Page 29 of Angels & Whiskey

Jackson thought for a moment. “I wasn’t looking at her arms.”

“Well, she had them on both arms. Looks like someone grabbed her really hard.”

“Damn,” he exhaled.

“Look up directions on your phone for Club 24,” I said, putting my Yukon in reverse.

“We’re doing that now? I don’t think—”

“Yeah, we’re doing it now.Shegoes there and I want to see her again.”

He smiled a big toothy smile. “You got it, Captain.”

We found our way to Club 24, Jackson bitching the entire way that he was hungry. I was hungry too, but the coffee could tide me over until after we signed up for the gym. It wasn’t as if we were going to actually workout today. We had a long list of shit to do and work tonight.

“Jesus Christ, it’s like a compound,” Jackson said as he looked around the massive space we’d just entered. “I guess they really do have everything.”

“Hi, can I help you?” a woman behind the front desk asked.

“We’re here to see about a membership. We were referred by …” I turned to Jackson. “We didn’t get her name.”

“Shit,” he groaned.

I turned back to the staffer. “Do you have an incentive program, Cassie?” I asked because if they did, I’d find the brunette angel and get her name. It was another reason to talk to her.

“We do,” she confirmed. “If you sign up for a year, the person who referred you will get a hundred dollar gift certificate to use at our facility.”

“Well, we gotta wait,” I advised Jackson as I turned to him. “It’s another reason—”

“Welcome back, Mrs. Jones.”

I watched as the brunette angel put on a fake smile as she spoke. I motioned for Jackson to get her name, figuring it would be more awkward for me to ask her since I didn’t speak to her at Starbucks. Fuck—I was creepy.

“Ms. Jones,” Jackson said, reaching out with his hand to wave her down. “We forgot to get your name at Starbucks. It’s good you came by because they do have an incentive program here.”

She smiled as she spoke. Still not the one I wanted to see again. “Awesome, but really, it’s not needed.”

“Nonsense. You’ll get one-hundred dollar gift certificates for each of us.”

“It’s true,” Cassie confirmed. “As long as they sign a year contract.”

“We are.” I blurted. “Miss?”

“Autumn. My name’s Autumn.”

“Autumn referred us.” I turned back to Cassie.

“I’m sorry, but I really need to get to my appointment. Can you do everything without me to get them signed up?” Autumn asked.

“Of course,” Cassie confirmed.

“Start with Paul. I’m going to walk Autumn to her appointment.” I stepped away from the desk and toward Autumn.

“You are?” she asked, her beautiful, big eyes widening. I stared at them, trying to figure out the color. They weren’t brown. They weren’t blue. They weren’t green. They were a mixture of all three.They were beautiful.

“Yes, ma’am, after you.” I motioned for her to start walking, but she hesitated.

I asked her about her bruises. She lied. Most abused women did. I wasn’t going to push her. If her husband wasn’t helping her, then he was the culprit and I had every intention of finding out. I didn’t know why, but I was drawn to her. I wanted to know everything about her. She didn’t smell like warm vanilla sugar today, and that was okay. I wasn’t attracted to her because I thought she could mask my pain. I was attracted to her because she was the first woman to make me feel since Alyssa.