The other thing his eyes caught was Barry the Barkeep’s beefy hand shooting out to stop the bouncer from coming over. Good man. He knew what was going down was a private matter. A Justice matter. No interference necessary
Now, to be honest, he grudgingly admitted—the punch pussy boy threw was fairly effective. And it would have been ten times more effective if Parker didn’t have about five inches and several layers more brawn and pure muscle than his challenger. But the puny fucker did put his heart into it, no matter how laughable the effort so he had to give the dude some credit.
As he swung, Esperanza shouted something in Spanish most of which went right over Parker’s head, but he most definitely picked out the word grandpa.
Why, that little fuck. Was there a particular noise right before shit started hitting the fan? Seemed like maybe there was, this time anyway, because, all of a sudden, several layers of grunts, growls, and barking yelps rang out. And then the yelling started.
Angie went nuts, shrieked and actually jumped on pussy boy’s back, beating his shoulders. “Are you insane?” Her screams were shrill and furious sounding.
Okay. Come on. Seeing her, dressed as she was, literally brow beating this guy’s ass was entertaining as fuck. He probably shouldn’t have laughed. But he did.
His mocking laughter enraged Esperanza, who had yet to shake Angie off.
Alex appeared in their midst like he’d transported via some hi-tech nerd teleportation gadget and started threatening the dumbass if he didn’t take his hands off his sister.
Aw, man. This shit was classic home video gold! Why wasn’t anyone shooting it? YouTube was being robbed if you asked him.
Next thing he knew, little Tori in her outrageous barely-there short shorts materialized, also out of nowhere, and ran across the stage to peel Angie off the guy she was now clearly assaulting. Fuck. This was getting funnier by the second.
“Don’t you ever touch him,” Angie screamed as she pummeled his head.
Well, this was certainly interesting and a spot he’d never been in before. Considering that the punch that started all this barely left a red mark, her frenzied defense of him really struck Parker as downright fucking adorable. It wasn’t like anyone doubted he could have put that fucker in the back of an ambulance with one hit, so her coming to his aid as his avenging angel . . . how could this possibly work out any better for him?
Shiny Pants wailed like a little girl, “What is wrong with you, Angelina? How can you let this man use you like this?”
Tori finally managed to get Angie on her feet again and was physically restraining her from going in for round two.
“Use me?” Angie barked. “Ha! That’s funny coming from you. Wasn’t using me and my family name what our engagement was all about? Be honest, Aldo. For god’s sake—what the hell is wrong with you?”
Parker loved this part. He’d been on the receiving end of the sort of fire she was spewing and knew all too well how uncomfortable it was. Bitch better be wearing an asbestos suit if he hoped to survive without third-degree burns.
“This is my home. My family. My friends. I don’t want you here. Go back to Madrid, Aldo. Stop pretending we had a relationship. We didn’t.”
Alex, who seemed to have grown and looked to be about eight feet in height of angry, menacing badass took Angie by the hand and pulled her beside him. Snarling in a voice that was intended to intimidate, he added his two cents.
“I’ve now heard my sister tell you several times to buzz the fuck off. She does not want you here. What part of that exactly do you not understand? Need a translator? Let me know, ‘cause I’m done playing nice.”
Tweedledee and Tweedledum growled.
“Don’t fuck with Justice,” Draegyn drawled darkly. “It won’t end well if you do.”
And then Meghan did something that blew Parker’s mind. With Lacey playing the sidekick, the ball-busting redhead stepped into the upheaval and effectively stopped everyone in mid-motion.
In her most ladylike tone, she stated, “I’m sorry, Mr. Esperanza, but Family Justice is by invitation only and yours, I’m afraid, has been permanently lost in the mail.”
Was this what was meant by—you could hear a pin drop it was so silent?
Parker understood why Alex had such a soft spot for Lacey. She defined sweetness but had a tough inner core that took no prisoners. Woe to anyone who thought the freckles and cute face meant she was an airhead. Lady had balls. Big ‘uns.
“And,” Mrs. Cameron added saucily. “We just don’t like you. At all.”
Tori smirked. “Did you really imagine you’d be good enough for Angelina Marquez?” She snorted an inelegant, “Bah!” and shook her head.
Parker was enjoying this immensely. In the perfect world that was his mind, he’d pulled up a chair a couple of minutes ago and sat down with a cold beer to enjoy the show that Team Justice was putting on.
Outmaneuvered by a bunch of women, Shiny Pants looked like he was close to busting open a vein in his head. Whatever lunacy existed in this guy’s mind about Angie wasn’t tethered to reality. Maybe she’d been different before, he didn’t know, but as far as he was concerned, Ronaldo Esperanza had worn out his already thin welcome.
“Angelina,” the guy mumbled. It seemed to finally be dawning on him that he wasn’t among friends.
“No!” she barked, and then stomped off, her boots thudding across the stage followed quickly by her posse of women as they made for the backstage area.
He’d give it a few minutes and then go after her. She needed some ladies time. Plus, Parker already understood how the Justice women worked. If they were moving in a pack—stay the fuck out of their way. Peeling ’em off one by one was the best way to maneuver if you really had to.
“What the hell is he even doing here?” Meghan quizzed once they were ensconced in the cramped dressing room. The perfect place to have a bitch session. “Angie, seriously,” she snapped. “You just say the word, sweetie and he’ll be toast by morning.”
Lacey wiggled up onto a long countertop underneath a bunch of tacky band posters from another century and nodded her agreement. Crossing her long legs, she picked up one of the bags she had with her and started fishing around.
Pulling out something small, round, and blue, she handed it to Angie. “Here. Lip balm. It helps calm the mind.”
They all cracked up. It was just the release they needed. Despite her young age, Lacey was what Meghan’s ma would call an old soul. You could see it in her eyes. She relied on her amiable personality as a sort of rudder for their group. In a way, Lacey Cameron was their moral compass. A badass one, but still . . .
Cramming things into a floppy shoulder bag, Tori remarked that she had a bad feeling about Aldo. Something didn’t seem right to her.
Hmmmm. Funny. He was a bit off and not just because the man was a poor representation of testosterone. It had been hard not to judge Angie’s friend by his appearance. I mean, after all, they were in what was essentially a den of alphas—there just wasn’t any other way to describe the Justice men—and Ronaldo was so . . . inconsequential in comparison. It was the only word that fit. This guy was nobody. He just didn’t matter. But . . . he WAS up to something.
Angie finally spoke. “I know, you guys. I know.” She shook her head and pursed her lips. “You’re right, Tori. It’s like I can smell it on him or something, but honestly . . . no clue. When we ended things, I didn’t leave the door open—believe me. There was no ambiguity on my part.”
Tori snickered. “Had one foot out the door and on a plane here. Not much ambiguity in that!”
“So, does he have anything on you?” Meghan asked.
“Of course, not. He’s nobody. But in Madrid? The family name has importance. Old Spanish society. I think they wanted me in the family more than they wanted him. Something of an embarrassment when it comes to work ethic.”
Tori groaned. “Oh fuck, Angel. Been there, done that. Now there’s a tale I know all too well.” She shudde
red dramatically.
“True that,” Lacey commiserated. “But with Aldo, know what I don’t get?” Lacey muttered. “Why does he keep taunting Parker? Seems a bit odd. Like he’s trying to force a confrontation.”
“Yeah,” Lacey agreed. “The man’s got a death wish. Cameron told me that he called Parker an old man. Can you imagine that?”
Angie groaned and visibly shook. Startled, Meghan went to her for a supportive hug. “Don’t worry, he kept his cool.”
Angie tensed. “The age thing is an issue for us. Always has been.”
“Oh, so calling the sexy lawyer a grandpa probably didn’t help things, huh?”
“Tori!” Meghan barked with a stern frown. Dammit. Sometimes she wanted to pull the plug on Victoria’s mouth.
“What?” she asked with a look of genuine confusion. “I was just kidding . . . I mean, Parker’s not really freaked out by this right? I’ve never seen him rattled by anything. Maybe you’re the one with the age hang-up?”
“It’s always been an issue,” she admitted quietly. “Nine years . . . it’s a lot when you consider how long we’ve known each other.”
Lacey grunted but didn’t say anything. Hmmm. Bet I know what she’s thinking.
“I told Parker that I’ve waited my whole life to finally be old enough for him.”
“Wow,” Lacey chimed in. “Interesting choice of words.”
“So . . .” Meghan pondered aloud, “do you think maybe Parker saw you as a kid? Until recently?”
“Maybe,” Angie shrugged then after a second, she grunted, “No. If I’m being honest—no. I did that. It was all in my head.”
“Do you think Lacey’s too young for Cameron?” She hadn’t known how bothered Angie was by this or she would have said something sooner.
“Whaaaat?” Angie squawked. “Good lord, no! Why would you even ask that?” She was looking back and forth between her and Lacey. Tori chuckled softly.
Smiling, Lacey cocked her head to the side so her ponytail brushed against her neck and shoulder. “How old do you think I am?”
Angie looked like she was swinging between flabbergasted and horrified. “I don’t know. I figured we were all like, the same age or close. Actually, aren’t I the one hitting the big three-oh first?”
“Well, actually,” Lacey deadpanned, “ya’ll are gonna get there waaay ahead of me. You’ll hold me a spot though, right?”
She and Tori chuckled through a flurry of fist bumps. Meghan saw the light bulb go on over Angie’s head when the point she was making hit the mark.
“Are you fucking shitting me?” she asked.
“Nope,” Lacey chirped gleefully. “The wife with the most seniority,” she quipped mockingly, “is the baby of the group.”
It was funny watching Angie frantically doing the math in her head. Every doubt about her and Parker’s age difference was crumbling to dust. A more perfectly matched pair than Cameron and Lacey could not be found. Screw that age nonsense.
“Please tell me that you’re at least twenty-five.”
“Sure,” Lacey cooed. “At some point. Not yet, though. But soon,” she added impishly.
Tori drawled mockingly as she used her elbow to point at Angie. “Got a hand crank for that jaw of hers? It keeps hitting the floor.”
“So, what did we learn tonight, ladies?” Meghan bawled, choking on laughter from Tori’s comment.
“Tits and ass rules!”
Lacey groaned and threw something at Tori’s head. “I think she meant in the bigger picture, silly.”
“Age is a state of mind,” Angie emphasized with air quotes.
“Yeah,” Tori kept on teasing. “And you’ll get the senior citizen discount before any of us!” she hooted.
Meghan laughed.
“Justice has been served!” Lacey giggled.
“Boom!” Tori added, feigning a dramatic mic drop.
ONE BY ONE, THEY GATHERED their crap and dragged everything to the parking lot. It had been a long night after an especially difficult and trying day. Angie, feeling shit kicked, seriously wondered how she’d managed to keep it together.
Starting the day off with missing panties, a hangover, and the unexpected and upsetting kamikaze appearance of her former fiancé hadn’t been enough. Oh, no. Competing in the karaoke challenge. Aldo’s craptacular attitude. Yeah. Great day. Awesome. Let’s do it again. Not.
Her exhausted mind was considering what she’d just learned about Lacey and Cameron. Mind-blown, she wondered if this was a paradigm shift in her thinking. For years, she’d believed that she and Parker hadn’t worked out that first time around because she’d been too young. She was certain he had certain needs that an inexperienced, unsophisticated college kid couldn’t possibly satisfy. It was no wonder that at the first sign of problems, she’d run and didn’t stop until so much silent time and geographical space lay between them that any sort of resolution seemed improbable.
And now here they were and by some stroke of luck or maybe because of that destiny and fate thing her mom referred to, he still wanted her. Had he waited for her to return and claim him?
Angie heard his approach and stilled. Aware of him closing in on her from the sound his boots made crunching on the hard packed dirt and stone of the parking lot, a shocking surge of wet heat dampened her panties. Her breathing became uneven as adrenaline spiked in her system.
And then he was right on top of her. Angie’s heart thudded. Some part of her wanted to run. A sensation . . . primal and not a little frightening ran along her nerves. Just the suggestion of his powerful masculinity held her in place.
Trembling like crazy, she waited, unable to turn around, immobile like prey boxed into a corner. Then she felt his breath on her bare shoulder. Angie bit back a frightened cry and gasped when his big, warm hand slipped between her legs.
The urgent possessiveness in his voice rocked Angie. “You are hot and sexy as fuck when you’re angry,” he said running his hand firmly up the inside of a thigh, grabbing the soft inner flesh just beneath the line of her panties.
He made her want things that shocked and excited, taking Angie to a place that tested her emotions. “Don’t play with me,” she whispered in a voice just barely audible. “You don’t know . . .”
“What?” he growled an inch from her ear. “What don’t I know? That you’re on fire for me?”
He squeezed her flesh as a reminder of where his hand was. Burning heat surged between her legs. Instead of surrendering to the desire, she felt like crying.
I’m tired, she thought. Tired of thinking. Tired of worrying. She’d give Sophie a call in a couple of hours and have her sister do some digging. Find out what Aldo was really up you. But beyond that? She had nothing.
“I’m . . . drained,” she admitted after a slight hesitation. “Played out.”
He sighed, turned her and pulled her in close. “Let it all go, Angel. I’ve got you.”
How did he know that was all she wanted to hear? With a quiet whimper, she melted into his embrace. Fitting so perfectly it made her heart ache, she burrowed as best she could and did what he said. Just let it all go.
Time stilled, they stood there, wrapped up in each other. For Angie, the quiet interlude felt perfect—just what she needed. But all things good eventually come to an end.
“Where’s Aldo?” she asked reluctantly. The idea of the return trip in the limo with all of them crammed together was making her nerves fray. She wasn’t so sure she could do it.
“Hey,” Parker murmured, the concern heavy in his voice. He dipped at the knees so he could see directly into her eyes. “Did you really think I’d let him near you again?”
She blinked at him. Tears threatened and her nose stung from the effort to hold them off.
“Or your brother? Or Red for that matter?”
That broke her.
“Talk to me,” he pleaded. “Don’t keep it inside, honey. This is you and me now and we talk to each other this time, okay?”
S
he nodded and flattened her hands on his chest, needing to feel his solid strength.
“I didn’t make a mess of things, no matter how this looks.” She was pouting, and nobody was more surprised by that than her.
“Are you worried that I think you fucked up somehow?”
“Of course!” she cried. “How could you not think that?”
“Because I know you, sweetheart.”
He said it so somberly that she stopped in mid tirade. Of course, he did. Parker knew everything about her as a person.
“I really did do things the right way.” She wasn’t sure if the reassurance was for him or her. “When I knew for sure that marrying Aldo wasn’t what I wanted, I told him right away. There weren’t any games. I didn’t run away from what happened, Parker. I learned my lesson.”
He let her see his belief in her. It shone in his eyes giving her the strength to continue.
“I gave him the ring back and even went and explained things to his parents. I didn’t want there to be any doubt whatsoever about my decision. It was irrevocable and I thought everyone understood that. I needed there to be absolutely no doubt. No strings left hanging.”
Angie leaned against him, biting her lip as she flexed her fingers on his muscular chest. “I knew, you see,” she murmured quietly, “the moment the decision was made that the only thing for me to do after that was come here.”
She felt him catch his breath and his hands tightened where they held her arms.
“What are you saying, Angelina?”
She didn’t need to be afraid. He’d catch her when she fell. Trembling, she looked into his handsome face. “I came back. It took me a long time to stop running and when I did, well . . . there was only one place I wanted to be. One person I needed to see.”
Angie held her breath. What she’d admitted was huge. It was all out there now. Their journey back to friendship forced them to face hard truths and personal failings. He’d accused her of running. She had. He’d admitted to handling their relationship like an idiot. That was also true. And yet, neither of them had ever genuinely moved on.
Desert Angel (Family Justice Book 2) Page 43
