Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
“Gray,” I said with a heated voice. I was a little hoarse and my throat hurt, but I answered Cain’s question looking straight into his eyes. “Chloe Gray.”
Sword jerked back like I’d struck him, shaking his head. Then he rallied. “No fucking way! Lying bitch! No way you’re mine! Bev would never allow herself to get pregnant when we were together because she was too focused on her appearance and being the perfect seductress.” He practically spat the word seductress. “Besides, I’d have known if she’d gotten pregnant while I was with her.”
“She’s telling the truth, Sword.”
“Zora, no one invited you into this conversation. This is club business.” Sword glared at the other woman. She was the one with Data. The woman who looked pissed as hell.
Zora finally broke away from her husband and stomped toward Sword. Without missing a beat, she slapped him. Hard. I half expected the big guy to hit her back, but he just kept his gaze focused on the small woman who now stood shaking her hand. It probably stung worse than Sword’s face.
“What the fuck was that for?” Sword actually looked startled. Like he hadn’t expected the violence from the woman and had no idea what to do with it.
“For being an insufferable bastard! That woman is your daughter, Sword. At least, that’s what her birth certificate says. Me and Data started pulling information on her the second Deadeye told us he was bringing her to the compound. If I need to get Mama and Pops in here to do a DNA test, I will. But everything we’ve pulled on her and her mother points in that direction. Her blood type fits. She was born in an area you were living up until about six months before she was born. And you’re right. She’s a dead ringer for your ex.”
Sword shook his head, then turned back to me. I met his gaze for only the briefest of seconds, just long enough to see the startled look on his face as realization hit him. Then I looked away, feeling tears prick my eyes. No way I’d let this guy see me cry. That was a weakness so profound I’d never come back from it.
“No,” he finally said. “It’s not possible.”
“So you gloved up every time you fucked this girl’s mother? Every single time.”
“Yeah,” Sword said, then darted his gaze away from the other man. “Had one break. Once.”
“You stick around long enough to make sure she wasn’t pregnant?”
“She was on the pill, for Christ’s sake! Sure, I was concerned, but she said she never missed one. It was right before I found out how she’d been playing me. Pumping me for information about ExFil. Bitch was working for the CIA or some shit. Trying to get information about the weapons we get from Argent Tech and the Shadow Demons, and was trying to use me to get it.”
“What?” Cain barked his question. “You had a security breach and didn’t tell me?”
“No! I’d never put myself in the position of having a security breach! It just took me a while to figure out what she was doin’ ’cause I was thinking with my dick and not my brain. But I never broke security protocols, Cain. Never! I never discussed anything with her, and she was never around anything pertaining to our work or any mission. I never kept anything in the house or on my person to do with work. Not even my personal gun. Certainly not anything from Argent. Nothing I had was enough to keep the CIA interested. When I confronted her, she just laughed like it was a big fuckin’ joke and I was the butt of it. That was the last day I saw or heard from her.”
The president looked hard at Sword, then nodded. “OK. So back to Miss Gray.” I really wished he wasn’t coming back to me. “Why are you here? No bullshit. Why are you here?”
I put my chin up but felt it trembling. My throat hurt abominably, and I was really on the verge of breaking down. Deadeye’s hand on my shoulder tightened fractionally before loosening once more. Encouragement? Or a warning?
“I came here looking for Sword in hopes he’d give me asylum.” My voice was getting rougher where my throat was swelling. But if they could ignore what had happened, so could I. I absolutely would not cough or clear my throat.
Sword snorted. “Asylum. You sound just like Bev. Trying to be more sophisticated than you really are. You came from another club. Bitch probably sent you here to spy on us.”
I closed my eyes, taking a much-needed calming breath. I was holding on to my temper by a bare thread. “I realize you and my mother had a tumultuous past. She’s a manipulative bitch, and I’ve told her that to her face many times. But you don’t know me. I’m willing to bet my mother hurt me a great deal more than she hurt you.” The more I spoke the angrier I was getting. Angry and hurt. “I came here hoping one of my DNA donors would give a damn and help me out. I can see now that I was conceived by two equally self-centered assholes.” I turned to Cain. “Sir, I’m sorry to have caused such chaos in your club. That wasn’t my intention.”