Join the Club - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,37

turned into a rather awful experience, leaving me frantically calling Booth because of my sister being attacked while we were on the phone.

It was only after assuring that she was all right that I’d finally found the time to head to my own appointments for the day.

My fingers brushed the note that I had in my pocket. The one that Bourne had left for me this morning before everything had gone crazy.

One that was sort of sweet in a simplistic kind of way.

Had to go to APD. Have a good day. B.

Smiling, I continued to listen to the governor speak about nothing.

Literally, nothing.

He’d been talking to me and a few of his closest advisors for an hour, and still I hadn’t found anything important in what he was saying.

Yesterday, at least, we’d spoken about the dogs and my journey when it came to starting my business.

Today? Today I’d yet to hear anything that pertained to me.

I was starting to get annoyed.

I’d wasted two days now on the man, and if the rest of the day continued to look like today, I wouldn’t be wasting a third.

Getting tired of what I was hearing, and needing a bathroom break anyway, I quietly got up and walked out of the office, being sure to grab my purse as I went.

It was close enough to lunch that I could likely slip out and make my way to the deli across the road from the office I was currently in. Maybe when I came back, he’d have something to say that pertained to me.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice the man that fell into step beside me until I pressed the elevator button and realized there was someone standing beside me.

I jumped.

“Oh!” I gave the man a smile. “Hello, Angel.”

Angel nodded his head and waited patiently for the doors to open.

I took the man in as we waited.

He was dressed in his uniform, just like last night. Today, however, I could see that last night he had a cool confidence that one only gets where they’re comfortable being. Here, though? He looked like he was itching to be out of the place he was—kind of like me.

The doors slid open, and I stepped on first, turning once I got to the back of the elevator.

Angel got on, turned, but stayed near the front with his back toward me.

“Why don’t you like me?” I asked. “Is it because of Asa?”

He frowned and looked at me over his shoulder. “No.”

“Then why?” I asked. “I don’t even know you, yet you’ve practically ignored me two times now. And I’m having dinner at your house tonight, and it’s incredibly uncomfortable to think about going over there when it’s very clear that you don’t care for me.”

Angel snorted. “It’s not that I don’t care for you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to expound on his answer, yet he didn’t.

I rolled my eyes, thinking that tonight Bourne may just be on his own when it came to visiting his sister and brother-in-law.

The doors finally opened and I followed Angel out, ignoring him completely when he held the door open for me to exit.

I did, looked both ways, and then continued on across the street. All of a sudden pissed as hell about everything.

My role here. Bourne leaving today without telling me. My dad, who’d called me five times over the last couple of hours. And my sister, who apparently was having some trouble that she thought she could keep from me.

Luckily, her employees loved me and told me that there was something going down, even though I’d still yet to figure out what.

That was the first item on my agenda, to talk to her.

The second was to cancel my meeting tomorrow with the governor.

The third was…

“Why are you following me?” I snapped, unhappy that he was standing there like a silent wraith.

Angel’s lips twitched.

“Bourne said you had claws,” he murmured.

I twirled around and glared at him the moment that I reached the deli’s doors.

“And?” I snapped.

“And, I’m sorry for thinking differently.” He paused. “Why are you there?”

There?

“At the governor’s office?” I guessed.

He nodded, jaw tightening.

I shrugged. “I got a call from his secretary asking if I’d like to meet with the governor about my business. He said that he’d like to help promote me, that he’d heard great things about my dogs. And that he’d like to talk to me about a few things.” I paused, shrugging again. “I’m not