Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I pray she understands that I have one as well, and I’m doing my best not to command her life more than I have to. But at the end of the day, I’ve already put my foot down and demanded that she go to New Mexico, not considering anything else in her life. I know she wouldn’t be in the passenger seat if her life wasn’t in danger. It’s extremely shitty that I’m sort of glad it is because there’s less of a fight to get her to comply right now.
“The guys are growing a corn field so the kids can have a little maze during the fall festival,” I say when the silence grows too thick between us.
“Creeps hang out in places like that,” she mumbles. “It’s like those weird old men that a lot of people think are just so cute because they’re watching young kids play at the park when, in fact, there’s a very real chance they’re perverts waiting for some little girl’s dress to fly up while she’s playing. It’s fu—freaking disgusting.”
I nod in agreement. Perverts do like to hang out in places like that. Those little mall playgrounds are the absolute worst.
“They’re doing it on Cerberus property, and I guarantee the children are a hundred percent safe.”
She doesn’t make a sound of relief when I explain it further, and I don’t know if I have a right to get a little annoyed with the implication that she thinks someone in the club is capable of hurting a child in any way.
“There isn’t a person connected to the club who would ever hurt a child,” I explain. “We spend our lives protecting people. I may not know these kids that well, but even if I didn’t know their names, I’d lay down my life to protect them.”
I chance a glance at her, finding her eyes pointed in my direction.
“That’s an easy thing to claim for anyone, but when push comes to shove, their actions are a little different.”
I wonder if she’s thinking of Janet and Carlen and how their lives started to look so very different from how they did a few years ago. We could argue that the people we knew would never endanger their children yet they were manufacturing drugs in the apartment above the garage. Meaning if the damn thing blew up, which clandestine cook rooms are known to do, the explosion could’ve easily hurt or even killed one of the boys. Was it a case of lesser evils? Were the lives of the boys threatened and they had literally no other choice?
I doubt they kept any kind of journal, which means there’s a very slim chance we’ll ever know the truth. What we do know is that there’s a trail of bodies behind Keres MC, and I’ll be damned if anyone in this vehicle becomes a part of that number.
“I can’t prevent a skinned knee, Mila, but I can guarantee that all three kids will be safe at the clubhouse. Everyone there will treat each one of them like their own.”
By the time I get another chance to look over at her again, she has turned her face away from me. I wish I knew what was in her head. If only there was some way to dive inside of there and help her calm down.
When my head starts to think of a litany of ways I could get her to relax, I shut them down as quickly as I can. Our night together was beyond explosive. The chemistry was some of the strongest I ever felt with a woman, but letting something physical tangle up what we’re doing could very possibly ruin everything else. I’m not exactly the type of man to commit, and Mila made it clear where she wanted me in her life when she kept silent about her pregnancy. Getting physical would only complicate things and that would cause problems for the kids. I don’t know about Sutton, but the boys have been through a lifetime of chaos, and they’re due for some calmer days.
“What happens with school?” Jace asks from the third-row seat.
I look to Mila to see if she has answers, but she remains silent, looking back at me as if she doesn’t know the answer.
This is a conversation she and I should’ve had before now, but there’s only one answer to his question.
“We have a school at the clubhouse,” I tell him, smiling in the rearview mirror.
The kid is a tough nut to crack, and I know the awe he’s directed toward me because he’s been impressed with the things he has seen me provide is weak at best and can change at any time.
“Homeschool?” Mila asks, her voice purposely low, telling me that she’s a little skeptical.
I nod. “They use an accredited program, and it follows the testing requirements set forth by the state.”