Salvation (Angels Halo MC Next Gen 1)

“Why do you want them gone so bad?” I asked, curious enough about his motives to see through the red haze covering my eyes and hold off killing him for the moment.

“If I were you, I would be worried about yourself and want them gone too. Sheriff Bates, who was sheriff before Hogan, disappeared under mysterious circumstances and was never seen or heard from again. The last time his neighbors saw him, Raven Reid was breaking in to his house, and then she and Sebastian Reid put him in their car and drove him away. Hogan was untouchable to them because he was buddies with Jenkins. But, you? You’re dicking around with the MC president’s only daughter. Pretty sure that puts you at the top of their hit list.”

Standing, Campbell smirked. “Wouldn’t want you to disappear on us, boy. The citizens of this county like you, and your grandparents would be beside themselves with grief and worry. You’re their last remaining family, from what I hear.”

As the door shut behind him, I heard him laugh, and I picked up my chair, ready to throw it. But before I could toss it, the door opened and in walked the mayor, a thunderous look on his weathered face.

Once he took note of the look on my face, some of his own anger subsided, and he shut and locked the door before walking across to take the same chair Campbell had just vacated.

“Put the office furniture down, son. No need in destroying the place. The bastard is gone.” Crossing his legs, he leaned back in the chair, seeming to get comfortable as I slowly placed my own chair back on the floor and dropped down into it.

Scrubbing my hands over my face, I swallowed the bellow that was trapped in my throat but I refused to release.

“Why did I get a call at the ass-crack of dawn telling me to keep my sheriff away from Bash Reid’s daughter?” he demanded after a pause, giving me a little extra time to calm down.

I snapped my head up. “Who was the caller?”

“Bash Reid himself. We go way back, as I’m sure you know. I was the club’s defense attorney for decades. But he doesn’t come making demands of me at random. And believe me, this was very much a demand. Then, when I stopped for coffee at Aggie’s this morning, it was to walk into everyone talking about our beloved sheriff playing around with the MC’s princess.”

“Shit,” I groaned. Everyone talking of our potential relationship was only going to make Lexa that much more skittish.

“It seems there was a heated debate taking place on whether you were genuine in your pursuit of young Lexa or if you were scheming with Campbell to get as much dirt on the club as possible before arresting someone.” He nodded toward the closed door. “Then I walk into the station to find that slimy piece of donkey shit leaving your office. You can imagine what I was thinking until I walked in here and found you ready to destroy a considerably pricey desk chair.”

I didn’t care what he thought I was doing. I was stuck on the fact that some people actually thought I would use Lexa to get to her father. Bash Reid, or any other MC member, wasn’t even on the radar.

Ah fuck, did Lexa think I was using her?

Grabbing my phone off the desk where I’d tossed it, I called her. But there was no answer. Muttering curses, I shot her a text, only to have it kicked back, saying it was unable to be delivered.

“Goddamn it!” I threw the phone back on the desk. The thing was useless to me now because Lexa had blocked me.

I was starting to shake, could feel the rage taking over, and fuck if I knew how to control it.

With a roar, I swept my arms over the top of the desk, sending paperwork and my computer monitor crashing to the floor so hard that the sound of the monitor’s screen cracking echoed throughout the room.

“Hey, take it easy there, boy,” Jenkins said as he got nervously to his feet.

Jumping up, I grabbed my keys and nearly ripped the door off its hinges as I stormed out, hearing the mayor call after me.

Nothing he said right then mattered. I needed to get to Lexa and reassure her that I wasn’t using her.

I drove by her house just to see if she’d left for work yet, and her car was already gone. Hitting the gas, I headed for her father’s garage. My brakes screamed I slammed them so hard as I pulled up in front of the shop.

A dull buzzer sounded as I opened the door. Lexa was behind the counter, dressed in a black polo with the garage’s logo on the left breast and tan shorts, her hair down and covering the right side of her face as it always was. Five people stood around waiting to be dealt w

ith while she tended to the customer in front of her. But all eyes were on me, surprise and curiosity on every face except for Lexa’s.

Her face was set in angry lines, but it was the pain in her beautiful, glacier-blue eyes that nearly brought me to my knees.

“Baby—”

“I’m busy here, Sheriff,” she interrupted, her tone hard and icy. “If you need your vehicle worked on or to order a part, stand in line and wait your turn. I’ll be with you as soon as I can. Otherwise, please don’t loiter in the shop.”

“Oh, he can go ahead of me,” the guy at the counter said with a grin as he stepped back. “Wouldn’t want to risk the safety of the town if Sheriff Davis gets an emergency call.”

“You have such a kind soul, Higgins,” she said dryly.

“Anything for you, Lexa babe.” He scanned his eyes over her, and some of the haze that had started to lift at the sight of the only person to ever calm me returned. I looked the guy over, noticing he was Lexa’s age, maybe a little older. He looked at her like he wanted to devour her whole, and I stepped toward him menacingly.