Graham, Jan - Finding Angel [Wylde Shore] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (58 page)

“Are you, Christian, and I okay?” he whispered in her ear.

“I expect we’re all tired and feel like shit, but from my point of view, I still love the two of you and don’t want to lose you because of all that’s going on,” Angel said in return.

“Well, then all is good.” Daniel smiled. He glanced over at Christian, who had exited the bathroom and was now lying back down onto the bed.

“Now this looks like something I’d like to join in on,” he stated as he flopped down next to her and laid a kiss on her cheek. Angel saw Christian’s hand slip under the sheet and felt it start to roam over her stomach and up toward her breast. His hand cupped her breast, and he smiled.

“The only sex on offer this morning is starfish sex,” Angel stated.

“Well, at least sex is still on offer.” Christian laughed.

“What exactly is starfish sex?” Daniel gave Angel a questioning look.

“Well, I lay here with my arms and legs spread out like a starfish, and you lie on top and do all the work.” Angel grinned.

“Sounds too exciting for me.” Christian chuckled. “Besides, I used all my energy just taking a shower and finding your breast under the sheet. I’m done, baby.”

Angel decided to go and make coffee. She needed to get out of bed before she determined to hide under the covers all day. Daniel and Christian followed, close on her heels. Angel looked at the layers of paper that were strewn over the dining table. On top of the papers at one end of the table was a large sketch pad with diagrams, arrows, writing which she couldn’t understand, and strange little doodles of what appeared to be happy faces and flowers.

Steve was in the kitchen making bacon, eggs, hash browns, sausages, toast, and one god-awful mess for breakfast.

“And the happy trio awakes.” Steve’s voice boomed toward them. “Get a plate and grab some food. Coffee is ready to go, and I’ll clean up this mess so we can use the table.” He ushered the three of them toward the food and began cleaning the mess so they could sit down.

“Where did all this food come from?” Christian asked as he began to pile his plate.

“I went to the supermarket. And by the way, Angel, both Meg and Barry are ecstatic that we’ve been reunited,” Steve chirped happily.

“Oh goodie.” Angel’s response lacked Steve’s enthusiasm. She put some food on her plate and grabbed a coffee. Steve grabbed some food and a coffee and joined everyone at the table. His upbeat mood was a bit off putting, especially considering Angel felt so drained. She thought he was way too bright for everything that had happened last night. He reminded her of a Wiggle on speed, minus the coloured skivvy, of course.

“I have some updates from the major players,” Steve announced. “Trevor sent a text asking what was happening with the deal. I replied negotiations still ongoing.”

“Cool,” Christian responded.

“And Angel got a text from Adrian asking if she would answer the phone if he rang. My reply on your behalf, Angel, was no.”

“Thank you, that’s exactly what I would have said,” Angel replied with a smile.

“After breakfast I have a proposal for you all to listen to and then consider.” Steve seemed pleased with his announcement. “But we eat first.”

Angel, Christian, and Daniel paused to look at Steve in wonder. Steve didn’t seem to notice. He started to chat about how friendly everyone was down at the mall and how quiet the area was compared to the city. Eventually Angel stopped listening and relegated the conversation to background noise. Angel lost her appetite as soon as she realised a proposal obviously meant another conversation about her current dilemma. All three men went back for seconds. How the hell they weren’t all as fat as fools amazed her. If she ate as much as the three of them did, she wouldn’t fit through the door. Once the breakfast cleanup was finished, the four of them retired to the comfort of the living room to listen to Steve’s proposal.

“I’ve been up for a few hours, and I think I may have a proposal that will suit everyone. Hopefully it will achieve our ultimate goal of making sure Angel is no longer in danger. I’ve taken into account everything I can remember being said last night, and I’m confident we will all be happy with the result.”

Steve continued to talk for what seemed like hours. He outlined each point and the rationale behind his thoughts. Christian and Daniel asked a few questions along the way, and Steve seemed to satisfactorily answer each issue raised. Angel sat quietly, amazed that Steve could quote, virtually word for word, what everyone had said the night before. He not only quoted what was said but also stated what hadn’t been said. He had read between the lines on some of the things Angel had not voiced for fear of being cut down. He amazed her. By the time Steve had finished talking, they had a plan that appeared to be quite possibly the best solution to all their needs. Though, as Steve had said during his talk, the plan still was not without its risks, especially for her.

“That might work,” Daniel stated after Steve finished.

“It limits some of the risk to Angel and leaves her free from future repercussions should Hastings go to trial. On the surface everyone would get what they want,” Christian agreed.

“What do you think, Angel?” Steve asked.

“I need a minute to think about it,” Angel replied nervously.

Angel walked to the kitchen to make another peppermint tea and to put the coffee machine on. She ran through Steve’s plan in her mind.

Angel would agree to give Adrian the ledger in person, but would agree only to meet at her home, stating that she needed to pack her belongings to make her move away from the area permanently.

Trevor would need to convince the current team, including the spy, that Angel had been found without disclosing her location. He would also advise the unit that, given Angel did not have the ledger the police sought and after reviewing tapes and past interviews with her, he believed she was of no further use to the investigation. This information would add weight to Angel’s declaration to Adrian that she was not working with the police.

Surveillance was still in place at the house Angel rented, and currently some of Adrian’s men were waiting at the home in the event Angel returned. Steve surmised that if Adrian was genuine about lifting the bounty, those men would disappear within the next day or so, leaving the house empty.

During the rendezvous with Adrian, if a problem looked like it was developing, then some of Christian’s team would arrive at the house, along with a removal truck, and start removing furniture from the house. This would protect Angel and add legitimacy to her claim she was indeed moving.

Adrian would leave the meeting with the ledger. He would be followed by police, thereby identifying where the ledger was ultimately being stored. Warrants would be executed by the police, and the ledger, now in Adrian’s possession, would be found.

“I like it,” Angel finally stated. “I think it could work, but if it goes wrong, Adrian will be pissed.”

“Then we make sure it doesn’t go wrong.” Steve smiled.

The rest of the morning was occupied with laying the groundwork for Christian and Steve to bring Trevor online with “the setup,” as Steve had so aptly named the operation.

Daniel rang around to find a removalist van that was available for hire, and the date of the setup was ready to take place the following Tuesday. Steve and Christian approved of the time frame. It gave them just under a week to put everything in place. They needed to get Trevor to agree to the setup and pass on the relevant information to Adrian via the drug squad spy. Christian would have enough time to sort out who would form the backup team, and there would be long enough for them to see behavioural evidence in the Hastings camp if Adrian had actually lifted the bounty.

Christian and Steve needed to assure Trevor that Angel wasn’t able to testify to anything regarding Hastings, except that she had given him the ledger. The two of them spent quite a few hours questioning Angel. They asked questions in relation to Barnard’s activities, discussions she had with anyone in regard to Hastings, anything she had overheard others discuss regarding the organisation. More importantly, they discussed what had occurred the times she had actually been face-to-face with Adrian, including the night she slept with him. The questions were very tiring and in some cases quite uncomfortable for Angel to answer. She was pleased that Christian seemed to make sure he kept his own emotions in check, especially when they were talking about the night Adrian had fucked her.

Steve decided he needed to get a better picture of what might be going on in relation to the strange relationship Angel and Adrian had developed. In all his dealings with Hastings, he had encountered a man that was harsh, angry, a man that had violence in his eyes, and certainly a man no one took lightly. Adrian Hastings epitomised the worst of organised crime. Hastings bought whatever he needed, alibis, evidence, judges, cops, anything to make his organisation survive. And if he couldn’t buy what he wanted, then he destroyed whatever threatened him. He ordered deaths like he was ordering a pizza, he ruled with an iron fist, and even those close to him feared his wrath. Steve knew that was not the Adrian that Angel talked about.

Angel admitted she was scared of Adrian, that she knew he was an unpredictable man, but still, she didn’t hesitate to say things that no one else would even consider uttering. As she relayed conversations between the two of them, Steve had to hide his amusement. Angel had told Adrian not to be cruel, told him he had too many weapons, explained that people who had lost loved ones needed to have closure, and that she felt disgusted after having sex with him. Yet Hastings had laughed at her, accepted the criticism she levelled at him, and had supposedly decided he would let her live because he had made an error ordering the hit on her. Steve thought back to the recording of the night that Adrian and Angel had been intimate. Adrian’s tone had been firm, but not harsh. At times he had seemed jovial as he interacted with her. Adrian had sounded regretful when he spoke about her time spent with Samuel. The Adrian Hastings that interacted with Angel was a very different man than the one he knew because for some reason, unbeknown to any of them, Adrian Hastings cared for Angel.

Steve wasn’t surprised when Daniel, who so far had been the constant supplier of coffee and water throughout the interview, finally put a halt to proceedings around one in the afternoon. Steve had to agree with him, they all needed to eat, and Angel needed to have a rest. When they had finished eating, Daniel escorted Angel into the bedroom to have a rest before returning to the dining area to sort out Steve and Christian.

“You both need a break as well. We won’t be able to effectively implement this plan if we’re all too tired to function.” Daniel stood shaking his head as Steve and Christian continued to plan. Steve watched as Daniel opened the fridge and a few cupboards.

“We need supplies. Why don’t you both go for a drive and get some?” Daniel suggested.

Steve nearly laughed, it seemed Christian and he hadn’t been the only one to do planning in the preceding minutes. Daniel had obviously decided if he couldn’t stop the men from talking about the setup, he might at least be able to give them a change of scenery.

“I guess we could.” Christian stood up from the table. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ve got a few hours’ work to do, and then I might go and join Angel for a sleep.” Daniel winked at Christian, before turning his gaze to Steve, who knew Daniel had no intention of sleeping.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Angel stirred slightly from her sleep to the soft touch of lips gently sucking on her naked breast. Moisture began to pool between her legs as a hand cupped her other breast and fingers started roaming seductively over her nipple. Angel entwined her fingers in the head of dark hair feasting at her chest and let out a soft moan.