Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Talia nodded slightly, her eyes filling with tears she refused to shed. When I turned my attention back to Rocket to tell him to fuck the fuck off, my gaze collided with his shrewd one. Son of a bitch was playing me.
I held the other man’s gaze a long time before saying dryly, “Wish I could help.”
Rocket smirked, knowing I was playing along. Yeah. I wasn’t dumb, but neither was this asshole. “Do you mean that, Doc. Really mean that?”
“Just spit it out, you bastard.” I was losing patience, and Talia was starting to fall apart. No way I was letting that happen.
“Fine. Tell Thorn I’d like a meeting. I’m proposing our clubs become allies. We don’t work for ExFil, but we do work for one of its rivals. I can safely say, while any dealings we have might not follow the exact letter of the law, we try to eliminate the same types of activities in our communities as you do in yours. If our clubs worked together in some respects, it could expand our territories and keep a few more people on the outside of West Palm Beach a little safer than they were yesterday.”
“And in return?” I lifted an eyebrow. This was going to be good. And yeah, I’d been prepared for it.
“Take my daughter back to Salvation’s Bane. Claim her as your ol’ lady. Give her the full protection of your club.”
I should have at least tried to pretend outrage, but all I felt was triumph. Yeah, the woman had gotten under my skin. I absolutely knew I wanted to sample her charms. Beyond that? I wasn’t ready to say yet, but the sense of panic that filled me every time I thought about taking on a woman permanently -- especially after the disaster that was me and Trix’s marriage -- didn’t surface. In fact, something that felt suspiciously like joy surged through my chest and lodged somewhere in my heart.
It was ridiculous. I was too fucking old for love at first sight, not to mention too old for this girl. Lord knew the last thing I needed was another woman trying to take me to the cleaners like Trix had done. It was annoying as fuck. This girl, however, I’d gladly give my right nut to have in my life from now on. She was a little timid, but she was sensitive. I’d heard her play the piano. Seen her dance. The girl was magical in that regard. If that meant she was more delicate than the women I was used to dealing with, I’d figure it out.
“Daddy?” Talia sat up straighter, her eyes growing wide with both disbelief and fear. There was a fine tremor in her voice.
“Talia, honey --” Rocket stopped abruptly, his eyes narrowing in anger before he turned his attention back to me. “If you’re the one who hit Talia, Doc, I’ll fuckin’ bury you.” Rarely had I ever seen a man as angry as Rocket was now. His hand went to Talia’s face gently, turning it this way and that, getting a good look at the bruise my ex had put on her jaw.
“It wasn’t him, Daddy. It was Caroline’s mom. She slapped me but caught my jaw with the heel of her hand. I knew it would bruise. It’s sore, but nothing that will leave a permanent scar.”
“And you didn’t stop your bitch from hittin’ my daughter?” His voice was a low growl. A lion getting ready to pounce.
“Didn’t see it comin’. When it happened, I got between the two of them.” I didn’t really care if the bastard believed me or not but was curious to see what happened next.
“He’s telling the truth, Dad.” Talia had abandoned all pretext of calling him by his road name. “It wasn’t his fault.”
Rocket looked from Talia to me several times before focusing on me again. “Can you arrange a meeting?”
“Why me?” I asked Rocket.
“You might not be a high-ranking officer in Bane, but you’re still an officer. That will give her the protection of your club. You’re also a doctor, well-established in the community. If she needs social interaction outside the club, you have a high enough social standing to give her the respect of the community, so she can do whatever she wants. Go wherever she wants to go. I want her to have the best of both worlds, and that’s something I can’t give her. It’s one of the reasons I’ve not tried to pair her up with a member of my club. She wasn’t supposed to be the daughter of an MC president. She was supposed to have a normal life with her mother.”
“Sounds to me like you’re getting more out of this than Bane, but the bait is very tempting.” I moved my arm across Talia’s shoulders. When she sucked in a breath to speak, I tapped her shoulder with my finger, and she hushed. “Before I consider this, I’m going to have to talk with her and Thorn. Her because I’m not going to take a woman against her will. Thorn because this is the kind of situation he and the VP will want to discuss before taking the vote to church.”