Page 7 of Damned By His Angel
Her bottom lip trembles as the first tear falls. She angrily swipes it away but still doesn’t lower her gun. “You don’t know shit!” she screams.
“And whose fucking fault is that?” I snap, making pain flash in her eyes before she masks it.
“Is this what this is? You want to go back to Chicago and murder in my name because you got your feelings hurt?”
I grind my teeth and clench my hands into fists so I don’t reach out and wrap one around her neck. She may not say it out loud, but I can tell a move like that wouldn’t be seen as me trying to subdue her, she would think I was trying to hurt her like he clearly did.
“Are you worried about my feelings or the fact you would be grateful that I killed the cocksucker that hurt you and knocked you up?” Her jaw unhinges but I’m not done. Ignoring the gun, I press in closer until the muzzle is pressed against my chest. She takes a step back but I follow her until she is backed against the wall with nowhere to go. “Wasn’t it you who preached to me about safe sex and making sure to always wear a condom and yet here you are, pregnant by some motherfucker that you’re clearly on the run from.”
Tears cascade down her cheeks unchecked. Having had enough of her little display of power, I snatch the gun out of her hands, then push in closer until I’m flush against her. A gasp escapes her and the hint of fear I see in her eyes angers me but I refuse to backdown. She isn’t this scared little meek woman, she is a fireball and if she plans to survive in this fucked up world she’s going to have to dig down deep and find that version of herself again, because no one else can do that for her.
“I didn’t know,” she says barely above a whisper.
I keep my face blank of all emotion as I grip her chin and force her head up so she has to look me in the eyes. “Know what?”
A whoosh of air escapes her. “I never changed my stance on safe sex. He poked holes in the condom. He wanted me pregnant.” I’m smart enough to read between the lines and know there is more to it than what she is saying but before I can push her further, my phone rings. There is only one person who would call this late. I pull it out of my pocket without taking my eyes off Amelia as I answer and bring it to my ear.
“What?”
“Sally Johnson just passed,” Becky says.
“I’m on it,” I bite out.
“Cronos?”
“What Becky?” Amelia’s eyes widen at the sound of my receptionist's name. I fight the smirk from breaking free when I see that green-eyed monster enter her gaze, finally, some other emotion instead of fear!
“Reggie is distraught over the loss of his wife so… be nice.” She ends the call before I can bite her head off. She fucking knows I hate dealing with grieving spouses. Normally on jobs like this one she will meet me there to deal with that while I tend to the body, but since she is out of state preparing for her wedding, I’m stuck doing this shit on my own!
“I gotta go,” I grit out as I shove my phone back in my pocket, relock the cases and stash them back in the closet.
“Oh, so you had me pinned to a wall a second ago and now you’re about to leave to go see your booty call?” I shut the closet door as best I can, then slowly turn to face Amelia who looks like she is about to do bodily harm to Becky.
“Grow up, Meelz.” Her face reddens in anger. “You and I both know if I wanted you pinned to that wall, you wouldn’t say no because you love it when I take control so you don’t have to think.” Before I can get my mouth to shut the fuck up more words pour out. “I guess being a thug for hire taught me about being a brute as well, huh?” Shame colors her cheeks as I pass by to grab some fresh clothes from my room. I hear her stomping down the hallway after me and sigh quietly knowing the tiny thing I thought of as an angel is about to turn into the she-devil. Amelia has the worst fucking temper and it’s no surprise considering her who her father is. King also has a short fuse. I pull a pair of black jeans out of the dresser as she enters the room.
“You don’t get to pass fucking judgment on me then leave!” I slam the drawer closed and spin around to face her. She looks wild and crazed and this is the version of her that I fucking frothed at, even now my cock is growing hard at the sight of the fire in her eyes. Her temper matches my own. Shit, it could probably rival mine.
“Why the fuck not? You did. You checked out on me weeks before I finally gave in and left. I fucking left because that is what you wanted and now here you are, trying to fuck up what I built because you were too fucking stubborn to see what was right fucking in front of you!” I don’t realize I’m yelling until I have to clear my throat.
“What the fuck did you want me to do?”
“Fuck off with that bullshit, Amelia!” I snarl as I push my sweats down my legs. Her eyes immediately drop to the bulge in my briefs. Her throat bobs as she swallows, I don’t have time for her shit or this argument, I pull my jeans on and yank my shirt over my head and the moment a strangled gasp escapes her I realize my fucking error.
Fuck!
“Grizz—”
“Shut up, Amelia.”
“Fuck you! That’s my name across your abs!” she snaps back. I pull another shirt out of the drawer and pull it over my head before brushing past her and rushing out of the cabin. What I don’t expect is for her to follow me. I grip the door handle of my truck and open it only for it to be ripped out of my grasp and shoved backward. I glare down at the little shit as she stands there blocking my door. “Why do you have Kingsley tattooed across your abs, Cronos?”
I scrub a hand down my face, utterly spent after spending a small fucking amount of time with her! She was always like this, a dog to a bone whenever she wanted information. I try a different approach needing to get the fuck out of here so I can get to the morgue and grab the hearse, before heading to Reggie’s to collect Sally. Because it’s such a small town I am the undertaker and the medical examiner, I love what I do.
“Amelia, I don’t have time for your meltdown right now. Go inside, get some sleep and I’ll be back as soon as I get Sally set up.”
“Who the fuck is Sally? What happened to Becky?” she sneers.
“Jesus fucking Christ, woman! Becky is my receptionist and Sally is the dead body I have to collect. Now can you fucking move so I can go do my goddamn job?”