Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 93698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“Best kind to have.”
“Why would I want my son taking after you? You’ve proven you’re no role model. You went off to jail after high school and I went off to college. It isn’t difficult to figure out who made better life choices.”
“Knew that when you hooked up with me.”
“We’re all entitled to make one mistake. But to repeat the same one over and over…” She sighed. “I need to get back inside and put my son to bed. Go home, Zeke, and leave me—us—alone.”
As she turned to head back inside, what he said next stopped her in her tracks.
“If you ain’t gonna admit it, want a DNA test.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Zeke might be a biker, but he had funds behind him between his family and his club to go after custody. To make her life miserable. She swallowed down her panic and said as calmly as possible, “That’s what courts are for. Go get an order for one.”
“If that’s how you wanna fuckin’ play it, Ky, I can do that. You forget we got a club attorney. Findin’ out the truth ain’t gonna cost me a goddamn thing.”
She heard the unspoken, “Unlike what it will cost you.”
“Maybe not in attorney fees, but it’ll cost you in other ways,” she warned.
“You sayin’ that makes me even more sure that Ledger’s mine.”
“For shits and giggles, let’s just say he is. Do you really want to open that Pandora’s box? Just so you can turn around and fight paying child support? Or so we can go to court and fight over custody? Because if he was yours, you’d want to have custody of him, right? And not hand him off to some sweet butt to babysit because a toddler takes up a lot of time and attention?”
“Like I said, got family.”
“I know who your family is, Zeke. But guess what?” She slapped a hand to her chest, unfortunately drawing his gaze there. “I’m his family. I’m his fucking mother!” Losing her cool wasn’t going to solve anything, but raising her voice would draw attention from her nosy neighbors. “You need to leave before I call the cops.”
“Pigs ain’t gonna do shit. Standin’ on a fuckin’ public street.”
“Whatever, Zeke. Stay there all night, then. I don’t give a shit.” With that, she turned and strode back toward the house.
More determined than ever to pay someone a visit tomorrow.
Chapter Eight
Kyra was surprised to find the gate open when she pulled into the small paved parking lot behind the nondescript warehouse. The oversized building had no windows, no signs, nothing to indicate what kind of business it housed.
The only proof it was in use at all were the Harleys and vehicles taking up a few of the parking spaces. She slipped her Kia Sportage into one of the empty spots.
“Mommy?”
She glanced in the rearview mirror. “Yeah, buddy?”
“Where are we?”
“Visiting an old friend of mine. We won’t be long.” Hopefully.
Once she parked and helped Ledger out of his car seat, she took his hand. “Be on your best behavior, okay?”
“Mmm hmm.”
She pulled on the handle of the plain steel door at the rear of the building, not surprised to find this barrier locked, unlike the gate.
They didn’t want just anyone walking in and seeing the kind of operation it held. Or the kind of equipment stored inside, including the variety of weapons.
Kyra had been here once while in high school when Vi and Indie had needed to stop in to speak to their father, Diesel Dougherty. Of course, that was when the big, grumpy biker was running In the Shadows Security. It was now managed by his oldest daughter, Violet.
The doorbell had a small sign above it that said “by appointment only.” She pressed it anyway, expecting to hear a voice through the little speaker. Kyra had no idea if Vi was inside because she no longer knew what kind of vehicle her former best friend and Zeke’s cousin drove.
She glanced up to see several security cameras along the roofline, including one pointed toward the lot and one at the door where she stood.
She blinked when—instead of a faceless voice asking who she was—a dark-haired man wearing tan tactical pants and a black T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders and hugged every damn bulging muscle opened the door, making her take a step backwards since it swung outward.
Holy shit. Kyra picked her jaw up from the ground. That couldn’t be… “Leo?”
He looked…absolutely drool-worthy.
Apparently, joining the Army after graduation did a body good. Especially his.
If she remembered correctly, Leo Delgado was two years younger than both her and Vi.
“Yeah,” he grunted. His dark eyebrows pinned together and he quickly masked the surprise in his brown eyes. “Kyra?”
“The one and only,” she said on a stilted laugh. “Do you work here now?”
Instead of answering, he asked, “You here to see Vi?”