Page 96 of Beautiful Scars

Eddie confirms the same from his position by the back entrance. "Loading dock secure. No unusual activity."

Angel drifts back toward Levi, and I watch him lean in to whisper something that makes her smile. She runs her fingers through his hair, and then trails them down his arm. He cups her cheek in his hand and kisses her forehead before she disappears behind the bar again.

She smiles at him over her shoulder. It's genuine—not the practiced one she gives customers. The sight stirs something I can't let myself get distracted by right now.

"Anything unusual on the cameras?" I ask Chase, needing the distraction.

"Nothing yet, boss. Seems pretty normal. Though that guy at table seven keeps checking his phone."

I spot the man Chase mentions. Mid-fifties, expensive watch, nervous energy. I make note but don't signal the others. We can't jump at every shadow. We have to remember, we might be in this for the long haul. There are no guarantees Garrett will show up tonight. Or any night.

I take another sip of club soda, ice clinking against my teeth. Everything is in position. We've planned for every contingency we could think of. We know that we've made Sunny as safe as she can be. There's no way Garrett would be dumb enough to try anything inside. But watching Angel move between Levi and me, seeing how naturally she fits in this space while staying alert for danger, I can't help but wonder if we've missed something obvious. Garrett's had years to study her routine, her habits. He's patient, calculating. The kind of man who waits for the perfect moment.

"You're thinking too loud," Jade says as she passes behind me with a tray of drinks. She's right. I need to focus on the job, not on the way Angel's eyes keep finding both Levi and me across the bar. Not on how vulnerable we've made her.

It's going to be a long night. Every minute that passes ratchets up the tension another notch. Angel serves drinks, laughs at jokes, plays her part perfectly. Levi watches her like a man dying of thirst. I monitor every movement, every shadow, trying to predict where the strike will come from.

All we can do now is wait. And hope that when Garrett makes his move, we're ready. Because if we're not—if we've miscalculated even slightly—I'll never forgive myself for putting her in harm's way. None of us will.

Chapter Forty-Four

Sunny

Ihavetopee.The bass thrumming and vibrating up through the floor, isn't helping. I've been holding it for the last hour, but I'm getting kind of desperate. No one told me the plan for this.

On top of that, something feels off tonight. The energy is wrong, like the air before a storm. I keep trying to tell myself it's nerves, but it doesn't feel like that. At all.

"I need a quick break," I finally tell Levi, trying to keep my voice casual as I wipe down the bar for the hundredth time. His eyes narrow immediately. "The bathroom."

"I'll come with you." He's already standing, that muscle in his jaw ticking.

"To the bathroom?" I arch an eyebrow at him, channeling Angel's confidence even as my bladder screams at me. "Really? I'm a big girl you know."

Z appears beside Levi, his presence solid and reassuring. "She needs to maintain normalcy. A bouncer escort to the bathroom isn't normal."

"The dressing room bathroom," Levi argues. "Not the main one. And I'll wait outside. No big deal."

I want to argue more, but honestly, I just need to pee. And something about tonight makes me willing to compromise. "Fine. But you're being ridiculous."

Levi's hand slides over my shoulder and down my arm. It's a touch that anyone watching wouldn't be able to miss. "Humor me, Angel."

The walk to the dressing room feels longer than usual with Levi trailing behind me. Every instinct I've developed over the years of being Angel prickles at having someone follow me, even if I know them. Even if I know why.

"Five minutes, tops," I tell him at the dressing room door. "I promise."

He nods, but I can see the tension in his jaw. "Five minutes."

"Hey, it's going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. We got this." Thankfully the words come out sounding more confident than I feel at the moment.

He looks at me, trying to believe what I just said. I stand up on my toes and place a kiss on his cheek, smiling at his shocked look when I pull back. "Really."

The dressing room is empty when I get inside. It’s late enough that everyone is either on stage or working the floor. The silence feels heavy after the throbbing bass of the club. I hurry to the back where the stalls are, relieved to finally have a moment alone.

Just a normal bathroom break, I tell myself. Just a normal night.

Now, if only I can convince myself to believe it.

Levi

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