Archangel (Black Reign MC #11)

Chapter One

Sonya

“This might be the time we finally push him over the edge.” Caroline was my best friend and partner in crime. Right now, she was looking at the man in question with a wary gaze.

“We taking bets?” I didn’t look at Linnie but kept my eyes on our tormentor, Sheriff Grady Bassett. The frown he gave us said we were in big trouble. Huge trouble. To be fair, we often got into mischief in his county.

Sheriff Bassett didn’t take us to jail this time. Instead, he marched us inside the courthouse and left our asses on a bench outside the courtroom to wait.

“Guess we get preferential treatment, huh?” Linnie wasn’t as comfortable breaking the rules as I was. I was trying to help her work through her discomfort. It was clear how nervous she was now, though. We were the same age, but Linnie was a natural rule follower. I… was not.

“What about it, Lawdawg?” I addressed Sheriff Grady. “We gettin’ special treatment?” Lawdawg was a play on his job as well as his actual road name. While mine and Linnie’s dads were members of Salvation’s Bane MC, Lawdawg was a member of a nearby MC called Black Reign. Our clubs were allies and, as such, had several functions a year together.

“Just saving everyone time and money, sweetheart. Besides, if I took you to jail for the proper processing, we’d never have gotten here before Judge Daily was done for the day. Since it’s Friday, that’d mean you’d be in jail until at least Monday morning.”

“Point taken,” I drawled. Then I gave him a bright smile. “Anything to save the good taxpayers of Glades County and Moore Haven a couple of bucks.”

Lawdawg shook his head, frowning at first me, then Linnie. “Your daddies shoulda spanked the pair of you more often as kids.”

“That’s a mean thing to say.” Linnie was better at pouting and being all innocent and shit than I was. She always went first.

“And vandalism isn’t?” The bastard looked at us like we were still wayward children.

“We didn’t vandalize anything.” Linnie sat up straighter.

“You put a blow-up sex doll in the back of Santa’s sleigh in Mrs. Cranston’s front yard, Caroline.”

“There was no permanent damage done and all anyone had to do was pull off the duct tape. And that is not an admission of guilt. I happened to watch as the police removed the sex doll in question from the Santa blow-up. Besides, anyone who has Christmas decorations still up deserves to have fun had at their expense.” Linnie was learning. Good argument. Reference to the alleged crime without saying we did it. Point out no harm was done. “As to the residential area, there is no one in that subdivision under the age of sixty, and all their grandkids live in other states.” Yep. She was getting good.

I could be mistaken but if anything, Lawdawg looked amused. “Doesn’t matter. If it did, you’d be spending the weekend in jail rather than going to see Judge Dailey now.”

“Come on, Lawdawg.” I rolled my eyes, wanting to stomp my foot in irritation. And no. I would never call him Deputy Dawg or anything to his face. Very often. “This is horseshit and you know it. We didn’t hurt anyone or scar anyone for life. Besides, someone didn’t mind the sex toy being out in public too much because it was hanging half in half out of a trashcan in the neighborhood before making its way to Santa. Ain’t sayin’ whose house it was in front of, but the house number was 2187, and the female who put it there was yelling pretty loud at the male trying to get her to come back inside so they could ‘talk’.”

Lawdawg rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. “That explains some things, believe it or not.” Then he pointed an accusing finger at me. “Girls, your daddies are gonna be pissed.”

“Our daddies ain’t gonna find out.” If my tone was clipped, fuck the bastard. He didn’t like it, he could damned well take himself someplace else. And let me get the fuck outta here.

“Your daddies already know, sweetheart.”

“Tattletale. Don’t you know snitches get stitches?”

“I know little girls who get arrested for pranking get their asses spanked.”

I snorted. “I’m twenty-one years old, so I can say with absolute authority” -- I narrowed my eyes at him – “not in this fucking lifetime, baby.”

Lawdawg gave me an evil grin. “Yeah? Wait a while. Your daddy’s sendin’ someone to get the two of you. Should be here before we’re through in court.”

“Sonya’s riding with me,” Linnie piped up.

“Look. How long’s this gonna take? We got shit to do.”

“You’re a brat who needs a lesson in manners, Sonya. How the fuck did Thorn raise boys who were so straight and narrow, then raise a daughter who’s a hell-on-wheels wild child?”

I barked out a laugh. “My brothers? Straight and narrow? Are we even talking about the same fucking people?”

Lawdawg pointed an accusing finger at me. “You’ve got a mouth on you, Sonya.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Sparring with Lawdawg was always fun. I think he enjoyed it as much as I did. Probably why I never managed to truly piss him off like I did most other people, though not for lack of trying. “You just now figuring that out?”

“Nope. Just was never tempted to duct tape it shut before today.” He gave me a big grin like it was all the height of hilarity, but I could tell he was actually getting a bit ruffled.

My dad was president of Salvation’s Bane MC in Palm Beach, Florida.

“Gee, Lawdawg, tell me how you really feel.” I rolled my eyes at him and crossed one leg over the other and my arms over my chest.

“Oh, I plan on it, young lady. You’re old enough to do better than this.” He pointed a finger at me. “You need to grow up and act your age.” He glanced from me to Linnie. “Both of you.”

“It was just a bit of harmless fun! No one got hurt. We didn’t make any noise and keep people up. We did it in a neighborhood with no young children around. And we didn’t even break the law. At least not any important ones.”

“You put a blow-up sex doll in the back of Santa’s sleigh in Mr. and Mrs. Cranston’s front yard.”

“It was Mr. Robinson’s! We watched Mrs. Robinson bring it to the trash in front of their house last night when we went for a run. She was screaming at him. He was trying to get her to go back inside and ‘talk about this like civilized adults.’ We saw an opportunity and we took it.”

Lawdawg opened his mouth to respond but the court bailiff chose that moment to open the door to the courtroom. “Sheriff.”

“Jon. He ready for us?” Lawdawg stepped aside slightly to hold the door open.

The older man looked from Lawdawg to me and back. “Christ, Grady. Again?”

Lawdawg shrugged. “Afraid so.”

“Come on, then.” Poor Jon sounded resigned, like this was something he had to endure every couple of weeks. Hmmm. Come to think of it, he actually did have to endure this every couple of weeks. My bad.

Bailiff Jon led us inside the courtroom of Judge Rupert P. Dailey. Lord knew I’d seen the inside of this place more than I should have. It was all in good fun; I never did anything dangerous or serious. This was just a fun place to pull pranks.

Judge Dailey looked up from where he’d been reading something at his desk. He sat behind the bench in the main courtroom where he presided. When he met my gaze, he started and did a double take, then frowned. “Christ, Grady. Again?”

“ Déjà vu ,” I muttered.

“You two.” The judge sounded tired, like he was so exhausted he couldn’t manage much longer.

“Look, Judge. In our defense, anyone leaving their Christmas decorations up this long deserved to be poked fun of. It’s spring, for crying out loud!”

“Not another word, young lady.” The order was given by both Judge Dailey and Lawdawg. In unison. Like fucking choir boys or something. I wasn’t saying that out loud, but the thought made me want to giggle.

Judge Daily and Lawdawg exchanged a look, and the judge sighed. “What sex toy did the two of you run up the flagpole this time?” I opened my mouth to answer, but Judge Dailey immediately raised his hand in a gesture to stop me from speaking and shook his head vigorously, his eyes comedically wide. “No, no, no! It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to know! I don’t want to know!” I smirked at Lawdawg. We were totally getting a slap on the wrist. “Grady, have you made arrangements to get these young ladies home?”

“I have, Your Honor.” Grady gave me the side eye before turning his full attention to the judge. “Caroline’s stepmother is on her way. I’m making sure Sonya gets home.”

“But --”

“And she’ll go.” Lawdawg spoke over me, turning his head to give me a stare promising death and destruction if I didn’t shut the fuck up. Now. I did. Not because I was afraid of the big bastard, but because I was trying to learn the finer points of knowing when to keep my mouth shut. Seemed like a good time to practice. “Without. Further. Comment.” He spoke through clenched teeth. Yeah. We might have broken him this time.

“Good! Can I assume whatever mischief they left behind has been… disposed of? And any mess cleaned up or fixed?”

“It has, Your Honor.”

“Don’t let me see you in my courtroom again, ladies. You’ve caused enough mischief to last several lifetimes. If I see you again, it will require some jail time for giving me a headache. Understood?”

Me and Caroline both muttered, “Yes, Your Honor,” before Lawdawg took us each by the upper arm and escorted us back outside and to his waiting truck. It was emblazoned with “Sheriff” on the side and a light bar with blue and white lights on top.

“Great,” I muttered. “The fucking Lawdawg mobile.”

“Get in the back and stay put. Both of you.” He remotely started the vehicle before unlocking the doors for us. Of course, he put us in the back seat where we couldn’t get out once the door was shut.

“What a stick in the mud.” Linnie crossed her arms over her chest, indignant. But I could also see her relief. She was likely sweating over dodging a bullet with the whole jail thing.

“I’m sorry, Linnie,” I said softly. “I know you’re not as comfortable with breaking the rules as I am. Yet I keep dragging you into my messes.”

“What? Sonya, no! You’ve been my best friend since the first day I met you. Sure, you push my boundaries, but we never hurt anyone or anything and it’s all in good fun. Embarrassing for some, maybe, but never maliciously.” She gave me a bright smile. “Besides, think how boring people’s lives around here would be if not for us.”

I reached out to grasp Linnie’s hand. “Thanks for being such an awesome friend, Caroline.”

“You’re an awesome friend too, Sonya. Now, I have a serious question.”

Nodding, I met and held Linnie’s gaze. “Why are they separating us?”

“Exactly. They already know what we did. Why would they need to separate us?”

Lawdawg opened the door, bracing one arm on the open door, the other on the door frame. “We’re separating you because you’re not going to the same place.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you have this truck bugged?”

“Of course. Everything inside these four doors is recorded. It’s all for safety purposes. But it comes in handy when two brats think they need to get their stories straight.”

“For the love of God, Grady! You already know what we did! If we’re going separate places, where are we going?”

“Well, she” -- he nodded at Linnie – “is going home with her mother. Like I said.”

“And me?”

This time, his smile was the smile of a man who was about to see justice served in the most satisfying way. Not gonna lie, the look made me nervous. “You’re going with him.” He stepped back and jerked his head to the left, indicating the straight stretch of US 27, leading from one end of town to the other.

Two blocks down, I saw a big, black Harley heading our way. Even from this distance the roar of the pipes was distinctive. And I knew the sound well. A dense trail of smoke had covered the four lanes from where one of the residences was burning a small pile of brush. Just like in the movies, the big Harley I’d known was attached to that rumble parted the haze with smoke circling behind him like a jet trail. The man sitting on the bike was just as intimidating as the machine. All the scene needed was a slow-motion sequence and it would be perfect.

Archangel . He was the most unflappable man I’d ever met. There was an eerie calm surrounding him most of the time. Sure, he laughed and had a good time like anyone else, but he was the peacemaker. The person everyone called when they didn’t want El Diablo or El Segador to take up the cause. More than once, I’d heard Archangel make the statement you knew when you had a successful negotiation because neither party was completely satisfied. He didn’t play favorites, and he was always fair, but the man had a giant stick up his ass the size of a telephone pole.

He crossed two lanes of traffic at the corner to pull into the parking lot of the courthouse, not even hesitating at the light as he did. Brazen, considering where he was, and that three deputies and two city cops were sitting close by. He parked the bike in front of Lawdawg’s truck before turning it off and putting down the kickstand. A long, thickly muscled leg was lifted over the seat as Archangel dismounted and walked toward the truck and Lawdawg.

I knew there was drool dripping from the corner of my mouth, but I didn’t fucking care. Archangel was the most perfectly built man I’d ever had the pleasure of viewing. No matter how many times I saw him, he was still awe-inspiring. If anyone saw me, all I would have to do was point at the man and any red-blooded woman on the planet who looked would understand. He wore snug, black jeans. The material clung to his hips and thighs in all the right places. He didn’t have on a shirt, but his plain leather vest covered most of his rippled torso. Which left his arms bare, and a sliver of chest and abdomen showing when he walked. Muscles and thick veins roped his arms. Tattoos peeked from his vest and crept up his arms. His salt-and-pepper hair was over his collar but artfully shaggy, and his beard was full and neatly trimmed. Mirrored aviator sunglasses rounded out his outfit. The man rocked it like the ultimate bad boy.

“Hoooooly shit. Are you seeing this?” Linnie sounded awed, and I glanced at her sharply.

“What the shit, Linnie, you whore!” I wasn’t really mad. This was how we communicated.

“What?” She didn’t take her gaze from Archangel and the question was more of a demand. “Tell me you weren’t eye fucking him too and I’ll be ashamed. Or something. OK. No, I won’t be ashamed, but look me in the eyes and tell me you weren’t eye fucking him. Besides, we always eye fuck him together.”

“I’d love to. But I’m too busy eye fucking him to look you in the eyes and tell you I’m not eye fucking him. Because I’m eye fucking him like crazy. Also, I’ve changed my mind. We can’t eye fuck him together anymore.”

“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Sonya. If you change your mind and decide he’s too much work, let me know. I’ll give it a shot.”

“Like hell.” I turned and hissed at my friend. “Mine.”

“You know he’s so much older than you as to not be believed, right? The man is practically ancient!”

“Red and Rosana have more of an age gap than me and Archangel.”

“Right. Use their successful age gap relationship to justify your own. I’m sure it will go over with your dad as well as it would with my own father.” She had a point.

“Why’s he here, I wonder?”

“Don’t know, Sonya, but if the look on his face is any indication, the reason can’t be good.”

Whatever was being said between Archangel and Lawdawg seemed to have gotten under Archangel’s skin. He snatched his glasses from his face and leaned into Lawdawg’s space. His lips moved, but I couldn’t tell what he was saying. Mainly because Archangel had his teeth clenched. Lawdawg shrugged and jerked his head toward the truck where we sat and watched them from the back seat.

Archangel turned his head to look at the truck and us. Lawdawg spoke, gesturing with his hands a couple of times while Archangel continued to stare.

Finally, he nodded, and stepped away from Lawdawg, moving toward the truck. Archangel came to my side and opened the door. “Come on. Out with ya.” When I hesitated, he added. “Or I’ll haul you out over my shoulder. Choice is yours.” Though his eyes looked like he was furious, his face was relaxed and his voice was calm.

“What crawled up your ass?” The only person in the world I loved pushing more than Lawdawg was Archangel. Probably because both men were so naturally uptight yet unflappable. Anyone who followed the rules so close to the edge should feel anxious at least some of the time. Neither of these men were. Both of them stayed true to their consciences, but when the shit hit the fan, they were the calm, driving force behind fixing the fan and cleaning up the shit.

“When I’m called an hour and a half away to take a young woman in hand who’s acting like a spoiled teenager, it tends to eat away at my social niceties.”

“Look, you don’t want my company, I’ll happily catch a ride back with Linnie and Talia. I’m not sure why anyone called you to begin with. I don’t belong to your club.”

“No. You don’t, thank God, but your daddy thinks you need a come-to-Jesus meeting about what you’re gonna do with your life. I owe him one, so I got drafted.”

I blinked. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Afraid not, Sonya. Now, come with me. We’ve got a long ride ahead. You can rest tonight, but tomorrow we’re going to sit down and figure out your next steps in life.”

“Oh really.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “What if I don’t want to talk with you about my future? I happen to like my life the way it is.”

“And that’d be great. Except for stunts like this.” When I would have continued to argue with him, Archangel snagged my upper arm and pulled me with him to his bike. His hold wasn’t painful, but it was clear he wouldn’t tolerate me trying to get away from him.

He took the helmet strapped down to the back of the bike and shoved it on my head. “Fasten it, then climb on behind me.”

Well, the circumstances weren’t ideal, but I was getting on the back of Archangel’s bike. Archangel ! My secret crush. The only person in the world who knew about my slight infatuation with the big biker was Linnie. And she was my ride-or-die chick. A vault for my secrets same as I was for hers. He had no way of knowing, but Archangel was giving me a longtime dream. And fuck, if I wasn’t gonna enjoy every fucking second of it.