Chapter Eight
"The Senior Partners aren't very happy." Eve said, sitting on the edge of his desk. Angel glanced up from his stack of papers.
"Well, they'd better get used to that," he said curtly. "Angela isn't going anywhere." he looked back down to his papers and flipped through a small pile beside him.
"Look, Angel--" Eve began. Angel's head snapped back up before she could finish.
"This isn't a discussion," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Angela stays."
Eve sighed and gazed out the window of Angel's office. "Why do you feel like you suddenly have to protect her?"
"She's a Slayer."
"She was a Slayer yesterday when you agreed to hand her over. What's changed?"
Angel suddenly exploded. He stood up quickly, slamming his hands down on his desk. "This is not a discussion."
"I think it needs to be."
"What you need is not what—"
"She got into your head didn't she?" Eve asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The curve of her lips gave way to the emotion of triumph. Angel froze, narrowing his eyes.
"What happened is none of your business," he said softly, eyes turned toward the window. Suddenly, it was the most entertaining part of the room. "So, tell the Senior Partners that they'd better find someone else." he growled.
"What did she say to you?" Eve prodded, pushing the proverbial envelope.
"Nothing."
"Well, then you felt something, Champ. No one changes your mind like that without saying something powerful." she said, the smile still edging at her lips.
"Are we done?" Angel asked, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting back down in his chair. With a small sigh, he pressed two fingers against the bridge of his nose.
Eve rolled her eyes and shifted slightly. It only took a sharp look from Angel before she turned and headed toward the door, her hips swinging seductively. As she reached for the doornob, she turned slightly.
"They'll find her."
"And I'll stop them." Angel replied softly. To him, the answer was simple. The girl stayed and the Partners got over it. Figuring out what happened after that wasn't on his mind yet. As he stood up, he silently asked himself the same question Eve had presented. Why was he protecting her?
That answer wasn't so simple. He sighed and rubbed his hands across his face, heading for the small elevator. The only thing he knew was that she had been inside his head for quite a while.
And the grief she left behind was unbearable.
Continued...
