Chapter 20
Lucien studied her across his big desk in his elevated office at Inferno.
His dark eyes and expression didn’t give Angel any hint of what he thought.
Vex stood by the door, allowing her to talk to Lucien separately.
She wasn’t interviewing as his Little but as a skilled professional applying for a job.
“I require complete loyalty from my employees, Angel. You are welcome to stay in the compound with Vex as his Little girl forever if you would like, regardless of whether you can commit to maintaining the confidentiality of any information you might discover in our records. You’ll be safe here, I promise. ”
“I won’t do anything illegal, Lucien. If you need me to falsify records or cook the accounting logs, I’m not the right one for the job,” Angel told him honestly.
“That isn’t part of this position. Razor requires someone to bring his record-keeping process up to the current century. We need to have the capacity to send files to specialists. Razor also could benefit from collaborative spaces to interact with other research scientists,” Lucien explained.
“And when I’m done with those records?”
“You’ll never finish those completely. When the backlog is complete, you will spend a portion of your schedule dealing with current treatment files in the medical office and the rest of your time can be used at the warehouse.
That data is more guarded security-wise.
The material stored in the main building will be what challenges your ability to preserve the interests of the Devil Daddies MC. ”
“Because it’s illegal?” she asked. At this point, she didn’t see any reason to beat around the bush. Angel wanted to know the truth.
“Potentially. More importantly our business might conflict with the interests of others in your life,” Lucien told her.
What was he implying? Who was he talking about? Angel turned to check in with Vex. Her Daddy shook his head. He was no help at all.
“Not Vex,” Lucien clarified. “People you’ve known before you met us.”
He couldn’t be talking about her previous work. She didn’t owe that company anything after they’d tossed her out on her ear while she was held against her will. Others in her life…. Wait!
“My father?” she guessed.
“And your former fiancé,” Lucien added. His lips turned up in a slight smile upon hearing the growl escape from Vex at the door. “Vex never did like either of them. He has excellent taste.”
“My father and Trevor are involved in something that conflicts with the dealing of the Devil Daddies MC?” Angel asked in complete shock. How in the world did those two have any ties to a motorcycle club?
“It boggles the mind, doesn’t it? I was surprised too when I found out. You’d want to be aware of that before you throw your loyalty to us,” Lucien told her.
I can’t betray my father.
As soon as that thought speared through her brain, Angel rejected it.
Her father had left her in the hands of the Ravagers.
He’d done nothing to help her and wouldn’t have changed his mind in the future.
And Trevor? He didn’t matter to her at all.
She’d imagined herself in love with him because of the fairytale ending every little girl dreamed of having.
Angel looked back at Vex. She winked to signal him her head was screwed on right before turning back to Lucien. “Thank you for being truthful with me. I don’t owe my father or Trevor anything. Especially not my integrity. If you’ll let me, I would love to show you what I can do.”
She straightened her spine and forced herself to say, “That is if you can pay me a salary that matches my experience and skills.”
Lucien tossed out an amount that made Vex let out a low whistle.
Shocked, Angel kept her expression composed as she considered the figure almost exactly double her last income.
She had not expected that. She didn’t try to haggle as Vex had suggested.
“That’s acceptable.” Angel promised herself she’d celebrate later.
Lucien stared at her for a few long seconds before standing and offering her his hand. “Welcome, Angel. I assume you’d rather have an office in Razor’s building or in the warehouse?”
“Yes, please.” She’d be close to her Daddy that way.
“I ordered your laptop this morning. Your office will be ready tomorrow. Do you know what programs you’ll require, or will selecting that structure be the best place to begin?”
“I have a good idea for the medical records. I’d prefer to devote a day to see if there is anything new out there before we invest in the software.
For your interests in particular, I’ll need to see what the requirements are first,” Angel answered, completely at ease with her tech role.
She lived and breathed spreadsheets and data fields.
“Then you start there first. Report to me when you have made your decisions. Do not hesitate to ask for anything you need.”
“Could I have a heavy-duty scanner and an assistant from the warehouse for several weeks? Someone tech savvy if possible. There are a lot of files to digitize.”
“Pick out the best equipment. Perhaps get another scanner as a backup? You’ll burn out the first one fast with constant use. Street is yours for as long as you can use him. He’s smart, young, and knows his way around a computer,” Lucien told her.
“Excellent. I’ll get a report to you by the end of the week with everything I’d like to order, and we’ll dive into those stacks as soon as possible. I could use Street immediately to organize Razor’s piles.”
“He’ll be at your office tomorrow,” Lucien promised.
Angel nodded and turned to leave before facing Lucien again. “Can you update me on the Ravagers? Do I need to be worried about them?”
“Stay on your toes, but no, I don’t think they’ll come after you again. I’ve put the word out that you’re under our protection. They’re still licking their wounds from the fire. They’ll come back to cause more problems as soon as possible, but you shouldn’t be their target.”
“Thank you, Lucien.” She rejoined her Daddy. His hug reassured her that everything was good.
As they walked down the curving staircase outside Lucien’s office, Angel looked at Vex and stopped him between the floors. “I get to stay with you, Daddy. Forever and ever!”
He stared at her for a fraction of a second before hauling her close to press a fiery kiss to her lips. A cheer rang out below them when Wraith spotted them. Angel heard other voices join Wraith’s to hoot and holler. How did he know she’d just gotten hired?
Other Devil Daddies joined his celebration as Vex held her tight. The crowd jumped in to chant their names.
“Vex! Angel! Vex! Angel!”
Vex ripped his mouth from hers and shook his head. “Like I was ever going to let you get away. Come here, Baby girl. Let’s go join the party.” He scooped her over his shoulder and carried her the rest of the way down the stairs. His MC brothers shook her hand and pounded Vex on the back.
Angel leaned against Vex’s powerful chest and couldn’t stop smiling.
Vex pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck.
His beard and mustache tickled her in a familiar way both reassuring her she was safe and tantalizing her sensitive nerve-endings.
Angel now understood how Lucien had earned such loyalty.
She was part of this huge crazy family of bikers, and she never wanted to be anywhere else.
Street parked his bike three blocks from the hole-in-the-wall drinking establishment Lucien had sent him to check out.
At the bar, he ordered a bottle of beer and slowly scanned the room as he took a few long drinks.
The dive was a rough place. He could see how the Ravagers would choose this place.
No one asked questions in this dicey place if they valued their safety.
He set his bottle down on the bar to free his hands when a skirmish started a couple of stools down the bar. When he turned back around, a busty blonde with blue eyes snuggled next to him, batting impossibly long eyelashes. Street preferred a more natural look—one that appeared more comfortable.
“Hey, handsome. Want to buy me a drink?” she asked.
“Sorry, miss. I’m waiting for my old lady.”
“Maybe she got delayed. I’m here now.”
“I appreciate the interest, but….” Street let his voice drift away.
A crash behind him made him rotate to face the threat. “Oops! Sorry!” A woman apologized behind him. She waved a helpless hand at the smashed beer stein on the concrete floor.
No one moved to clean up the glass and spilt liquid. No wonder his boots stuck to the floor. Shaking his head, Street retrieved his beer, noticing the blonde had moved on to speak to another man at the bar. He lifted the bottle to his lips, and a hand stopped him.
Street looked straight into the prettiest brown eyes. The bar employee shook her head. “Don’t drink that,” she whispered under her breath.
“Rosa! What are you doing? We’re running out of ice. Stop flirting with the customers and go get another bucket,” a grizzled, old man yelled from the office door just around the corner. The open door signaled the owner or manager kept a close eye on either his clientele or his customers. Or both.
“Sorry, Joe. On it!” Rosa leaned down to pick up the bucket at her feet. Her voice carried to Street as she spoke toward the floor. “They put something in your drink. Get out of here.”
A wave of dizziness hit as Street stood.
He stiffened his spine, struggling to hold his shit together.
On the way to the door, he steadied himself against the walls.
A couple of women asked if he was okay and tried to wrap their arms around him.
Street extricated himself from them as he quickened his pace to the door.
The cool night air revived him a bit. A wave of nausea hit him, and he vomited a vile-tasting liquid on the front steps as people hurried out of his way.
Street didn’t stop or respond to their jokes or offers of assistance.
Scanning the people gathered outside, he noted a group of men in leather jackets to the right.
Instantly, he headed left. Shouts followed him. Street ducked into an alley to find somewhere to hole up until his head cleared. An arm wrapped around his waist, and his fist came up clenched. He barely stopped himself from belting the woman with the dark eyes.
“They’re coming. Let me help you.”
He was in trouble. Street decided quickly to trust the woman who’d warned him. One more drink of that concoction would have either killed him or knocked him out. He let her guide him through several streets, turning repeatedly as if they were going in circles.
“Where’s your bike?” she asked.
“Front Street and Third. I can’t drive,” Street admitted, as he struggled to stay on his feet. He could hardly see as he staggered next to her.
“Give me the keys. I’ll drive.”
“No one drives my bike.”
“I will tonight unless you’re eager to get turned over to the Ravagers,” she told him, holding out her hand.
The mention of that MC sent an icy wave down Street’s spine. Lucien had wanted to send three of them to the bar. Street had insisted on going himself. The location was on his way from the tech place Angel had needed him to visit to grab some storage devices.
His fingers didn’t work as he fumbled with his pocket. Fuck! He was in bad shape.
Her hand pushed his away as she reached into his jeans. He wasn’t too far gone that he missed her accidental brush against his cock pressing against the tight denim. Street cursed himself for reacting to the woman who’d risked everything to save him.
“Shut up!” she snapped, and he realized he was talking out loud and not in his head. “Get on the bike. They’re coming.”
She threw her leg over and pulled him into position behind her. Her strength surprised him. After tugging his arms around her waist, she gunned the engine as footsteps raced toward them.
“You’re aiming right at them,” he yelled.
She didn’t swerve but continued on a path to ram into them. At the last moment, the group scattered, creating a path for her to steer through. She twisted and turned through roads and alleyways Street didn’t recognize before popping onto the highway.
Street’s head felt incredibly heavy. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and locked his hands together in front of her stomach before passing out.