Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Not a typical teenage boys room. He couldn’t even see any dirty socks on the floor.
“I just changed my sheets today,” Brooks said, gathering up some pillows to make them into a U-shape.
“What are you doing?” Grady asked.
“Aunt Effie likes to feel surrounded when she sleeps. And it will stop her rolling around. She’s been known to roll out of bed before.”
Hmm. That wouldn’t be good with her sore back. He wondered if she needed one of those beds with sides on them.
Steele laid her down in the middle of the U-shape, then Grady reached down to tug off her confetti shoes. He needed to get her those light-up shoes. He drew off her shoes, noting that her feet were swollen.
Was that due to poor circulation?
“Her feet are swollen,” he commented to Steele.
“Oh, they often are,” Brooks said. “She likes to sit with them up. They’re not as bad when she’s not on her feet all day like she was at her last job. When they used to get bad, she’d go to the mall and get a foot massage. When we had the money.”
Good to know.
Steele drew the covers over her. And Grady wondered if he’d kiss her good night. But they both sensed Brooks was on edge, so they tucked her in and walked with Brooks out to the living room.
“I need to get her a glass of water. She always gets thirsty in the night.” Brooks rushed to the small kitchenette, giving them another wary glance on his way past.
“He’s not going to be okay with us staying the night,” Grady told Steele.
“I know.”
“I don’t want to leave, though.”
“I know,” Steele repeated with a sigh.
Brooks came back. “Um, well, thanks for bringing her home. You guys aren’t like her last boss. He’d have yelled at her, upset her, then expected her to keep working.”
“Yeah, I’m going to need the name of that jerk.”
Brooks eyed Steele with not a small amount of hero worship.
Grady understood that look. It was the same one that had likely been on his face when he’d first met Steele. Even though they were both thirty-nine, sometimes Grady still felt that hint of hero worship.
Steele took no shit from anyone. He was a hard man.
But when you were in with him . . . then you were all the way in. Sometimes, that wasn’t always a great thing because they were both men who liked to be in control.
But most of the time, it was.
Because he was family.
The only family Grady had. The only one he claimed, anyway.
And he was Steele’s family.
“Those boys that attacked me that day . . . they all apologized.”
Steele crossed his arms over his chest. “Did they?”
“Yep. One of them looked like he was gonna piss himself while he did it. You did that, didn’t you?”
Steele didn’t reply.
“I looked into you. You were a cage fighter for years. And you were good at it.” Brooks cleared his throat. “And you own a stripper bar. Where my aunt works.”
Fuck. Had he heard about everything else?
Brooks looked off into the distance. “And I’ve heard that you don’t always operate on the right side of the law.”
Yep. Fuck.
“And you think that makes me a bad person?” Steele asked calmly.
“My aunt works for you both. I want her to be safe. I have to keep her safe. She’s all I have. I’m all she has.”
“No,” Steele said quietly. “You were all she had. She was all you had. Now, you have us too.”
“Why?”
“We care about your aunt. We want to look after her. And you.”
“Steele, this might be too much,” Grady warned. “He’s only a kid.”
Brooks frowned at him. “I’ve got to protect my aunt. He gets that.” He pointed at Steele.
“Here’s the thing, Brooks,” Steele said. “Yeah, I operate outside the law sometimes. But I care about your aunt. A lot. I’ve only known her a short time, so I’m trying not to overload her. But she has my protection.”
“What if your other work comes back on Effie? What if you’re putting her in danger?”
“I won’t allow that to happen.” Steele kept his gaze steady on Brooks.
The kid nodded.
“Your aunt only deals with our legal operations,” Grady said carefully. He still wasn’t certain that this was a good conversation to have with him.
“Aunt Effie seems like she’s naive, she’s always trying to see the good in people. And she doesn’t like to upset anyone. But don’t think she’s stupid,” Brooks warned. “She’s not. I’m sure she knows something.”
Steele nodded. “She said she’s heard rumors.”
“Right. So this, whatever it going on between you guys, this isn’t just . . . fuck, it’s not about sex, is it?”
It was clear Brooks was uncomfortable asking that.
Grady was going to let Steele do the talking as he felt uncomfortable as hell too.
“We like your aunt, Brooks,” Steele said firmly.