Demon’s Little Lamb: Chapter 4

“Is there a problem, Azriel?”

That was a loaded question if ever there was one. Azriel glanced at the man they all knew as El Diablo. He was the president of an MC called Black Reign out of Lake Worth, Florida. He was also one of the world’s most successful assassins. While Azriel was more comfortable dealing with Bones and Alexei’s longtime friend Cain, Azriel liked keeping El Diablo close. He and Azriel had belonged to the same organization years earlier, and both men were still trying to feel each other out. It was possible El Diablo was trying to keep as low a profile as Azriel was, but there was always the possibility the assassin had been activated to kill Azriel. If so, he’d prefer to know where the other man was.

Enlisting his help had served both to track him and to establish a rapport with him. Alexei had been hesitant, at first, but it was Azriel who knew the Brotherhood best. If El Diablo was still actively working for them, Azriel would be able to tell. Hopefully before it was too late. He debated how much to tell El Diablo, but, in the end, making sure the man had all the information he could give him about the situation was the best choice.

“How sure are you the girl’s aware of what’s going on?”

El Diablo shrugged. “Hard to say. I’ve been focused more on Luxemberry. He’s the threat to your company. The girl is simply a naïve sideshow interested in a wealthy man.”

A surge of anger flooded Azriel he had to tamp down. Getting emotional with El Diablo would simply be seen as a sign of weakness. “But is she an innocent sideshow?”

Again, the other man shrugged. “As innocent as any woman sleeping with a married man, I suppose.”

“I need more information.” Azriel studied the readout of Lamb’s movements throughout the facility. She never ventured into an area she wasn’t working in, and she never asked for information or access to projects outside her own. If it weren’t for the specter of James Luxemberry and his desire to get a piece of Argent, Azriel would have admired the thoroughness of her work, and her overall work ethic. The girl threw herself into the projects she was assigned to, contributing as much as, or more than, anyone in the company.

“Always a good idea. You should be certain before you strike.” No one knew that better than El Diablo. His strikes were life-and-death decisions. If he was wrong, an innocent perished.

“Something just doesn’t feel right.”

“I’ll have my men watch her more closely. I’m also putting a man on Luxemberry’s wife. The person who knows a man best is usually his wife.”

“Good idea. I want to know if Miss Newsome meets or talks with Luxemberry. Record every conversation you can. If they so much as meet up in a parking lot, I want to know about it.”

“That’s what we’re here for. Though, I think perhaps it’s time to more aggressively approach Miss Newsome. Since she’s hesitant about letting you get close due to your position as an owner of the company, perhaps I could step into that role?” The bastard gave Azriel a smug, superior look as if he just knew he could get the girl to fall head-over-heels in love with him by the end of the week.

“No,” Azriel answered. He knew he’d shown his hand by answering so quickly, but the word seemed to be pulled from him against his will. “If anyone’s doing this, it will be me. I can convince her. If she’s really spying for Luxemberry, it won’t take much. All of that before could have just been her playing hard to get.”

El Diablo smiled. “Of course. This is your show.”

“Damned straight,” Azriel muttered.

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed in frustration for Azriel. For more than one reason. James had attempted to meet Lamb on more than one occasion. The first time she had been startled and flustered until he tried to put his arm around her. She’d shut him down hard, looking as angry as any woman he’d ever seen. This time, there were no tears, only genuine anger. If Lamb thought she’d been getting her a sugar daddy, it might explain her anger at that first meeting after the New Year’s party, but when it continued and she made no effort to throw him a bone, Azriel began to suspect there was more to her feelings.

Which was when he decided it was time to accidentally run into her again. He chose the city park. There was always an outdoor ice-skating rink set up around the public fountain. During fair-weather days in the winter, the place was always packed with people wanting a day outside with fun and socializing. There were hot chocolate stands, a coffee bar, places selling baked goods as well as soups and chili. It was a gathering place for the entire city, all of it free, provided by the Shadow Demons. It was a fact no one knew. They preferred to keep that bit of information quiet because, really, it was no one’s business. It was a way of giving back to the community in a way everyone could enjoy. Their estate manager, Ruth McDonald, took care of the planning every year, and no one had ever figured out who was behind it. Only that it had become a treasured season in Rockwell.

Azriel found Lamb quietly sipping a cup of hot chocolate as she watched people skating around the rink. There was a soft little smile on her face, and, as he approached her, Azriel could hear her humming softly with the music.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, grinning at Lamb as he sat next to her on the bench. She immediately stiffened in surprise, her mouth making a little “O.”

“Mr. Ivanovich! I — what are you doing here?”

He couldn’t suppress his chuckle. “Same as you, I suppose. Enjoying the merriment.” He pointed to her cup. “Best hot chocolate in the world.”

That got her to grin. “I’ll say. I’ve never tasted anything so decadent.”

“Did you get the Milky Way hot chocolate?” Azriel leaned closer and sniffed, referring to the drink famous in the area, which was a hot chocolate with caramel sauce. A drink guaranteed to warm the coldest reveler.

“Oh, yeah.” She took a sip, eyeing him over the rim of her cup, as if afraid he’d try to take it from her. “So you should get your own, ‘cause, if you’ve had it, you know I ain’t sharing.”

That got a startled laugh out of him. The sound got them more attention that he’d have liked, but then he noticed James Luxemberry off in the background, watching them intently. Perfect. He was paying attention.

“You don’t want to share, I suggest you hold tight to that cup.”

In response, she raised an eyebrow and downed the rest in three large gulps. Giving a loud, gasp she wiped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand. “Try to take it now.”

Even if he hadn’t been observed by Luxemberry, Azriel would have laughed just as hard. The woman was priceless. “I take it you approve?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Good point.”

She stared at him a moment, then, just like that, she shut down. The light banter they’d shared for a few seconds was gone in the space of a few heartbeats. Lamb sighed, setting her cup on the ground by her feet. “What can I do for you, Mr. Ivanovich?”

“Why do you have to assume I need something from you?”

“Because I believe we decided you were my boss, and it wasn’t appropriate for us to socialize.”

“Hmm… Don’t remember that in our only conversation. Since you didn’t call or text me, I know we only had one conversation.” He tried to make it both a reminder and a soft reprimand.

“Maybe the conversation was in my head, then,” she said softly, looking away from him. The woman looked sad. It physically hurt Azriel to see her like this. Why did he care? She was likely betraying him. His brothers. If she was an industrial spy, they’d kill her without hesitation. Argent was theirs. The Shadow Demons wouldn’t exist without Argent Tech. He, Azriel, and Giovanni had dedicated most of their adult lives to making the Shadow Demons a reality. No one was going to take that away from them.

“Look at me, Lamb.” Even though he knew it was a bad idea, Azriel was about to do something he couldn’t take back. Something that, once she found out, Lamb would never forgive him for. She stiffened, but finally sighed and turned her head. “You’re a beautiful woman. You’re also one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met. The combination has me fiercely attracted to you.”

Before she could do or say anything, Azriel leaned in to press his lips softly to hers. It was just a simple, chaste kiss, one meant only to show affection. Interest. The second his mouth touched hers, however, Azriel had to fight to stay in control. In that moment, he realized he’d never wanted a woman so badly in his life. For a man like him, someone who could have any woman he wanted, that was saying something. Maybe it was her innocence. Maybe her intelligence. Azriel thought it might be both, plus the fact that she didn’t take shit she didn’t want to take.

Which was another thing. As he continued to gently move his lips against hers, just getting a feel for her and enjoying the taste of her sweet lips combined with the lingering chocolate, caramel, and whipped cream, she didn’t fight him. In fact, her little fingers curled in the material of his jacket before he finally ended the kiss slowly and with great care.

“You… are exquisite, Lamb. In every single way that a woman can be attractive to a man, you are for me.”

She sucked in a breath, her eyes going wide. “Don’t say that.”

“Why?”

Lamb shook her head, closing her eyes tightly before opening them. When she looked at him this time, her gaze was hard, her facial features tight. “Because men like you use women like me until you’ve taken everything we have to give. Then you throw the tattered remains of our hearts in the trash to be carted off with the rest of the garbage.” She probably tried to sound bitter, and she almost succeeded. Instead, Azriel heard a sadness and real hurt in her voice.

“Tell me what happened to you, Lamb. Who hurt you so badly you won’t take a chance on a rich, good-looking, nice guy.” He grinned, trying to lighten the mood without changing the subject. This was the information he needed. If she was looking for an in, he was handing it to her.

“Does it really matter? Tell me I’m wrong, and I’ll take that chance.”

He wanted to lie to her. To tell her he only wanted to get to know her better, but, though Azriel wasn’t above lying, he didn’t like the idea of lying to Lamb. She’d said she didn’t like being deceived, and he believed her. He might betray her trust in the most horrible way, but he was going to try to be as gentle as he could. And not outright lie to her.

“You’re not wrong. Doesn’t mean you’re right about me. Just means I need to work harder to earn your trust.”

She picked up her cup and stood. “Don’t waste your time, Mr. Ivanovich. I’m not interested.”

Without another word, Lamb Newsome walked away from him. Azriel wanted to follow, but movement from the left caught his eye. Luxemberry. He was on a line to intercept her.

“You got eyes on Luxemberry?”

“Two of them.” Giovanni’s voice was strong but quiet in his ear. “She’s spotted him and isn’t happy.”

“Have the feed cued up when I get back. I want to know everything that was said. Every facial expression on both of them.”

“On it. El Diablo’s got four men from Black Reign on them. Two on each of them.”

“Good. They need to make sure Miss Newsome is safe. If Luxemberry feels threatened, or like she won’t cooperate with him, he could try to harm her.”

“My men know their job.” Apparently, El Diablo was listening as well.

“Who invited you to the party?” Azriel didn’t like anyone being in on the technical side of an operation. Some of the equipment they used was highly sensitive, and he didn’t want anyone — especially someone like El Diablo — getting the idea they could have access to their equipment or computer software.

“I invited myself,” he said without hesitation. “Unlike Cain or Thorn, I won’t allow my men to sit in the dark waiting for someone else to hand down their orders. Our arrangement requires a certain amount of trust, but not that level. My men take their instructions from me. I make those orders based on what I want for their safety. That means I have to have all the information you do. Which means I’ll be in on every single communication and meeting that involves my men.”

Azriel wanted to tell the man to fuck off, but Alexei was right. They needed him and his unique expertise. “Fine, just stay off the fucking radio.”