Chapter 8
Life-changing.
Angel had turned his normal upside down.
Vex smiled as he dressed the next morning.
He would take one more day off work to escort Angel to see her father and Trevor.
When she’d asked to visit, he hadn’t given her the option to go alone.
Still shadowing him wherever he went, she wasn’t ready to head anywhere without him.
Relief had shown in her eyes when he’d agreed on the condition he escorted her.
“Daddy? I feel so different,” she told him, swinging her legs up as she sat on their bed. Completely adorable in her leggings and his flannel shirt, Vex had trouble controlling himself from unwrapping her like a present.
He lifted an eyebrow at her, sending Angel into a giggling fit.
“No, Daddy. Not because we… we did it,” she finally managed to say.
“Twice.”
She toppled over, laughing. “Does that make me your motorcycle old lady?” she asked, pulling that term from the biker romances she’d read in the past.
“You were mine the minute I held you in my arms,” he told her.
Her smile lit up the room. “I was. But I’ve changed because of everything that’s happened. I’m not the same person who I was before the Ravagers took me.”
“Did the abduction change who you are inside, Baby girl?” he asked, sitting down next to her to pull on his boots.
She sighed heavily as she thought. “No, not really. I guess reflecting on my life made me admit it didn’t fit what I truly needed. My work…. Oh! I totally forgot about my job.”
Angel scrambled off the bed and ran for the cellphone he’d had one of his brothers deliver for her.
They’d bricked her old phone online and transferred over the cloud data from her carrier.
She returned, speaking slowly, and crawled into his lap.
He was her safe place. His Little girl always got as close as possible when she was worried or scared.
“No, I understand that after three weeks without hearing from me, you needed to fill my position. Didn’t the police notified you that I’d been kidnapped?”
Damn Trevor and her father for not alerting the authorities. And why hadn’t the management or coworkers contacted the police when she disappeared without any word? Someone should have checked on her. Vex struggled to contain his anger, forcing himself to push it away to care for her.
Sweat gathered on her brow as she got upset. He gathered her hair off her neck and held her locks up to cool her off. She sent him a grateful look as she concentrated.
“Yes. I’ll consider reapplying for an opening I’m qualified for in the future. That’s generous of you not to bar me from rehire because of my absences. Thank you.”
Rage boiled inside him. Surely he wasn’t hearing the one-sided conversation right.
She disconnected and called another number. The recipient picked up on the first ring, and Vex could hear the squeal of excitement that emerged from the phone.
“Yes, Jillian. It’s me. I’m okay.”
“A knight in shining armor? No, a hunk in a leather biker’s vest rescued me.”
“No, I’m not coming back. They fired me when I missed over my number of vacation days.”
“No. They didn’t care that I was kidnapped—no exception to the rules and all that. It’s okay. I need some time to recover,” Angel admitted. “I’m staying with a Devil Daddy. That’s the MC that runs Inferno. I think that’s the name.”
Vex nodded to confirm the MC ran the restaurant and bar.
Angel covered the phone and asked, “Could my team come to see me at Inferno tomorrow after work? I’d be okay there, right?”
“I’ll put everyone on alert. You’d be safe any day, but especially if everyone is watching out for you,” Vex told her.
“Da… Vex says tomorrow night at Inferno is perfect. Thanks for thinking about it. I hated to disappear without saying goodbye.”
Angel hung up a minute later. “That sucks. Turns out even if I’m the victim of a crime, they fired me for absenteeism.”
“Want me to kill the head of HR?” Vex asked, not joking a bit.
“No! Of course not.”
“Hurt them a lot?” Vex changed his suggestion when she shook her head. “A little?”
“No damaging or killing of work people. I’ve got savings to survive on for a while until this settles down. I can move home if I have to….”
He could tell by how her voice trailed off that she definitely didn’t want to do that. “Not going to happen, Little girl. You’re living here with me. We’ll get your apartment cleared out this weekend.”
Her lips curved up in a delighted smile. “You’re the sweetest. Taking over your world is too much. Just let me stay until I feel safe again. I can’t invade your life permanently.”
“Baby girl, remember our conversation that we had right here?” he asked, patting the bed.
Her face turned an enchanting shade of red immediately. “We talked about a lot of things….”
“What did I tell you before we made love? If I took you….”
“You’d never let me go,” she whispered.
“I’m not going to keep you twenty miles from me, Baby girl. I want you with me.”
“I’d like that too,” she admitted, sliding her hand over his chest.
“Then everything is settled. The Devil Daddies will help. We’re getting good at relocating Little girls into the compound,” Vex told her as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
She swayed toward him, lifting her mouth for a kiss.
Vex acted on that invitation, capturing her lips in a sizzling exchange that left them both wanting.
When he leaned away from the tempting minx, Vex warned, “No more, Baby girl, or we’ll go to visit your dad and that wimp with you appearing thoroughly fucked.
That might not be a bad idea,” he suggested and dipped his head back toward her.
Giggling, Angel slid off his lap to stand before him. “We have to go, Daddy.”
Grousing, he walked over to grab the keys to the truck he’d borrowed to drive her. He’d avoid taking her on his motorcycle until the heat with the Ravagers died out. “Okay. Remember, I could have acted nicer if I’d buried myself in your heat first.”
“Daddy!” she said, turning red again.
“Come on, Baby girl. I’ll be on my best behavior unless Trevor touches you. Then all bets are off.” He held out his hand for hers and smiled as she skipped to his side.
Damn, he loved his Baby girl. His. He’d make sure Trevor understood that Vex wouldn’t voluntarily step out of Angel’s life. He’d never been a gentleman and wouldn’t start now. Especially with so much at risk.
Vex kept his eyes open as he weaved his way through town.
He wanted to notice anyone watching who could be a scout for the Ravagers.
The area around Inferno was clear. The Devil Daddies wouldn’t put up with enemies close to their territory.
Inferno and the mansion where Angel had grown up were on completely different sides of town.
That was where he expected to notice someone.
Angel was quiet in the seat next to him, clinging to his hand when he could remove his grip from the wheel safely. Her nervous energy radiated toward him, making Vex hypervigilant and setting him on edge. He hated that her homecoming wasn’t a joyous event.
“Baby girl? Am I going to meet your mother?” Vex asked, trying to distract her.
“No. Dad sent my mother out of town when I was in second grade. I haven’t seen her since.”
“Why?” Vex asked in surprise, glancing quickly at the woman in the seat next to him to check on her. What could have happened for a man to send a child’s mom away?
“According to the servants’ gossip, she protested his affair with his secretary.”
“And she just left?”
“You can’t win against my father. I’m sure he had some kind of threat to hold over her. My father is a gentleman at business unless you cross him. Then he considers you a liability and he’s ruthless. Maybe someday I’ll get to see her again.”
“You’ve never searched for her?” Vex asked.
“No. I guess I figured she’d reach out to me if she wanted to get in touch with me.”
“Okay, so your father is a manipulative bastard,” Vex announced as he came to the front gate. That made his lack of paying her ransom more in character. With only one remaining parent, Angel must have always looked at him through rose-colored glasses.
“He likes me,” Angel said and leaned forward to point at a speaker on a pole. “Pull up there and press the intercom button.”
Vex followed her instructions and hit the raised red space.
“Deliveries and repairmen use the rear entrance,” a dismissive cultured voice announced, and the intercom cut off.
After rolling his eyes, Vex repeated the motion.
“Mr. Daniels is not accepting visitors today.” The second response expressed even more annoyance than the first. Again, the line went dead.
He pounded on the button the next time until he got the man’s attention.
“I am poised to call the police if you do not vacate the premises immediately.”
“Reynolds? It’s me, Angel. Could you let us in?”
“Angel? Is that man holding you prisoner?”
Angel smiled. She had surprised him. Reynolds had never called her by her first name. “No, Reynolds. This is Vex. He saved me. Open the gates for us?”
“Of course, Miss Daniels. Right away.”
“Fucking snob,” Vex muttered under his breath as he pulled through the gates. Angel reached over to put her hand on his thigh. She gave him a squeeze. “What? He is.”
“He’s trained to keep people out, Vex. He’s doing his job.”
“I think he enjoys being a total ass,” Vex said.
“He’s nice to me. Reynolds was happy to hear my voice. He can’t be completely bad, right?”
“Maybe,” Vex said, coming to the end of the long drive and parking the large truck at the bottom of the stairs leading to the front door. “Stay there. I’ll help you out.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
That phrase and her sweet smile evaporated some of his anger. Thank goodness he’d come with her. Stalking around the bed of the truck, he kept his eye on the door. By the time he’d lifted her down from the seat, a stream of a half-dozen people stood outside the massive doors.
Angel rushed forward and stopped two steps up to glance at Vex.
He understood she didn’t want to get too far from him.
Vex quickly joined her and placed a hand on the small of her spine to reassure her.
As they reached the top, the group shifted back.
Vex smirked. Presenting a badass appearance was an art.
“Miss Daniels! We were so worried about you when we heard you’d been kidnapped. Are you okay?” a kindly-looking woman in an apron asked.
“Thanks to Vex, I’m good. I’m recovering more every day,” Angel assured them. She stepped forward to hug each person. Vex kept his eyes on them. He trusted no one.
“Um. Vex, is it?” a stuffy man in a suit asked.
“Yes. I’m Vex.” He confirmed with an upward nod.
The man held out his hand. “Thank you for saving, Angel. She’s a favorite of the staff.”
Vex hesitated before shaking the man’s hand. “Reynolds?” he guessed.
“You’re on the approved list now, sir.”
“Approved list, huh?” Vex contained his laugh of disbelief. What kind of world did these people live in? Angel settled at his side to slide her fingers between his.
“Thank you, Reynolds. Is Father in his office?”
“Of course. He was pleased to hear you’ve come home. I’ll get your room refreshed for you,” Reynolds said.
“No thank you, Reynolds. I’m staying with Vex. He keeps me safe,” Angel said before turning to Vex. “Shall we go see my father?”
“Lead on, Angel.”
Vex focused on his Little girl as she walked through a house decorated from the luxurious flooring under his feet to the ornate ceilings.
He’d never been invited into any place like this.
A snort escaped his nostrils at the thought of kicking back with a beer on the couches that didn’t look like anyone had ever sat on them.
Angel gave him a curious sidelong glance, and he smiled to reassure her as he kept from cataloguing the obviously pricey artwork scattered elegantly through the spaces they walked through.
He didn’t want anyone to accuse him of casing the place.
Vex knew hidden cameras tracked his every moment.
His skin itched at the thought of growing up under such scrutiny, and he squeezed Angel’s hand.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
“Peachy,” he answered with a wink. As long as he was with her, he was fine. Her answering smile went straight to his heart.
“In here,” she told him as she turned into a vast room lined with dark wood paneling and more books than some libraries had. “Father!”
A distinguished man with gray hair stood up from behind an enormous desk. He circled the piece of furniture without haste and met his daughter in front of it. Angel’s father held her away for a long moment to scan her before pulling her close in a brief hug.
As he stepped back, Mr. Daniels announced, “You’re thinner, but you appear to be fine. I guess I didn’t have much to worry about. Thank goodness I didn’t pay their outrageous ransom.”
Vex didn’t hesitate as his hot temper flared to an inferno level. He stepped forward to steer Angel out of the way before he swung an angry fist to bust her father’s nose.