Page 35 of Angel

“Are you fucking losing it, man?”

Ghost slams his fist on the table, and the others roll their eyes.

“Are you serious? You’ll blow your cover sky-high if you let her in.”

“I’ve made up my mind. Sophie is in danger, and the safest place for her is with me or one of us right now. Give me some credit; I can handle a woman like Sophie Clere. As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This is the perfect way to steer her away from the man she believes murdered her father.”

“You’re an asshole.”

Titan glares at me, and I shrug. “Hate the game, guys. I’m just playing my part in that.”

I lift my hands to place them down, settling the motion, and Havoc snarls, “I’m not agreeing to this shit.”

Ghost agrees. “Neither am I. You’ll destroy the whole setup because you can’t deny your infatuation for that woman.”

“What does Gabriel say about this?”

Titan is more measured in his response. He always is.

“He doesn’t know.”

They stare at me with horror, all leaning back in their chairs, their hands most definitely not hitting that table anytime soon.

I fix each one of them with a steely glint in my eye.

“Have I ever made a bad decision?”

They shake their heads.

“Have I ever been wrong?”

“No,” Zac huffs. “There is always a first time, Angel. If you go against Gabriel, things could go to shit pretty damn quick.”

“I’m doing this for him.”

I have their attention.

“Gabriel is too close to this. It’s personal. He would sooner erase Sophie than tell her the truth. It’s not how we do business. Protect the innocent—remember. My father is innocent, Sophie is innocent and I am innocent. It’s a misunderstanding spanning many years that needs righting. I intend to let the facts speak for themselves before the entire thing explodes. This is the only way to deal with this. Remove her from harm. Flush the killer out. When he can’t reach her, he’ll be desperate. Desperation drives recklessness, and we will be standing by. Sophie will learn the truth and make her own decisions and Gabriel–”

I stop, my heart hardening as I consider his reaction to this. Will he realize I acted in his best interest? Sometimes the apprentice can teach the master a thing or two. He is too close to this one to see clearly. One step back and the image gains focus, and I am the photographer on this occasion.

I sense their unease wavering and lift my hands. “Do we agree on this? I take full responsibility for the command.”

I wait for their decision, each one of my brothers fighting their own inner battle. I have their loyalty. I earned it through blood, tears, and pain. We would die for each other, kill and sin for each other. My actions are a kind of betrayal; will they trust me with that?

Titan nods, lifting his hands slowly. Havoc exhales sharply, a low “Fuck” his answer. Ghost nods, his eyes gleaming as he raises his hands. Zac huffs but reluctantly nods and as we all bring our hands down on the table, I release the breath I appear to have been holding the entire time.

It’s done. One way or another, I will end this. Sophie’s request, her stalker’s reign of terror, and slay my own demons. This is a necessary evil to move on stronger, and I have no intention of failing.

CHAPTER 13

SOPHIE

Frankie is pissed. Then again, he always is these days.

He paces around his office, where he summoned me earlier.

“I need a vacation.” He groans, running his fingers through his immaculate hair.