and I sat up, snapping on the light.

  “Tanner?” I blinked at the man standing at the end of the bed. He was dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, his hair standing on end like he’d been running his fingers through it repeatedly. His beard was still disorderly, but I kind of liked it on him.

  “You were expecting someone else to climb in bed with you?” he demanded, brows lifted, a snarl already starting to form on his usually smug face.

  “What are you doing here?” I countered, my concern for him overriding the irritation at the jealousy beginning to flood from him. “Doc said you weren’t going to be released until Monday at the earliest.”

  “Doc can go fuck himself. I’m not lying around in some damn bed while the woman I love is being run down. You’re mine, Jos. It’s my job to keep you safe, and all I was doing was lying there doing nothing.” He jerked his T-shirt over his head as he crossed the remaining distance to the bed.

  I was still caught up on the whole “woman I love” thing and didn’t have the brain power to realize what he was doing until his hands pushed me gently back onto the pillows, his lips already attacking my neck.

  He loved me?

  A groan that sounded pained left him as he cupped my breast in his four-fingered hand. “Baby.” He shuddered. “Fuck, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

  “Tanner.” I arched up into his touch, my body melting for him. “Oh God, that feels so good.”