Page 22 of Coty

“Mom’s helping at the Haven House tonight. I’ll be between there and your house,” Jay says.

Mack looks up at Worley. They have a silent conversation for a moment. They’ve been best friends practically from birth, like Jack and me. We’ve seen them do this hundreds of times. Still, it creeps me out. Worley gives a firm nod and takes a step back.

Mack meets Jack’s eyes again. “Nina Lowe has decided to stay in Willow Creek and remain the Haven House mother. She doesn’t want to be separated from her family again. You need to tell Lily she’s here.”

Jack leans forward. “Is that a good idea? Her ex still hasn’t been caught.”

Nina is one of the first angels the Vikings rescued. Her abusive ex went into hiding before the cops or we could find him. He disappeared just as we had helped Nina do for twelve years.

“Good or not, she’s refusing to leave. If we don’t protect her, she’ll find a place in town, and that’s worse.” Jay looks from Jack to his uncle. “And that’s not all.” Mack nods for him to continue. “Mom told me a few minutes ago that Mia Holt decided to stay in Willow Creek, too.”

Nick flips open a notebook on the desk and jots down the information. “I’ll work on getting both ladies and Miss Holt’s son new IDs.”

“There’s not much more we can do tonight, and I need to get back to my family.” Mack stands. “Nick, you and your brother’s team keep monitoring the internet. Do what you can. We’ll handle the fallout later. Get those IDs asap.”

“I’m on it, Prez.” Nick’s gaze snaps back to his computer. His fingers move rapidly over the keyboard.

“Rodeo.” Mack clamps a hand on my shoulder. “You, Hendrix, and Bankz make sure everyone gets home safe. Ember and Mary are at my house tonight.”

“Will do, Prez.” I figured my sisters would stay with Maci and Everly tonight.

Hendrix and Bankz nod, accepting their assignment. They leave to make rounds around the Den. No one will act up tonight. This day weakens the entire club. With Hendrix around, they’d think twice about acting up on a regular day. The three of us will escort the families home in case there’s trouble. It’s doubtful anyone from the church would do anything. With all the news footage and social media posts, our enemies might. It’s best not to take chances tonight.

“Worley’s in charge tonight.” Mack leaves through the side door we use for the angels. Jay follows him.

Jack walks with me to the Den. I don’t push him to speak. I let him look around the room until he’s satisfied that things are okay. Well, as okay as they can be. The tables have the same candles and flowers as the church. Pictures of Ariel, some when she was a kid and some with Logan and Everly, sit on each table. Memories that pull on all of us, especially Jack’s family. I wish I could take away his pain.

After another long moment, Jack takes a shaky breath. “Kayla was going to stay with us tonight. Since we’re at my parents’ now, see if she and Emily will stay together tonight. Put a guard on them.”

“Don’t worry. I got this, “ I assure him. “You go take care of your family.”

My friend disappears down the hall, back to the side exit. He needn’t worry, I’ll gladly help Worley watch over the club tonight. I glance toward the bar, to Kayla. Her eyes meet mine. There’s no reason for either of us to smile, not that she smiles at me often anymore. No guards have to be assigned to her and Emily tonight. That position is mine.

Chapter 11

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Kayla

“You want coffee, tea, beer, or something stronger?” Emily tosses her purse in a chair and goes straight to the kitchen.

I could go for something stronger. Maybe a whole case of it. This day is bad enough as it is. What happened at the church tonight was horrifying. I stopped looking at my social media accounts hours ago. Getting plastered won’t help. I’m actually surprised she has something stronger.

“Beer or coffee is fine with me.” I set my overnight bag on the floor next to the couch. She and I have one-bedroom apartments. Her couch is comfy, mine isn’t.

“We can have both.” She grabs a couple of beers from the fridge. Sure enough, a bottle of whiskey sits on the counter. Whoa. Way to go Emily.

I take one of the beers and twist the top off. “Thanks for letting me stay here tonight.”

“Anytime, girl.” She takes a sip of hers. “We should do this more often. My lease ends in August. Might as well enjoy it while I can.”

“Wish my place was bigger. We could be roommates.” I haven’t had a roommate since college. It’s why I swore I’d never do it again. I’d make an exception for Emily, though.

“Same.” She taps her bottle against mine and takes another sip. “Oh.” She quickly pulls an envelope from one of the kitchen drawers. “Here you go.”

I flip the envelope over a few times. It’s a plain white sealed envelope with my name written on it. I open it and pull out a hundred-dollar bill. “What’s this?”

“It’s the hundred-dollar tip you slipped into my apron on New Year’s Eve.” She gets a fruit tray from the fridge and sets it on the table. “It’s nice of you, but the more I thought about it, I just couldn’t keep it.”

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