Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“It’s not your fault, sweetie. It was just a misunderstanding.” Maggie slipped her arm around her, giving her a gentle hug. “Everything’s fine now. You don’t have to worry.”
“I’m really sorry, Momma.”
“Oh, honey. Please stop. You have nothing to be sorry about.” She gave her a kiss on the forehead, then said, “Why don’t you go find your brother, and you guys play a game or something?”
“Okay.”
Samantha’s head hung low as she skirted out of the room. As soon as Maggie closed her bedroom door, I asked, “What the hell happened?”
“The kids and I had just gotten home and were putting our things away when Chad showed up. I could tell when I answered the door that something was wrong, but I let him in anyway.” She sat down on the edge of the bed as she continued, “He didn’t even speak. He just walked over to my tree and started yelling when he saw that the fairies were back on my tree.”
“Fairies?”
“They were some ornaments my mother and I bought years ago. He took them when we split and refused to give them back to me.” Maggie shrugged. “I know it’s silly, but Sam wanted me to have them back. So, she took them off her father’s tree and brought them here. I didn’t even notice that she’d done it until Chad showed up here and started ripping them off the tree.”
“Damn. This guy is a real fucking douchebag.”
“Yeah, he is.”
“So, that was it?”
“Pretty much.”
I could tell by her expression that she wasn’t telling me something, so I gave her a little nudge. “Nathan said you were hurt.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” Maggie raked her teeth over her bottom lip. “I tried to stop Chad from grabbing all the fairies, and he kind of pushed me. I fell back and hit the corner of the coffee table. It wasn’t a big deal. It was just an accident.”
“An accident that should’ve never happened.” I snapped. “Let me see it.”
“It’s nothing. Really.”
“Maggie.”
“Okay. Fine.”
She stood and lifted the hem of her sweater, revealing the makeshift bandage. I could already see bruising all around it, so I knew it was going to be bad. I eased it back and let out a stream of curses when I saw the gash. “I’ll fucking kill him.”
I saw red. Nothing else. I turned and opened the door, and I could hear Maggie calling out to me as I stormed down the hall. I was over this bullshit. I’d already talked to him once, and clearly, he didn’t get the message. But that was about to change. I sent Wrath a message and told him I needed his help and to meet me at the front of the clubhouse.
Half an hour later, I’d picked him up, and we were in the back of Chad’s office parking lot waiting for him to come outside. It was already after five, so we didn’t have to wait long for the douchebag to come strolling out. The second he got close, Wrath and I got out and met him at his car door.
His eyes widened when he saw me coming towards him, and he opened his mouth. But before he could speak, my fist rammed into the side of his face, forcing his head to lurch back. Before he had a chance to recover, I reached up and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground as I hauled him over to the truck.
He tried to fight against my hold, but I reared back and slammed my fist into his gut, completely knocking the breath out of him. He barreled over as I shoved him towards Wrath. “Get him inside.”
Wrath nodded, then pulled a bandana and a zip tie from his back pocket. He wrapped it around Chad’s head, blindfolding him and binding his hands before tossing him in the backseat. Chad remained silent until Wrath and I both got in the truck and closed the doors. As soon as I started the engine, he cried, “Wait! Where are you taking me? What are you going to do?”
I didn’t answer.
I simply put my foot on the accelerator and drove.
When we got to the clubhouse, Wrath and I got him out of the backseat and led him into the playroom. Once we had him positioned in front of the two-way mirror, I reached over and carefully lifted his blindfold—just enough for him to see the man Beckett had killed.
“Ah, hell,” Chad cried, pulling at his restraint. “What is this?”
“This is your last warning.” I leaned in with my mouth close to his ear as I growled, “I already warned you once about fucking with Maggie and the kids, but you’re too fucking thick-headed to listen. Your kids are the only reason you’re getting another chance.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he lied. “I just wanted...”