CHAPTER 1
HARLOW
"Angel's Redemption. I like it." Boner looked up at the sign above the door.
The typography matched my other restaurant, Angel's Rest, but this sign was surrounded by flowers and balloons, ready for opening night.
He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.
"Ready as I'll ever be." It took six months of hard work and late nights to get here. The renovation of the late Solomon Danforth's restaurant was extensive, but done with care and thought. Now, it was more my style, but the changes didn't mess with the previous ambiance.
"Don't look so down, love," Boner leaned over to kiss my temple. "This is gonna go gangbusters, just like Angel's Rest."
"I know,” I said softly.
"Feeling restless?" he guessed. "Me too. It's been a while since I've…let off some steam."
I didn't have to ask what he was referring to. We'd been busy with the restaurant and hunting down the last two men on my list. Here and there we found predators like them, but Hypnos and Zeus seemed to have gone underground after Danforth andGranger Fairfield's deaths. As if they thought someone might be coming after them.
Okay, they were right. Someone was. Several someones. I loved my job as chef and restauranteur, but my life's work was to rid the world of predators who preyed on innocent people, especially young people.
There was a special place in hell for all of them, and I was happy to deliver them there.
"That's one of the reasons I'm here," he added. "I thought maybe after opening night we could go on a little playdate."
"Oh?" I asked, tilting my chin up to look into his blue eyes.
"Trust me," he said easily, "you're going to love it."
"I do trust you," I told him.
We almost died together six months ago. A thing like that brought people closer together. Besides, Edward 'Boner,' Bonegard, was an easy man to trust. I'd come to love him deeply. He was good at reading people and keeping my spirits up when the world got dark. Darker than usual.
"I trust you too," he said. "Now, do I get a guided tour of the new pub?"
I nudged him in the side with my elbow. "This isnota pub."
He grinned, amused he got a rise out of me. "Of course it's not," he said narrowly, dodging another jab from my elbow. "It's a fancy arse place, if you ask me."
"It should be, for the price."
After we killed Solomon Danforth and left his remains in the restaurant, the price was lower than it might have been. Still, it was eye-watering and a risk. Taking over even a successful restaurant wasn't without its potential pitfalls. Especially when I gave the restaurant menu a facelift. I kept some of the classics on there, customer favorites, but added a few of my own.
Especially my famous meatballs.
"You'll make all of that back in the first week," he predicted.
I gave him the side eye. "We'd be lucky to make it back in the firstyear. But I appreciate the vote of confidence."
"Any time.” He brushed his lips over mine, before grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the door. Laughing, I followed him inside.
The smell of new paint tickled my nose, but I had to admit it looked good in here.
The floors were polished to a brilliant shine. All of the tables and chairs were new. The walls were decorated with mythical imagery, painted by a local artist. Angels. Seraphs. A unicorn and dragon here or there.
My particular favourite was an angel standing in the centre of one wall, her wings spread, golden and glowing. Her face was tilted up toward the ceiling, like she was thanking the universe for her existence.
"Be careful, love," Boner said. "I might come in here with a saw and cut that out so I can put it in my gallery."
