Page 76 of Angel

“Yup,” Angel said proudly.

“You know what would really help me out?” Pumpkin asked tentatively.

“What’s that?”

“If we could get down to the cellar and you’d let me have a turn at Moore. Work out some of this frustration, you know.”

Angel smiled mischievously at him. “I’ll let you. As long as you make him bleed.”

“For what he did to Bree? Man’s got a lot of pain coming his way.” Then Pumpkin’s face fell. “We can’t get down to the cellar with the clubhouse so busy.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely a downfall of the design.”

“Get your man to build us a second secret entrance,” Pumpkin told her.

Angel rolled her eyes at him. “Meet me here at midnight. I’ll let you have a go at him.”

Pumpkin threw his arm around her shoulder and hugged her tight. “Thanks, Angel. You’re the best.”

Together they walked back out into the main room. Harper and the kids had brought the puppies out to the main room. Bree and Aaron were sitting next to each other with a puppy between them. Scotty was putting a puppy on Spot’s back for a “pony ride” while Carter sat with his legs crossed next to him. Carter was muttering to himself again while counting something on the floor. Possibly the wood planks? Pirate sat at the bar nursing a beer with the last puppy tucked in a football hold under his arm. A woman whom Angel assumed to be Carter’s mother was now sitting on the couch behind them and one of the other applicants was absent.

Cage was standing near the entry doors to the clubhouse with Bones. As soon as he saw Angel enter, he smiled. When he saw Pumpkin’s arm around her shoulders, his eyes narrowed. “Get your hands off my woman!” he called loudly.

Pumpkin just grinned widely and pulled Angel back against him. He dipped her down low like they were in a theatrical production and kissed her cheek. Then he stood her back up—and ran!

Angel wasn’t the only one laughing as Cage chased after his club brother.

CHAPTER 13

King had finally been spotted. While Fang still seemed to be in the wind, Keys had a surveillance photo of King in Atlantic City. That was Black Python territory. Bulldog and Ghost were putting together an extraction team to go get him.

Ghost wanted a two-man team to grab him. In, out, and the AC Pythons would never know the Via Daemonia had been there.

Bulldog was arguing a three-man team for extra protection.

Neither Angel nor Cage were officers and so they were not privy to the discussion or final decision. However, Keys was as he was trying to get into the Atlantic City traffic cameras and police scanners. Apparently, he had a friend or acquaintance in that area who was lending him a data point. Knowing how much Cage wanted King, Keys might have accidentally left an open com on that just happened to make its way into Cage’s earpiece.

He was listening intently as he watched Angel dish out her daily punishment to Nathan Moore.

Sam was no longer in the cellar. Keys had placed a tracking anklet on the kid and Bulldog had put him in the prospects’ care. He had to be in one of their sights at all times. He was also to be put to work from dawn until dusk. Bulldog did not care if the prospects handed him a shovel and made him dig holes all day long for no reason whatsoever. If a patched member caught Sam doing anything other than work, there would be hell to pay.

The kid had three more weeks before he was getting shipped off to boot camp. The VDMC was holding its breath as to whether the Marine Corp could make a respectable man out of him. Steel, who had retired a Master Sergeant, and Mitch, who had been a POW Master Gunnery Sergeant, both had contacts at Parris Island training camp who had agreed to pay “special” attention to Sam.

Cage did not feel bad for the kid in the slightest. In fact, he was getting off too easy in Cage’s opinion. Angel wanted to believe that Sam could redeem himself, but Cage wasn’t as optimistic as her.

Things at home were cramped but going well. Cage’s lawyer believed the judge would rule in Cage’s favor since it was what Aaron had expressed his wishes were. Veronica was not forbidden to speak with Aaron, but she had made no efforts to since their last court appearance. Cage knew this hurt Aaron, who still insisted that Veronica was a good mom.

Cage and Aaron had a weekend project ahead of them. After school on Friday, Cage was taking Aaron to the construction yard to help Cage load up supplies. They were turning the coat closet in the hallway into a half bath. Aaron would still need to shower in Bree’s bathroom, but adding the additional toilet was becoming necessary in the household. The tattoo shop wasn’t the only place Bree or Aaron had caught Cage and Angel in a compromising position.

Moore let out a pitiful groan as Angel pulled the second fingernail out of his right hand. She’d already done the left the day before. Cage had brought down a wooden chair and then used his nail gun to secure Moore’s four limbs to the seat to give Angel easier access. He didn’t like the idea of her having to climb onto a stool or step ladder to try and reach Moore’s hands.

Bear was not going to be happy when he came down to treat Moore. The man was being fed intravenously by TPN, or total parenteral nutrition, and was being given a shit ton of antibiotics.

Between Moore and Cheryl, Bear and Tessa certainly had their hands full. Tessa did not know about Moore but knew something else was going on based on the supplies Bear continuously took from their medical stores. She was smart enough not to ask questions.

Whatever Angel had said to Pumpkin the other day had helped the man come to terms with his upcoming fatherhood. He wasn’t looking for a house or anything just yet, but he was inquiring with Steel about taking out the wall between his apartment and the vacant apartment next to his to make a double apartment once his son started to grow.

The ol’ ladies were working on a surprise baby shower for Pumpkin. They knew enough to know that one of the Honeys had come forward with a pregnancy and that a paternity test had been done. Not even Jenna knew that Cheryl was currently a prisoner on death row in one of the apartments on property.

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