Hearts the Last Beat (Angel Fire #6) - Ellie Masters Page 0,17
what I should do, where I should stand. My instinct is to drift toward Angel, stand beside her, but Forest’s words echo in my mind. That would get noticed, especially considering how I usually leave the room when Angel’s around.
I don’t know what the guys think about that. Honestly, they probably don’t give a rat’s ass about it. The chick brigade, however, notices everything.
And, I disagree with Forest.
I’m more than capable of keeping secrets. I’ve been keeping a pretty big one all to myself since I was Angel’s age and turned eighteen.
Forest built the Guardians from the ground up. A private hostage rescue organization, they work to rid the world from human traffickers. They also rescue foster children from abused homes. Then, they rehabilitate their rescues, providing any and all services they need to recover from their trauma.
Saving others is a part of Forest’s lifelong quest to make the world a better place. It should be no surprise that protection extends to Angel.
As for making the world a better place, I do my part, but on a much smaller, personal scale. I’ve saved two lives in my lifetime, not that anybody knows. It’s a secret I keep close to my chest. Something I do because I can, because it’s my duty as a human to help others.
Most days, I’m a self-absorbed, pretentious prick, indulging in the rock star lifestyle, but there’s still a part of me that wants to make a meaningful impact on the world, something more profound than playing in a rock band.
And I like to keep that little bit of myself to myself.
Nobody knows. Like nobody. I doubt I’ll ever tell Angel. The best way to keep a secret is to never speak of it. I can keep secrets, and despite what Forest says, I know how to lie. I’ve been lying to the guys for ten years about my trips.
Got the rock star image to maintain.
Besides, Lucy and Trevor don’t need the chaos association with a mega-rock star would bring. They don’t want it, and I do everything I can to protect them both.
I may not be Forest with his billions at my disposal, but that doesn’t mean my contributions are any less important than his.
I glance around the room and decide what to do. We’re between albums, taking a break, which means my time is my own. I’d ask Angel to join me for lunch. It’s what I intended when we got back up here as part of my going slow plan.
But there’s no way I can ask her out now.
I head to the counter, opposite Angel, and pull out a stool. “Tell me about the mission. Did you get the bad guys?”
Ash answers before Mitzy can open her mouth. “Dude, it was so cool.”
“Tell me about it.” I lean back and cross my arms. Somehow, I need to find a way to get Angel alone. We have unfinished business.
He gesticulates wildly mentioning Mitzy’s tiny drones. “Dude, she calls them dragonflies. Isn’t that cool?” Ash goes on to explain how the drones searched the massive ship within minutes. He breaks it all down, and I have to say I feel like I was there. Mitzy and Skye exchange amused looks.
For them, this is another day in the office, but I’m with Ash. The Guardians are fucking badass.
“And then, I was thinking we could use drones like that during our concert.” Ash continues talking. “You know, like get more pictures of the audience? Like the ones farther from the stage? Make it interactive, like a kiss cam at a game? Mitzy says the drones have audio. We could have the fans sing with us during a concert. It would be totally epic.”
“Oh, that’d be cool.” Ash is brilliant when it comes to playing the crowd. He was born to entertain.
We veer off into how that might work and monopolize the conversation.
Mitzy and Skye pull things out of the fridge, lunch meats, cheeses, breads, and condiments. Instead of having lunch with Angel alone, we all line up, build our plates, and sit down at the kitchen table.
With floor-to-ceiling windows, the view out over the ocean is spectacular. I’d enjoy it, except I sit with my back to the glass. Angel sits across from me. She keeps her attention on Mitzy and Skye, but her gaze darts toward me every now and then.
I signal her to be patient. We’ll have our time. Until then, we keep up the appearance of general disinterest toward each other.