Ace: His Angel (Phoenix Riders MC 1)

23: Minor Detail

Kaitlyn POV

My heart pounded in my chest as the words left my mouth. Kyle knew I lied, but he waited patiently for me to see I'm not alone anymore.

This is my chance to right my wrong and face the truth I am running from. I'm tired of running and hiding from people I love.

Wiping away my tears, I faced Kyle. "My ex didn't do this. Not exactly...it's just...it's complicated. Yes, he made the threat, but he did it on behalf of someone else, which I didn't know. All he said was he wanted a conversation at an abandoned warehouse."

Looking at Whiskey, I apologized for lying and getting him in trouble. Whiskey smiled and told me not to worry about it.

"When I got to the warehouse, however, six heavily armed men were there, waiting for me. They wanted to make a deal, and in exchange, he would leave us alone. Ish," I said, looking at Kyle. "Not my smartest move, but I didn't have a choice."

Kyle paced while Ace stared at me, anger radiating off him, trying to keep his hellhound at bay for me.

"What deal did you make?" Blade asked, and internally I groaned.

"I make sure a shipment makes it to its destination. That's it. A simple test. Or I figure it will be, but I have heard nothing yet, which is a problem," I confessed.

"What shipments?" Ace asked.

"I asked, which earned me a backhand to my face," I whispered, and Ace nearly lost it. "I have a pretty good idea what's in them. If you don't want me to know something, talk quieter. But if I knew earlier, I would have never agreed to the deal," I assured them. Kyle and Blade exchanged glances, clearly not happy.

Ace crouched next to me. "Angel, I promise we will find them, and I will keep my promise to you."

"I would wait if I were you. You don't even know who it is," I said.

"Who? Tell me Angel, and I promise I will fix this."

"It's not that simple, Ace. It's... they're dangerous and we don't have-"

"That's not for you to decide!" he bellowed. "If you wanted a simple, quiet life, then I'm sorry to tell you, Angel, you came to the wrong place. Phoenix Riders don't run and neither do you. Or do I need to remind you why your name is Tiger?" he growled.

I chose this. I stayed. But I don't know if the pieces I put together are right. This will not end well.

"It's the Italian Mafia."

"WHAT?!"

Everyone jumped up, talking over one another, and for a group of men who deal with some of the worst people out there, I expected less of an outburst. I motioned for them to sit down, and Ace sat next to me, not daring to be more than an inch or two away.

"They never said that's who they were, but his accent was a dead giveaway. Bottom line, they want you dead," I whispered, nodding to Kyle.

"Why?" he asked.

"I didn't lie. You are my brother, but mom fled the country because of your father. You're the grandson of the head of the Italian Mafia," I blurted out.

His eyes widened with bewilderment and stopped pacing. Everyone stared at me, shocked and unsure of what to do. Reaching over, I grabbed Ace's hand, squeezing it.

I quickly continued, "My ex's best friend is Italian, and his uncle is still in the family business. With some help from Google, the rest was easy to piece together. Technically, your dad runs the western portion of the U.S. Italian Mafia."

Kyle continued to stare at me. "Mom also doesn't know I know any of this. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I thought I could do this alone. To keep you safe."

I leaned against Ace, giving in to the stress and anxiety. He carefully lifted me into his lap, and I settled against him, trying not to groan in pain. Kyle paced, processing and making a plan that would keep everyone safe. Solving a problem I created. He is like me, stopping at nothing to keep those he loves safe.

Finally, Kyle spoke. "This ex, should we worry about him?"

"No, I don't think so. If he talks now, then he's an even bigger idiot than I thought. You don't know him, but I do, and he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. At least not intentionally," I confirmed. Worst. Lie. Ever.

"Angel, he's the reason you almost died. Don't start protecting him now," Ace said in my ear, tightening his grip on me.

Facing Ace, I said, "No, he's not the reason I almost died. I could've ignored my gut and not called him, but I did. That was my choice. Not his."

I turned to Kyle. "I told you everything important, I promise. We can figure this out together. Please."

"I still don't understand how they found her or knew who she was," Whiskey piped up.

Blade and Kyle exchanged glances before Blade left.

"We have a traitor!" Kyle growled, anger radiating off him. I placed my head in my arms, taking in a ragged breath, trying to keep my composure.

Shit...one problem down...one new one to go. I thought I covered all my bases.

"This isn't your fault, Princess. This would've happened either way, but now I can keep you safe," Kyle said, kissing my head.

If you only know how wrong you are.

They talked for another hour while I said nothing, stuck inside my head. Eventually, they decided it was safer to stay at the clubhouse, so we headed there.

Once there, Whiskey made me a drink, and Ace sat down, carefully pulling me onto his lap. Over the last few days, Ace became protective of me, showing more affection. I don't know if it's because he needs to protect me or something else.

"You're thinking Angel. I can see it. What are you thinking?" he whispered.

I'm thinking I like you a hell of a lot more than I probably should. I want you in ways I can only dream about.

Ace's hazel eyes were full of need and desire. Something I've never seen.

"Nothing important."

Ace buried his head into my neck, and a fire in my core started. "It's always important to me, Angel."

I smiled, leaning into him, "Well, maybe one day I'll tell you."