Chapter Thirteen
Angel turned the wheel of the SUV she’d rented at the airport and made the turn onto the dead-end street. She was pretty sure this was the right one. The clubhouse should be the last building at the end. That is, if it was still their clubhouse. It had been three years since she’d been here.
She slowed as she came up to it. She saw the bikes. She was relieved and scared to death at the same time. Angel looked in the back seat. TJ was fast asleep in his car seat.
The chain link gate was open, and she pulled into the lot. She made it to the back corner before they stopped her.
Two prospects held their hands up.
Angel braked to a stop. From where her SUV was parked she could see the back door that led into the clubhouse. She pressed a button, and the driver’s side window slid down.
“I think you must be lost, ma’am. This is private property,” one of them said to her.
“I know what it is. I’m looking for Cole. Is he here?”
They were a little thrown by that. “Who wants to know?”
Angel undid her shoulder belt and climbed out of the car. She saw their eyes slide over her. She had chosen her outfit with care. No detail was left to chance, not even the Chanel sunglasses she wore. She wasn’t about to come back here looking like the scared little twenty-year-old she had been. She meant to let them know she wasn’t going to be intimidated.
She had on a gold pencil skirt that perfectly matched the shade of her tousled, expertly styled blonde hair. Her silk blouse was a shade lighter. There was nothing to compare to the perfect fit of well-tailored expensive clothing. Several thin gold chains were draped around her neck. She had matching 14kt gold hoop earrings and a gold cuff around her wrist. Her suede high-heeled pumps cost more than her car payment.
“Damn!” one of them said, looking her up and down.
“You a lawyer?” the other one asked.
“No. I’m not a lawyer.” She glanced over at a group near them. She thought she saw Crash. “Is that Crash over there?” She nodded toward him. “Would you please ask him to come over here?”
One of them jerked his head to the other who walked over to Crash. She watched as he turned to look in her direction. He stared a moment, and then walked over to her.
“Can I help you, darlin’?” he asked.
“Hello, Crash,” she responded.
He cocked his head. “Do I know you?”
“We met a couple of years ago. There was some business at the Dead Souls’ clubhouse that I helped you guys out with.”
His mouth dropped open.
“I need to speak with Cole. It’s very important. Could you please get him for me?” She smiled.
“Yeah. Yeah, sure. Wait here.” He turned and walked toward the door.
Angel looked over at the group about fifty yards away. There were about half a dozen guys standing around near the door. She thought she recognized Cole by his blond hair. He had his back to her, and his arm around a girl.
Angel watched as Crash approached him. Crash said something to him, and then she saw Cole turn to look over in her direction. He stared for a long moment, and then his arm came away from the girl, and he headed toward her. The girl started to follow him until he stopped and turned back to her. He said something to her, and Angel could see him point back toward the door.
He turned and walked toward Angel again.
She recognized the way he walked. It was him. He was dressed pretty much the same as the last time she’d seen him, the cut, a t-shirt under it, pair of jeans. He was smoking a cigarette. As he got closer, she could start to see the features of his face. He still had the soft, golden facial hair along his jaw and around his mouth.
He got to within twenty feet of her and tossed the cigarette to the ground. She saw his eyes travel over her and the vehicle, but she didn’t think he recognized her.
Stopping a few feet from her, Cole looked her up and down. Then he looked over at the prospects and jerked his head. “Beat it.”
They walked away.
***
Cole turned back to her, looking her over. Crash had to be wrong. This couldn’t be Angel. Then she reached up and pulled her sunglasses off, and he was looking into those emerald green eyes he remembered so well. He stood motionless, stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After all these years, here she was, standing there, looking stunningly beautiful.
“Angel?” he whispered.
“Cole.” She smiled.
“You look gorgeous,” he breathed.
They stared at each other.
“How have you been?” she asked.
“Okay.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He couldn’t think what to say. All the old feelings came rushing back. Including how it had torn him up when she’d left. After all her talk of him not knowing what she needed, when the fact was she’d run.. All the way back to Daddy. He’d put money on it.
“It’s been a long time, I know.” She looked down.
“Three years. But who’s counting.”
***