“Mack’s waiting for you in there.” She nodded toward a room off to the side.
Angel looked back at Crystal. “Do you know what he wants to talk to me about?”
Crystal shook her head. “I wouldn’t keep him waiting.”
Angel turned and carried her coffee with her. She peeked inside the open door and saw Mack sitting at the far end of a long wooden table. It looked like a boardroom, a lot like the room at the Dead Souls’ clubhouse where she had first met Cole.
Mack looked up and saw her standing there.
“Come on in, darlin’.” He indicated the chair next to him.
She sat down, setting her coffee mug on the table. “You wanted to talk to me?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Just wanted to say thanks again for that help you gave us.”
She smiled timidly. “You’re welcome. I didn’t want to see Cole get in any trouble.”
“Right.” He drank from the coffee mug he was holding. “So, you got feelings for Cole?”
She wasn’t ready for the direct question. “Why are you asking?”
He shrugged. “Just wondering. You two have been pretty tight since you met.”
“I guess so.” He was making her nervous. She looked down at the table and played with the handle of her coffee mug.
“How old are you, Angel?”
She frowned. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”
“How old?” he pressed her.
She stared him in the eye, determined not to let him see how much he rattled her. She felt out of her element. “Twenty-one.”
He nodded. “Wow, twenty-one. You have your whole life ahead of you, don’t you?”
“I suppose.”
“I can’t see you getting mixed up with this kind of life. It really doesn’t suit you.”
“How would you know what suits me? You don’t know me at all,” she insisted, staring into her mug.
“I know you. Your kind.”
She turned to look at him. “My kind?”
“You think he’s broken, and you’re gonna be the one to fix him. It’s what all you little girls think.”
Angel watched as he put a cigar in his mouth, lit a match, and puffed to get it lit. Then he looked over at her. “You can’t change him, darlin’. So don’t go tryin’ to save his soul. This club? It’s in his blood. It’s who he is. You’re no good for him, Angel. When you’re around he’s distracted… he makes mistakes. Mistakes that can get him killed. Is that what you want?”
“No. Of course not.”
Mack puffed on his cigar, looking at her.
“Where is Cole?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at the door.
Mack leaned back in his chair. “He had some business concerns to take care of. He won’t be back for a few days.”
“A few days?” She stared at him, confused. Why didn’t he say anything to her? He didn’t even say goodbye. She looked down at the table, trying to understand.
“Yeah. He wanted me to make sure you got a cab home.”
Angel stared at Mack. None of this made sense. Cole wouldn’t just brush her off like this, would he? “Did he… did he say anything else?”
Mack shrugged, tapping his cigar in the ashtray on the table. “He said to be sure to tell you he had a good time.” He saw the hurt in her eyes. He waved the hand with the cigar. “Cole’s not very good at saying goodbye.”
“That’s funny. He told me he was.” She got up, shoved her chair back, and walked out of the room.
Mack hollered after her. “I’ll call that cab for you.”
She walked straight over to Crystal.
Crystal turned to her and saw the look on her face. “You okay?”
“Do you know where Cole went?”
Just as she was about to answer her, Crystal looked past Angel and saw Mack standing in the doorway. “Oregon, I think.”
Angel looked behind her and saw Mack. She turned and ran up the stairs back to Cole’s room and closed the door. She couldn’t understand. Why would he do this? Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe she was wrong about everything. She looked around the room realizing she didn’t have any belongings to pack. Everything she had was borrowed.
Her eyes landed on the desk. She moved toward it and rummaged till her fingers brushed over a pen and an old envelope. She wrote him a note leaving him a couple of phone numbers if he wanted to contact her. She told him she hoped he would call her. She said she didn’t understand why he left without saying goodbye at least.
Sitting on the bed she looked around the room, committing it to memory. She had a feeling she would never be back here again. She sat there a long time.
The doorknob turned. She held her breath. Hoping it was Cole.
Crystal stuck her head in. “Angel, your cab’s here.”
Leaving the note lying on the bed, Angel got up and walked out of Cole’s room and out of his life.
***
After she drove off, Mack walked into Cole’s room and found the note he was sure she’d leave. He read it. Then he shook his head, crumbled it up, and stuffed it in his pocket.
***