I watch him through the fogged up glass. His hands are on the wall as he lets the water run down his body.

  I undress, then make my way into the shower. As I get in, I give his back a small kiss and wrap my arms around him. Angel’s hand moves to mine, which is placed on his chest.

  “Seems like you’ve been in here a while,” I whisper into his back.

  “You were sleeping, and I needed to clean the night off me,” he says quietly.

  I don’t know what that means, and don’t want to. I have no idea what happened tonight, but when I saw him before he left, I can guess that blood was spilled.

  “Want to talk about it?” I ask him.

  His hands leans on the wall again, and I move under them. I slide my hands onto his waist. Angel brings his head down, and his forehead leans against mine.

  “Shall we get out of the shower?” Angel turns the water off, and opens the shower door. He pulls in a towel and wraps it around me.

  After drying myself off, I get dressed. Whatever happened today, one thing this moment has taught me is that when Angel comes back from family business, he doesn’t want to get to close to me.

  I follow Angel towards the bedroom. I sit on the bed. Angel sits on the edge of the bed and I move in closer to him. My hands move to his shoulders, slowly sliding over him as my thumbs move up his scars.

  “Alice?”

  “Yeah.”

  "What do you see when you look at my scars?" Angel asks. His head hangs and his gaze stays on the carpet.

  This wasn't a question I thought he would ask me. It's taken me time to get my head around them, but my answer is the truth.

  “A man who beat his past,” I say, planting a small kiss on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “How much do you know about my family?”

  What is going on with him tonight? He is asking questions that have me worried.

  “Nothing really. The bar covers up the family business, which I know has to do with guns, but that’s about it,” I say. I only really know what Ben’s told me, but he’s keeping plenty hidden from me, too.

  “Our guns never go out on the streets in England. I’ve made it my mission to make sure that no guns are on the streets of Sinwick. No kids will die from a gun in my town.” Angel stops for a moment, his elbow on his knee and his hand rubbing at his forehead.

  “Angel…”

  "When I came out of prison, a new...that woman in my office tonight…" He takes in a deep breath. "Her son was shot dead in the middle of the fucking street because this new family is selling guns in my town." His body tenses up, and I softly place my hand on his back. "That family has been testing me, testing me in every way they can, and now they pushed me too far. When a boy dies by one of their guns..." Angel starts shaking his head, and I move to kneel in front of him.

  “Hey, whatever you did tonight, you did because you thought it was for the best,” I tell him.

  Angel lies back on the bed. There is something wrong, and I don’t really know how to get him to tell me if he doesn’t want to. In the time I’ve been with Angel, I’ve recognized how badly he needs to sleep. It’s beginning to affect him, and Robert did tell me that family business is always on his mind.

  I stand up and straddle his waist. "Angel, I'm here, just tell me what you need," I whisper. I might not be able to help him with whatever is happening in his head, but I will always be here for him in whatever way he needs me.

  I lean down, my lips softy planting a kiss on his, and his hand moves up my back. I pull away from him and look into his eyes. They are a lot darker than their normal soft sea blue colour. There is a hunger, a slight plea in them, as if he wants me to help him forget everything about his evening, but he doesn’t know how to ask.

  I lean back down to kiss him but, before I can, he takes my tank top off. I quickly sit up and he flips me around so I'm lying on my back. Before I can adjust, his lips are on my breast, his tongue softly teasing my nipple. My hands move to his hair as he takes over my body. With every kiss, every touch my body becomes his. My nipples react to his touch. Angel begins to suck gently. He's not going hard as he normally does, which surprises me. This is soft, gentle, caring.

  My hands move down his back, and I notice his towel has come off. As he moves up my collar bone, the drips of water from his wet hair cool my body down. Planting kisses on my jawline, his fingers pinch my nipples as his legs push mine open.

  "Everything I need is right in front of me," Angel whispers against my lips. He softly and gently moves inside me.

  My back arches off the bed as I feel him moving inside me slower and slower. His hand squeezes my breast, and he closes his eyes the moment he is all the way inside me.

  Angel doesn't thrust. He just stays still and he opens his eyes. They are the sexiest eyes I've ever seen in my life. There is something different in them tonight, a wall he's dropped for me so I can see him more clearly. As he looks at me, it's as if every ounce of my breath is taken from my lungs and floats in the air around us. Tonight, his eyes are loving me, and I fall in love with Angel Frost even more. I don't want this feeling to ever leave me. I can't bear the thought of losing someone who makes me feel so complete.

  Angel kisses me, and slowly begins thrusting, making me moan against his lips.

  “Angel.” His name escapes my lips as his mouth moves to my neck. Angel beings to move faster and my legs wrap around his waist, letting him go deeper inside me.

  Angel places both his hands on the bed next to my face as he picks up speed. My gaze locks on him.

  “I know you’re ready to come, Alice. Don’t hold back.” Angel’s voice comes out deep, telling me he is just as close as I am.

  Angel grows harder, pushing me over the edge to an orgasm. My nails dig into his back as I feel my body start trembling. The sound of him pushing hard against my skin echoes around the room.

  "Oh, yes," I scream as I come. My hands move down Angel's arms as my body comes down from the high. I feel as if I’ve just been on a sex rollercoaster.

  I can feel that Angel is about to come, and with a few more thrusts, my name escapes from his lips and I feel him come inside me. His pace slows down and he collapses on top of me and kisses my neck.

  Rolling off me, his arm slides over my stomach. I turn to face him, and find him watching me.

  "You need to sleep," I tell him. Leaning closer, I kiss his lips softly, then make my way to the bathroom to clean up.

  I look over my shoulder as Angel settles in bed. I look at the man who has taken my heart and won’t do anything to break it.

  ***

  The cold sheet under my hand tells me that I've woke up to an empty bed again. Opening my eyes, I sit up to see if he's in the room. Angel's sitting on a small chair looking out the window. Smoke from his cigarette escapes his mouth.

  I grab Angel's shirt off the floor and make my way over to him. He looks up, and his beautiful blue eyes smile at me. Angel moves his arm so I can sit on his leg. My arms wrap around his neck and my fingers move along the bottom of his hair.

  “What are you thinking about?” I ask him as he takes in another drag of his cigarette.

  Angel leans his head back, and the smoke exhales through his nose. His gaze locks with mine. “We’re about to start a war with a family that is after Elijah’s blood, and the only person I can think about is you.” His hand moves to my lower back and I lean in closer to give him a kiss. “I thought having you in my life would be a distraction, but I don’t think that’s true anymore. You are the reason that I want to win.”

  "And I'm going to stand next to you until you do win." I lick my lips as I watch Angel just watching me. "You stand by the man that you love, and I love you, Angel."

  This man looks at me like I’m the only person in the world. He would do anything in the world to protect me. When I see Angel, he is the only man I want to look at. I can feel him before he is even in sight. My body heats up the moment my gaze locks on him. I know this is the man I was meant to be with, and he has taken over my world. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  "Alice, you have no idea how much I love you." Angel pulls me closer to him, and his kiss takes over my mouth, his tongue teasing mine.

  Oh, the things this man does to me.

  Angel pulls away from me and looks behind him at the dresser. "I think someone got a parcel today. Do you want to open it?" he asks me.

  I can't help but smile.

  “Yes.” I jump off him and grab the box.

  “So, what is in here? Craig said that you were not happy…”

  “Please, please, please, never leave him with me again. I’m not joking when I say he scares me,” I tell him as I make my way back over to him. Sitting back on his lap, I rip open the box.

  “What is in there?” Angel asks again.

  "Uncle Stuart always sends me a birthday gift, and before you start asking when it is, don't worry about it. It was a week before you got back to the club. We weren’t together then." I throw the tissue paper on the floor.

  “It’s a bit late…”

  “No, it’s right on time. Uncle Stuart never sends a gift on my birthday because the Midlands are always watching him. He sends my gift a few months after my birthday and gets it delivered from one place to the other so the Midlands can’t track it.”

  I pull out the small box and envelope.

  “They do make sure they protect you then,” Angel says, but I barely hear him. Everything around me stops as I stare at the gift.

  I stare at the necklace in shock. I remember my dad getting this as a Mother’s Day gift. I smile as I gently place it back in the box. I rip open the envelope and look at the check. Uncle Stuart has sent me a check for thirty thousand pounds.

  Dear Alice,

  Happy birthday. I hope this year gives you everything that you want.

  Your father had a lot of things ready, just in case anything happened to him. He knew what family he worked for, and he never knew what would happen, so he already had things planned out.

  I’ve had this money for a long time, but I think it is time you should have it.

  One day, you will be able to walk around without looking over your shoulder, and when that day comes, I want you to be able to have the world. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve it.

  I remember the day your mother called me and told me about the Mother’s Day gift. She always wanted something that had meaning to it, and this was the perfect gift. One day, I will be able to give you everything they left, and you will be able to see what she loved.

  Love you so much,

  Uncle Stuart.

  I stare at the letter a little longer. I know my dad had a lot of things planned ready. I already got the money to buy my apartment, but I didn't think that there was any money left. Angel takes the letter from my hands as I look at my mother’s necklace again.

  “Happy birthday, Alice.” Angel pulls me in closer and gives my neck a kiss.

  “Thank you. When is your birthday?” I ask him.

  "A while away yet. I'm sure someone will mention it to you," he says, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Shall we get back in bed?"

  I can’t help but laugh. “You mean, I go back to sleep, and you stay awake?”

  "As long as you're close to me, I will always be fine." Angel lifts me off his lap and pulls me over to the bed. "You are my sleep."

  I cuddle up next to him, wrapping my arm over his chest, and just listen to the soothing sound of his heartbeat as I slowly drift off to sleep.

  Chapter 24

  Angel

  I sit back in my chair as I listen to Max telling us about what our men in high places are saying. I told Max to let them know that William will be dying this week, and they need to make all this disappear without me going back to prison.

  “George said nothing is being done. The guards aren't talking, and there’s nothing else linking you to it. They are making sure the family name is out of everything to do with them.” Max looks at us all, and I look over at Elijah. He was the most worried that this would get me sent back to prison.

  “So as far as this is all concerned, nothing to worry about. That being said, George says there are talks about the Frost family starting an illegal gambling ring, and he…”

  Max stops as we all start laughing.

  “We all know we are not starting gambling, but it actually doesn’t seem like a bad idea,” my dad says.

  Gambling and drugs have never been our interest. Guns and fighting are what we do. It’s all we need to do. Underground fighting brings in enough money to make sure our grandkids are set for life, and we've built a name no one wants to mess with. Why add more crap to the plate if we don't need to.

  "I will make sure they understand that nothing like that is being done," Max says.

  We all turn to the door when Vinny walks in. I've seen enough men with that look on his face. The look of worry.

  Vinny walks over to me. “Ben needs to talk to you,” he says quietly, but the family still hears.

  "Does Alice know?" I ask as I give Max a nod as he gets up to leave the room.

  "No. Ben doesn't want her to know," Vinny says. I put my hand out for him to give me his phone, but he shakes his head. "Face to face, same hotel, at three a.m."

  I look up at him and think. What is so important that he needs to talk to me at three in the fucking morning? I don’t like having to wait until then. It’s going to drive me crazy.

  “Do they know she is here?” I ask him. I look over at Pike standing by the window. He’s watching her since Vinny is in here.

  “It’s about the Young Family, and…” Vinny clears his throat. “Ben said word’s gone around that you have a girl. We all know…”

  Vinny stops as I get up from the chair and walk over to the window. There is no way I will let her out of my sight now. We all know exactly what they mean. Every fucker will be trying to find out who my girl is, and they will try to get to her in order to get to me.

  "I think it's time she stops working," Elijah says.

  I turn to face him as he walks over to me.

  "Whatever we do, whoever we talk to, people always want to talk to you. You’ve become the front man for the family, same as grandad. And for that, you are always going to be target number one. To hit the target, they only need to get your heart," Elijah says as he points to Alice.

  I rub my forehead and let his words settle. He’s right. Alice is my heart. If they hurt her in any way, they’ll kill me with a snap of a finger.

  “If you stop her working, she will hate it,” Vinny says.

  I know he’s right, but what else am I meant to do right now?

  “She does not leave your sight. Tell Ben I will be there. Warn him that Pike will be with me,” I tell Vinny.

  If something were to happen to me, I need Pike to know what the hell is going on. Vinny gives me a nod and leaves my office.

  I look at Alice dancing behind the bar with Drew. She looks up for a moment and gives me a smile.

  “Angel.”

  “Yeah,” I answer Craig without looking over at him. I watch Alice laughing behind the bar, not a care in the world. I hate that her world is about to become a lot worse for being with me.

  “William is sitting in the corner of the room crying. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time.” Craig starts laughing, and my lips curl up into a smile, knowing that tonight he will be feeling pain like never before.

  I turn to Pike. “You’re coming with me to meet Ben. Double check all my security at home, and Vinny’s,” I command.

  Before I make any big movements to hide Alice, I need to know what Ben knows. Tonight, she will go home to Vinny’s house and stay there. I have no idea how long I will be gone, and I don’t know how many families are now watching me.

  Leaving the office with my family behind me, we make our way down to the basement. Tonight, William will die. It’s just a question of how long it will take.

  I walk into the room and see William curled up in a ball as sex noises play from the speaker. I told Craig to change the music that played in here every two hours. I look over at him and smile.

  “Thought he was missing the sound of his wife,” Craig says.

  “That’s his wife?” Warren asks.

  I look over at William starting to sit up.

  "Who the fuck knows. I just thought he would like to know what it sounds like to fuck a woman." Craig walks over to him and stands him up.

  My hands move to my pockets. William looks at me, his eyes barely staying open. He opens his mouth, but no words come out.

  "You haven't lasted long. I'm sure you left me a lot longer than this," I say as I walk over to him. "Did you really think I wasn't going to make you pay?" I ask him as I stand right in his face. "You know, I haven't even told my family some of the things you did to me. I think, today, you can tell them a few things." I turn around and see my dad, Elijah, Warren, and Pike watching me. They have questions, questions I don't want to answer. At the same time, I know they want to know.

  I wait a moment before saying, “I don’t hear anything. Today everyone will learn the one thing I know they want to know. What happened to my tattoo…?”

  “No!” William shouts. That’s got his attention.

  My family looks me at, knowing what I’m about to do.

  "That one day, you broke me, and I promised myself you were going to feel the same pain I felt." I turn back around to face William and the fear in his eyes makes is satisfying to see.

  I give Craig a nod, letting him know where to take him. “Fifteen minutes,” I say as he drags William out kicking and trying hard to fight his way out of Craig’s arms.

  “Where are you taking him?” Elijah asks.

  “The freezer.” I take in a deep breath, remembering how I felt after only five minutes in that thing.

  “Angel…”

 

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