One Taste of Angel

by Violetta Rand

  “I-I couldn’t take it anymore. The fear and pain overwhelmed me. I thought if I left my mom and Eagle would be safe. I staged my own death and relocated under a new name—Serafina Scala.”

  “Who helped you, Angel?” Tonsils asks.

  “I can’t betray that trust.”

  “Even if it could save your ass?” Blue says.

  “Not even if it could save my ass.”

  “Wait outside, Angel.” Tonsils waves me off.

  I make eye contact with every brother, hoping they’ll understand why I left Holly Beach. Eagle represented everything good in my life. I would have gladly gone to the grave to save him. Still would. I turn around and walk slowly to the door.

  “No matter what you think of me,” I say as I touch the doorknob, “I always considered the Iron Norsemen my real family.”

  I walk out.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Eagle

  I knock back a second double shot of whiskey and turn just in time to see Angel leave the meeting room. She steals my breath. Something indescribable happens inside of me. Everything just clicks. That hollow feeling that never went away after she died is instantly gone and replaced by longing. I’m seeing her for the first time again, the same fifteen-year-old at the beach who on the outside seemed like every other girl her age, not a care in the world.

  Except it wasn’t true. She was as lost as I was. I recognized the sadness in her beautiful eyes back then, just like I do now.

  Most people belong somewhere. When I met Angel, she told me she always considered herself a guest in her home. The girl never took anything or anyone for granted. How could she? No one stuck around long enough to give her a chance to.

  “Eagle?” She takes a seat at the table closest to the doors.

  “You all right?” I ask.

  She wrings her hands and then folds them on the table. “I made a real mess of things, I think.”

  I want to go to her. I need to. But rules are rules. She’s untouchable until Tonsils gives the okay. That’s the deal I made with him. I plead insanity for the sex thing—even though my body is humming with desire again. I could stay between her sweet thighs forever. My mind and heart are too tangled up in the past and present—caught between Angel and Serafina. And even if they rule in her favor, can we ever get back what we shared? Can I ever fully trust her again?

  “What have you been doing for the last six years?” I ask all of a sudden.

  “Hiding,” she says, without looking at me. “Dreaming of you. Loving you. Wishing I could take back everything I chose to do. Especially after I saw you at Lazaro’s.”

  I try to swallow the lump in my throat.

  “What about you, Eagle? What have you been doing all this time?”

  Suicide mission are the first words that come to mind. “Existing,” I say. “Coasting along without really paying attention to anything. Missing you. Mourning you. Trying hard as fuck to find a way to join you.”

  Gorgeous brown eyes take me in. “You wanted to die?”

  “I wanted to be with you, Angel.”

  “There’s no easy way to fix this, Eagle. I can’t stay here. Bear will freak out if he finds out I’m alive. Everything I cared about is gone. Even you.”

  She’s so wrong. “Where’s the brave girl I knew? The one who would fight for everything she believed in?”

  Still staring at the floor, she sighs. “Gone.”

  I can’t take it anymore. Fuck the rules. I jump up and storm across the room. “Angel.”

  She lifts her head but doesn’t really look at me. “Please, Eagle. I’ve heard enough tonight. Innocent men are dead because of me. Anything you say will be like rubbing salt in my wounds. If the brothers set me free, will you let me go?” She finally meets my gaze.

  I can’t get past the fact that she saved herself for me. This beautiful woman, who could have any man she wants, loved me enough to stay true to our past. Can I let her go? Fuck no. “I don’t know. But I can tell you this, you might have every reason to stay, Angel. Think about that while I’m gone. Running away doesn’t settle anything.”

  The doors open and Blue nods at me.

  “I need to talk to the brothers now,” I say.

  She acknowledges what I said with a sigh. Sam steps out to keep watch over Angel. I hope she convinced them that what she did was motivated by love for the club. Otherwise, her future is bleak.

  Grim faces greet me as I close the doors and look around the meeting room. What the fuck happened in here? “What is it?”

  Tonsils stares at me for a long moment. “The Dead Dogs need to die. Sick motherfuckers.”

  The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. “Tell me.” I walk to the end of the table and sit next to my vice, knowing what he’s about to say isn’t good.

  “Angel is innocent,” he informs me first. “As innocent as they come.” He hands me a cell phone. “Scroll through the pictures.”

  I do, pressure building in my chest as I take in the images of Angel’s mother in various states of unconsciousness with her son jamming a needle in her arm. “What is this shit?” I drop the phone on the table, deeply troubled, unsure what I’m looking at.

  He explains.

  I shake my head, trying to keep my cool, regretting how I treated Angel’s mother at the cemetery. Nothing is what it seems. Why didn’t I see it before? Reggie was a fucking monster who deserved to die. And so does Bear.

  “There’s more,” Tonsils says.

  I fist my hands and stand up. “What?”

  No matter how MCs are perceived, there’s one thing the Iron Norsemen don’t tolerate, and that’s child abuse in any form. The Dead Dogs need to die. Their charter needs to be disbanded. “Blue.” I look at our treasurer, still trying to keep my rage in check. “Find Allison Giles. Do whatever it takes.”

  “Got it.” He leaves the meeting room.

  “This is a mess,” I say. “We’ve ignored the epidemic of drug dealing in this town far too long. Even Lazaro Mendoza doesn’t shit where he sleeps. Our deal with him involves money from the international market—nothing to do with his activities in the states.”

  We’ve turned down dozens of lucrative partnerships that involved drug running. Even prescription pills. Holly Beach is a haven. I grew up here and I plan on dying here, too. That’s the benefit of living in a place like this. The Iron Norsemen have the power and connections to protect our little city from scum like the Dead Dogs.

  “What about Angel?” Snake asks.

  “I claim her as my old lady.” The ultimate compliment for any woman who lives the MC lifestyle. Angel will be off limits to any other man.

  Tonsils, Charlie, Snake, and Big Ben look at me with deep respect.

  “I forgive her for the mistakes she made.”

  They all nod in agreement.

  “Angel Orani is my old lady now. I expect all of you to protect her and treat her like she’s family. Like she never left us.”

  “What about the old ladies and prospects?” Charlie asks.

  “Call a family meeting. No kids, though. I want everyone here, even the passarounds. Angel Orani gets resurrected tomorrow.”

  No hesitation. I want Angel so bad I can feel her all over me. I can taste her. The only obstacle? Convincing her she belongs with me, with us. The girl did what she thought was right and necessary to protect this club. A selfless act that took a lot of guts for a kid. A brother with a trustworthy old lady is the luckiest man in the world.

  “For now, no one outside this charter can know Angel is alive. Contact her friend in Texarkana and get her down here. She’ll need protection, too.”

  Tonsils shakes my hand and slaps my back. “It’s good to have you back, Eagle.”

  Yeah, I’m back with a vengeance.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Serafina

  I can’t take the waiting anymore. Eagle disappeared behind those meeting doors an hour ago and hasn’t come out yet. If the news was good . . . No, I need
to remain hopeful and positive. Focused on a new future, possibly with Eagle. I just don’t know yet—I need to see if he really wants me—loves me. If this club will let me stay.

  I know I made a mistake six years ago by not telling Eagle what was going on. I didn’t think the club could protect him enough, and I wasn’t willing to take a chance that he’d get hurt for loving me. I didn’t want Belle, or any other women I loved, to be victimized by my evil brothers. But the Dead Dogs can’t win now, the Iron Norsemen are bigger and stronger, fully aware of the past.

  I want to wipe all the filth away that links me to the Dead Dogs. To the legacy of violence and pain my brothers caused. The day I killed off Angel Orani, I shed some of that guilt. But being here now . . . I scan the room. That’s when I notice several photographs of me hanging on the walls.

  Sam watches as I walk to the bar area to get a closer look. One of my favorite shots, I can’t believe that’s me. All blond curls, with the warmest smile. That girl seems so far away now. I can’t really explain it, what it feels like to look at my old face knowing I’m not the same. I can’t even begin to imagine how Eagle feels looking at me. Knowing the girl he used to love is hiding behind a stranger’s face.

  Voices from the main entryway startle me and I turn to see who’s coming in. It’s Tonsils and Belle. Oh God. I don’t want her to find me here. I don’t want to explain myself again. Especially not to her.

  I try to make it back to the far side of the room where Sam is standing guard.

  “Angel?”

  I stop in my tracks.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” she says. “I know you’re alive.”

  I twist around expecting to catch a ration of shit. Belle invested a lot of wasted time on me. I’m sure she’s more than disappointed.

  “Look at you,” she coos as she rushes forward. “All grown up.”

  She opens up her arms and I run to her. It feels right. Mama Belle, that’s what I always called her. I rest my head against her. Years of pent-up sorrow releases. I’ve missed her so much. She runs her hand soothingly down my hair and back.

  “It’s okay,” she says over and over. “The brothers forgive you.”

  I lift my head. “Really?”

  She grips my arms and gives me a gentle shake. “Did you ever doubt them? We’re your family, Angel. No matter how bad things get, no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise.”

  “I was ready to leave again, Belle. I was so afraid after Eagle found out it was me.”

  “You have no choice, baby girl. I have orders.” She pats the beach bag slung over her shoulder. “Eagle is waiting for you at his house.”

  I’m suddenly weary. “Why did he send you here?”

  She takes my hand and leads me across the room and to the hallway that opens up into several bedrooms in the clubhouse. “To see you, Angel. I needed to confirm it for myself. You’re really alive.”

  “I am.” I’m shaking all over, knowing she has more to say.

  “Consider this your homecoming, Angel. If you want to be with Eagle again, let him welcome you back in his own special way. However, if you want to leave, the brothers have been given special permission to help you in any way you need. Eagle won’t force you to live a life you don’t want. The choice is yours.”

  I’m not sure how to take it, because I’ve never believed in miracles before. But it seems I’m the fortunate beneficiary of one this moment. A second chance with Eagle, a chance to reclaim my life. I look up at Belle. Running is the coward’s way out. And I’ve done enough running. “I want to stay.”

  “Good.”

  She opens the door and I step into the bedroom.

  “Now strip those clothes off and take a quick shower for me.”

  The hot water instantly relaxes me. I wash my hair and lather on thick layers of fragrant body wash. I smell like vanilla caramel candy now. After I rinse off, I grab the towel from the nearby rack and wrap it around my body. There’s a smaller towel for my hair.

  Belle is waiting for me in the bedroom. There’s a black lace negligée and leather heels on the bed. “I don’t understand.”

  “Sure you do.” She pats the chair in front of the dresser. “Sit. Let me spoil you a little bit.”

  I do as she asks. She frees my hair first; my wet curls tumble loosely over my shoulders. She combs it out gently, then scrunches hair gel into my hair.

  “Always loved your curls, Angel.”

  “Aren’t you angry at me, Belle? Don’t you want to know where I’ve been all this time?” I’d feel better if she did.

  “I accepted whatever explanation Tonsils and Eagle were willing to give. I know enough to realize how special you truly are. Eagle loves you, Angel. I love you. So now let me help make you beautiful for the man you want.”

  Is this Eagle’s way of saying he’s sorry for ever doubting me? Are we really back on equal ground?

  Belle has a real talent with makeup, and after she finishes applying some eyeliner, mascara, blush, and whatever else, she grins at me. “Look in the mirror.”

  Satisfaction spreads through me as I admire my reflection. She remembered the black cat-eyes I always loved to wear. The soft pink blush and lipstick, too. There’s a hint of the original Angel staring back at me. “You’re amazing,” I say. “Thank you.”

  “Now I’ll step out while you finish dressing.”

  The expensive nightgown fits perfectly and so do the shoes. I’ve never worn anything so sexy and revealing before. I feel like a birthday present for Eagle. I smile at the thought, definitely ready to be unwrapped. I crack the door open and find Belle in the hallway. She’s holding a shawl.

  “Wrap this around your shoulders and Tonsils and I will walk you over.”

  As I step into the cool night air, I don’t miss the members standing guard. There’s one at the shop, a couple outside the clubhouse, and three stationed at Eagle’s house. Whatever decision they made tonight in that meeting room, I know it involves keeping me and the club safe. It’s like stepping back in time. But as I climb the stairs to reach Eagle’s front door, I realize this is the first time I’m coming to him as Angel—the grown-up version.

  I knock on the front door. When no one answers, I go in.

  Candles are burning everywhere. Even the fireplace is lit. I explore the space, admiring the orderliness of Eagle’s world. The Italian leather furniture, the artwork on the walls, the dozens of framed pictures of us hanging in the hallway. I swear, if I start crying again . . .

  “Angel?”

  I look up and find Eagle standing in the hallway wearing boxer shorts. He’s leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his muscular chest.

  “What are you wearing?” he asks, making a funny face.

  I shed the colorful shawl, letting it drop to the floor. Captivated by the nearly naked man standing in front of me, I fully comprehend what Belle meant now. This is how a man and a woman heal. How they say things without ever having to speak. How they prove how much they really love one another. By offering the one thing we truly own in this world—our bodies.

  “Eagle, I . . .”

  He takes a couple steps and then stops, his heated gaze drifting up and down my body. “I claimed you tonight, Angel. I’ll never let you go again. I’ve always loved you. And in case there’s any doubt—I love the woman you’ve become.”

  The possessiveness in those words draws me in. Claimed. Wanted. Protected by the only man I’ll ever love.

  “This is home now. Wherever I’m at.” He rests his hand over his heart. “Wherever we’re at. Holly Beach. Shreveport. Even in that fucking cemetery.” The last words are choked out and I see the single tear slide down his cheek.

  I’ve never seen Eagle cry. I sink to my knees, overwhelmed by everything, completely lost in the moment.

  Eagle kneels in front of me and takes my hands in his. “Angel Orani, I love you. I want to marry you tomorrow night.”

  Eagle

  “I’m so sorry,”
she whispers. “Sorry for causing all this pain and sorrow.”

  I stroke her cheek, loving the feel of her silky skin. “You never have to apologize to me again, Angel. Promise to stay here. To marry me. To trust me to protect you.”

  I have to touch her. Feel her all over. I rest my forehead against hers, watching her eyes, trying to read her mind. She’s incredible, so beautiful to me. The perfect mix of fearlessness and vulnerability, innocence and curiosity, and she’s mine forever.

  Scooping her into my arms, I carry her into the living room and spread her out on the fur rug in front of the fireplace. I sit back on my heels, admiring the way the flames cast dancing shadows across her body. I can see her nipples through the lace. The thin strip of dark curls between her legs.

  She rests her palm on my cheek. “Do you still watch James Cagney movies?”

  Unsure where that came from, I chuckle. “Of course. Why?”

  “In my heart I feel like we know each other so well. But people change. There’s so many things I want to rediscover about you. So many questions I’d like to ask.”

  “The only thing you need to worry about right now is answering my question, beautiful.” Somehow, she’s already breathed life back into my grandfather’s old house. Made it feel like a real home. This is what I want every day. Angel waiting for me with a smile and a kiss.

  Her head tilts back and she licks her lips so seductively my cock jumps. “Yes.”

  “Yes what?”

  “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  I run my fingertips teasingly over her lips. “Do you still like pizza?”

  She rolls her eyes. “Almost as much as I love you.”

  “Still an Eagles fan, too?”

  She nods enthusiastically. The only reason she likes the Philadelphia Eagles is because we share the same name. I remember the first time we watched a football game together, when the wide receiver ran in for a touchdown she called it a home run.

  She pulls me down on top of her and I can’t resist kissing her. I wanted to hold off for a while, until I was sure she was ready to make love. A mischievous grin lights up her face.

  “What are you thinking about, naughty girl?”