Hello My Angel - Sue Brown Page 0,73

needing to see what was left of the agency.

“Yes, soon, but I don’t know when. Weatherly is retiring. Jesse was offered her job but he’s not ready to take over the agency.”

“I’m surprised he’s not retiring too,” Rick said. He played with the cards, as if he didn’t want to look anyone in the face.

“They need the money. Dan’s not going back to work. He’s not doing well. But they’ve got good friends and Jesse will do anything to take care of him. We all will.”

“Damn that fucking bitch,” Gil growled.

“Damn her to hell,” Josh agreed.

They were silent in the office, Josh seething even thinking about her. He hated the devastation Chyna Moles had wreaked on all of them. There was no end to the troubles she’d caused. Families were grieving, Gil had lost his twin, the agency was annihilated, and Jesse and Dan barely survived together. He knew Dan had talked to Evan about leaving Jesse, but in the end his love for Jesse and their dog, Norman, was strong and would survive the trauma. Josh had sworn to Cal he would protect that little family until the end of his days if necessary and Cal had agreed.

“If I could raise her up from hell and kill her again I would,” Dave declared into the silence.

They all stared at him and he flushed.

“Well, I would,” he said, sounding defiant.

“A-fucking-men,” Rick agreed.

“A-fucking-men,” they said in unison.

“Anyone who joins us is going to have to understand what’s happened,” Dave said.

Josh shook his head. “We start over. New men, new jobs. No psycho bitches trying to destroy us. I don’t care if we just find cheating husbands.”

Gil inclined his head. “I’ll go with that.”

They would be bored out of their brains finding cheating husbands, but after the past couple of years even boredom sounded good.

Josh jumped as the office phone rang three times, then stopped abruptly.

Max poked his head around the door. “It’s the spook for you, Josh.”

Herring had been trying to speak to Cal, or Josh if he wasn’t available, for weeks now. He wasn’t getting the fucking hint.

The screen on Josh’s phone lit up with a message. Josh glanced at it and the knot of tension eased in his gut. “Tell the Seagull I’m busy.”

Max nodded, although he didn’t look happy, and returned to the reception desk where he’d been manning the phone. Josh didn’t give a shit. He had more important things to worry about today.

“Cal’s on the plane,” he said. “It’s been delayed by an hour.”

Rick let out a noisy breath. “Thank fuck for that.”

Josh stood and smiled at them all. “I’m going home.”

Gil furrowed his brow. “What for? He won’t be landing for hours.”

“I need to get ready.”

Gil opened his mouth to argue the point, but Dave gave him a pointed stare and he shut up. “See you tomorrow. Make yourself look pretty.”

Josh hummed. Maybe. If he could walk.

Josh stood in the arrivals lounge of Heathrow Terminal 5 in plenty of time for Charlie’s arrival. He’d arrived so early he was buzzing from the amount of coffee he’d drunk. Hopefully Cal would work off some of his energy.

The automatic doors opened and there he was. His Charlie. The man of Josh’s dreams wearing glasses, a crumpled suit and huge scowl. He still looked edible.

Cal’s scowl deepened as he took in the two immaculately dressed guys either side of Josh. One dark and dreamy, the other blond with a hint of ink beneath his collar, their tongues had been virtually hanging out the second they saw him, and although he’d laughed off the suggestion of a Josh sandwich, he knew what it must look like. They were tall and broad, both a very similar shape to Cal.

“So that’s him.” Josh turned to look at the blond guy on his right who’d whispered in his ear. “If I were a betting man, I’d say you were making a point.” Josh laughed, but he was acutely aware of Cal’s reaction. So maybe Josh was making a point. He hadn’t appreciated being left behind for three weeks.

Still separated by the barrier, Cal stopped in front of him, dropped his bag, and smiled at the two men, although judging by the way they hastily stepped back, ‘smiled’ might have been pushing it a little. Then Cal grasped Josh’s T-shirt, hauled him against his chest, ignoring Josh’s surprised squeak, and kissed him soundly. Josh squeaked, then wrapped his arms around Cal’s body and held him close. Cal wasn’t one for public displays of