Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“Ms. Phiri,” Dev said sweetly and nodded to her. “I’m glad you’re with my girls.” He guided the next question to Mae and Abi. “Did she tell you she used to babysit me when I was y’alls age? She makes the best chocolate chip cookies.”
“Daddy!” Mae hissed and balled her small fist, pounding on his chest.
“What, Mae? What?” Dev finally gave her his undivided attention by way of a disapproving look. She didn’t care about his glare in the least.
“I told Uncle Keyes how to spell my name the right way,” she said.
Whatever that meant had Dev casting a quick glance at Keyes who lost all the love and humor he’d had with the girls. His brows knitted together fiercely.
Abi started to laugh.
Alec’s concern faded. He squeezed Keyes’s shoulder then took the seat next to him.
“What the fuck, Devilman?” Keyes burst out, patting Abi’s back as he carefully moved her out of the way so he could throw his hand out in disgust. “It’s been five fuckin’ years.”
“Six,” Mae corrected.
“We didn’t know how to tell you,” Dev started to explain. “I figured you’d figure it out.” Dev moved Mae to his other hip and tossed out the arm he had inked with Abigail’s and Mae’s names.
Keyes shook his head as if that meant nothing. “Do you know how trashed you were when you inked that on your arm? I figured you’d figure it out someday.” Keyes tossed his hands in the air. “Why Mae with an e? Where does that name even come from? Mae is spelled M-A-Y. Like the month.”
The two men silently squared off until Abi snickered. “Uncle Keyes isn’t wrong.”
=♥=
He'd known for a long time that when Keyes learned the truth, Dev was never gonna win the argument. Keyes tried too hard to be a special presence in the girls’ life. He’d consider this a fail on his part. Dev cut his gaze to Alec. As much as he’d learned about this man, having seen dozens and dozens of photos, he was only just now meeting him face to face.
Though she resisted, he placed Mae on her feet and went Alec’s direction. “I’m Dev.”
An instinctual move had him running a palm over his T-shirt, something he’d been doing since he first began inking professionally and stuck out his hand to Alec. Keyes stepped back, out of the way. Most likely, the moment was as important to him as it was to Dev. He needed Alec to like him, not become a roadblock between him and Keyes.
“I’m Alec.” The cultured voice spoke of wealth and an easier life. Alec got to his feet and shook Dev’s hand with a strong, sure grip. “I have to say I’m very uncomfortable being here. This puts Key in a perilous position.”
Dev glanced at Keyes who stayed silent, letting Alec voice his concern.
He should probably learn those lessons with Cash, not belittle or bulldoze over his opinions.
“Let’s talk in private,” Dev said.
“Momo said y’all are going to the guest house,” Mae said, jumping onto the chair between Keyes and Alex.
“Because ears here can’t keep a secret,” Abi added dryly.
Dev assumed a fight was on its way. Mae surprised him when she agreed. “I can’t. It’s too hard. It just comes out of my mouth.” She nodded her truth, looking between all the men surrounding her.
“Well, then go play, chatty.”
On cue, Ms. Phiri came around the corner of the kitchen. “Let’s give your father privacy.”
Both Dev’s girls did what she asked with no argument. Ms. Phiri had an unspoken way with children. His girls respected her instruction without argument or a sassy mouth. He was impressed.
“Come say bye before you leave, Daddy,” Mae said, as she left the kitchen.
“’Course.” Dev waited until they were gone before nodding the group toward the backyard.
Chapter 12
The extreme tension rolling off Alec was almost tangible. Dev got it. Even made sense. Keyes on the other hand was his normal, relaxed self. Which meant his buddy trusted him. He appreciated knowing that nothing had come between them through all the difficult layers of bullshit they’d endured recently. It could have.
“What’s going on?” Alec asked as soon as they got within a couple of feet of the front door to the guest house. His tone was serious enough that Dev knew Alec’s patience was getting the best of him. The man needed answers.
“Let’s get inside,” Cash replied briskly, stepping ahead of the group to open the door then holding it to allow the three of them in first.
With the enormous amount of intel the DEA had collected, Dev had no doubt some agent lurked nearby, performing secret reconnaissance. But, no one else needed to hear the explanations he was about to give his brother.
He reached inside his pocket, pulling out a handheld device. Looked like a keychain, but that wasn’t its only purpose. Dev nudged the power button on to the simple but effective audio jammer. White noise would block the sound of their voices, permitting them to talk freely inside the small space as long as no one got too loud. It was how he’d managed to plan Cummings’s end with Cash always underfoot, and probably the last secret he had kept from Cash.