Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Angel rushed forward and stopped two steps up to glance at Vex. He understood she didn’t want to get too far from him. Vex quickly joined her and placed a hand on the small of her spine to reassure her. As they reached the top, the group shifted back. Vex smirked. Presenting a badass appearance was an art.
“Miss Daniels! We were so worried about you when we heard you’d been kidnapped. Are you okay?” a kindly-looking woman in an apron asked.
“Thanks to Vex, I’m good. I’m recovering more every day,” Angel assured them. She stepped forward to hug each person. Vex kept his eyes on them. He trusted no one.
“Um. Vex, is it?” a stuffy man in a suit asked.
“Yes. I’m Vex.” He confirmed with an upward nod.
The man held out his hand. “Thank you for saving, Angel. She’s a favorite of the staff.”
Vex hesitated before shaking the man’s hand. “Reynolds?” he guessed.
“You’re on the approved list now, sir.”
“Approved list, huh?” Vex contained his laugh of disbelief. What kind of world did these people live in? Angel settled at his side to slide her fingers between his.
“Thank you, Reynolds. Is Father in his office?”
“Of course. He was pleased to hear you’ve come home. I’ll get your room refreshed for you,” Reynolds said.
“No thank you, Reynolds. I’m staying with Vex. He keeps me safe,” Angel said before turning to Vex. “Shall we go see my father?”
“Lead on, Angel.”
Vex focused on his Little girl as she walked through a house decorated from the luxurious flooring under his feet to the ornate ceilings. He’d never been invited into any place like this. A snort escaped his nostrils at the thought of kicking back with a beer on the couches that didn’t look like anyone had ever sat on them.
Angel gave him a curious sidelong glance, and he smiled to reassure her as he kept from cataloguing the obviously pricey artwork scattered elegantly through the spaces they walked through. He didn’t want anyone to accuse him of casing the place. Vex knew hidden cameras tracked his every moment. His skin itched at the thought of growing up under such scrutiny, and he squeezed Angel’s hand.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
“Peachy,” he answered with a wink. As long as he was with her, he was fine. Her answering smile went straight to his heart.
“In here,” she told him as she turned into a vast room lined with dark wood paneling and more books than some libraries had. “Father!”
A distinguished man with gray hair stood up from behind an enormous desk. He circled the piece of furniture without haste and met his daughter in front of it. Angel’s father held her away for a long moment to scan her before pulling her close in a brief hug.
As he stepped back, Mr. Daniels announced, “You’re thinner, but you appear to be fine. I guess I didn’t have much to worry about. Thank goodness I didn’t pay their outrageous ransom.”
Vex didn’t hesitate as his hot temper flared to an inferno level. He stepped forward to steer Angel out of the way before he swung an angry fist to bust her father’s nose.
Chapter 9
Vex lounged on a leather couch with Angel pressed to his side as the staff scurried to call the doctor, clean the blood from the carpet, and bring ice for their employer. He didn’t regret a second of Mr. Daniels’s discomfort.
“Vex! You shouldn’t have….”
He interrupted his Little girl. “When he’s back on his feet, I’ll hit him again.”
“Vex!”
“I should call the cops, you… biker!” Mr. Daniels threatened.
“Go for it. They’ll take me away, and my club will come to collect Angel and keep her safe. You’re not going to fucking protect her,” Vex told him bluntly.
“Father, you really don’t know what happened. The Ravagers were…. That motorcycle club isn’t like Vex’s. They’re animals. No one should be abused like they treated me. Why didn’t you pay the ransom?”
“It’s important to never bend to the demands of criminals, Angel. Once I paid them, that would have endangered you again and again,” Mr. Daniels explained as if he were talking to a mentally slow child.
“So, you left your daughter with the dregs of society where they tortured her worse than a prisoner of war. Degradation, sensory deprivation, starvation, and physical violence. Does that sound like a spa trip to you?”
“Now, wait a minute. Angel doesn’t look like any of that happened,” her father blustered.
Vex stood, ready to break another body part of her unfeeling father. The bastard hadn’t learned his lesson. Angel grabbed his arm and darted in front of him to block his path.
“Father….” Angel protested, shaking her head. Turning, she met Vex’s gaze, unsure how to respond.
“You can’t rewrite history, old man, to make yourself feel better. Angel, do you have anything else to say to your father?” Vex snarled over her shoulder. He was done.