Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“In case you forgot, they’re my kids, too.”
“You’d think you’d remember that when you brought this guy around them. You were a cop once, remember? Did you forget what happens to people who get too close to trash like that?”
“You don’t know anything about him.”
“I know more than you think.” His eyes narrowed. “He and that club of his are being investigated.”
“Investigated for what?”
“Trafficking.” He answered so final and so confident, and it hit me like a punch to the gut. And he wasn’t done. “We have reason to believe that they’re behind that night at the mattress warehouse.”
“That’s not possible.”
“But it is,” he countered. “They had an attempted abduction over at the Vault just a few weeks ago.”
“That’s not true.”
“Damn. You’re so fucking hard-headed.” I tried to step back, but he moved with me. “You need to end this and end it now.”
“Or what?”
“I’ll take them from you, Devin. Don’t think for a second I won’t. And I won’t have to work hard to do it. You know how easy it would be to prove you’re putting those kids in danger just by knowing this guy, much less fucking him.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would, and I will.” His smile was cruel, satisfied, as he took a step back and cocked his brow. “Think about it, Devin. Because the next time we talk about this, it won’t be on your porch.”
And then he turned and started back towards his truck like it was any other day—like he hadn’t just gutted me. I stood there for a moment, clutching the doorframe, trying to catch my breath, when I heard the kids talking in the kitchen.
They didn’t know that their father had just threatened to take them from me. They didn’t know that he’d just pulled the rug from under my feet and broken my heart. I had no idea what I was going to do if Brian decided to make good on his threat.
I couldn’t lose my kids.
I wouldn’t.
They were my everything, and I would put my life on the line for them. They knew that, and Brian knew it, too. He was using them against me. I don’t know if he would actually go through with trying to take them from me, but the fact that he would go so far as to tell me that Jameson and his brothers were involved in trafficking and had a part to play in that night told me a lot.
I don’t know if it was true or not.
I wanted to believe that it was all lies, but I couldn’t deny that it was a possibility. It would certainly explain a lot. But I saw the look in his eyes when I told him about that night. I heard the mix of anger and regret in his voice.
In my heart, I simply couldn’t believe that he was behind it.
But my head wasn’t so sure.
And I had no idea what I was going to do about it.
19
CREED
“Roses,” I told the woman on the other end of the line. “Doesn’t need to be a whole damn bouquet. Just enough to let her know I’m thinking about her.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“And I need a basket of her favorite snacks.”
I didn’t normally do this kind of shit. I was more of a hands-on type of guy, but things were feeling off, and I was scrambling to fix it. I was late calling Devin, and even though she said she understood, there was hesitation in her voice that made me think otherwise.
She was pretending that everything was fine, but something was up. I could feel it. I pressed her, hoping she would tell me what was going on, but no such luck.
Regardless, I knew something was bothering her, and since I couldn’t head over there, I decided to send something over to the house. I thought it might lighten her mood or something. At least, I hoped it would.
The florist came back on the line and asked, “Do you have a list or something?”
“Yeah, she likes all kinds of stuff. Sour Patch Kids. Twizzlers. Reese’s. M&Ms. Takis. Cheetos. Pretzels.” I figured I’d throw in a couple of things for the kids, too. I knew they’d be all about it. “Whatever will work.”
“I can do that. When do you need it?”
“As soon as possible.”
“I can do it within the hour, but it’ll be extra.”
“Do it.”
“Okay. I’ll need the address and what you want me to write on the card.”
I gave her the address to Devin’s office and paused only a second before saying, “Keep the card simple. Hope this brought a smile.”
“Sure thing.”
I ended the call and took a moment to catch my breath.
It had been a rough couple of days. The mess with Gabby had done a number on us all, especially when she confirmed my suspicions about Devin’s ex. He’d beaten her and coerced her, and that shit didn’t fly with any of us. But we knew he wasn’t done. Hell, it was just the beginning.