Page 36 of Sainte
Emma, being the gracious, caring individual she always has been, gives me a hug. “Good morning. How are you feeling?” Apparently, she is now privy to everything that happened yesterday in her absence.
I smile. “Okay, a little shaky, but doing okay.” I look at Sainte again for some kind of reassurance.God, I fucking hate this.He nods, giving me the encouragement I need.
I turn toward Ice. “Ice, I wanted to sincerely apologize for my behavior yesterday.”
“Thank you, Honey. I hope we won’t have any more outbursts like that again.”
I’ve learned through my past experience with rehab to not make promises unless I know without a doubt I can keep them. The best I can do is continue to strive to do what is right and not allow the addiction to consume me. So I give him the best response I can. I shake my head. “I’m working on it.”
“That’s good to hear.” He smiles, and a wave of relief washes over me. Ice has always been my savior. He’s my hero, and the last thing I want is to be in his bad graces. I know my behavior since Hawk died has pissed him off, but that smile tells me he has not given up hope on me. It means everything.
Chapter 13
Sainte
After Honey takes the first step in mending things with Ice, I go into the kitchen and pour two cups of coffee, then take them out to the bar. I hand her a cup and she moans. My dick immediately gets hard and strains against my jeans as I think about that kiss in her room a few minutes ago.I can make her moan. But, not only does Honey need to stay focused, I need to. Sex cannot be her way of coping with her addiction. As much as I want to be her new addiction and be balls deep inside her right now, I have to put her sobriety first. We will get through this, and then she won’t be able to walk for days. I guarantee it.Focus, Sainte. Focus.
I reach in my pocket and pull out a protein bar to hand to Honey. “Here, eat this.”
Her shoulders slump. “Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
She takes the protein bar, opens it, and takes small bites. She needs something in her stomach, or that coffee will make her feel worse. I know she had a banana earlier, but this will help.
“And here, don’t forget your vitamins.” I hand them to her, and she takes them without question.
I turn toward Ice. “Got a minute?”
“Sure,” he replies. “What’s up?”
“I did a little digging last night.” He nods and gets up from his bar stool, then kisses Emma on the cheek. Hobbes, who is at his usual post at Emma’s feet, looks up at him, moans, and lies back down. Ice rolls his eyes and walks toward his office.
I turn back toward Honey. “Will you be okay for a few minutes? I have to talk to Ice about some club stuff.”
She nods.
I look at Emma. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not,” Emma replies with a smile.
“You stay right here. Understand?”
She nods, and I follow Ice to his office. When I get inside, I close the door behind me.
“You sure she is okay to be left alone?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“That’s what you said before,” he snaps.
“Fucking hell, Ice. You gonna always throw it in my face?”
He shakes his head. “No, sorry. Just having a bad morning.” He sits down, leans back in his chair, and asks, “Whatcha got?”
“Well, it looks like my suspicions were right. Tranquil Gardens is a front for some illicit activities, one being human trafficking.”
“Who are we dealing with?”
