AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He rolled his eyes and then pulled out a sheaf of papers out of his back pocket.
“This is a list of all the shit I’ve dug into since the phone call last night,” he murmured. “Looks like the family he had was hired. There’s a couple of grand deposit the day before he left. His credit cards are maxed out on tickets, hotel rooms, and shit from Disney—something in which he likely couldn’t afford.”
I felt my stomach clench.
“Are they going to bring him back to Texas?” I asked.
With the majority of his crimes being committed in Texas, I knew that it was most likely, but shit was definitely crazy when it came to attempted murder.
“As of right now, no.” Max shook his head. “But they’ll tack on his charges here over there. He won’t get off without the max penalty he can be served with.”
“Try murder,” Harleigh muttered darkly when she sat up. “You caught that part, right?”
Max walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling his daughter into a tight embrace that showed that we’d likely scared the shit out of him last night.
I’m honestly surprised they didn’t meet us at the airport.
“Yeah,” Max said as he finally let her go. “We definitely caught that part. And I know that you made sure to tell the arresting officer that. And the detective. Who was amused when he informed me of that when I talked to him.”
“You talked to him?” I asked as I closed the door and walked to the fridge. “You want a beer?”
“Sure,” Max said. “But you may want to hold off on anything to eat. Payton dropped me off but went to grab some food and Dax who flew into the county airport. He wasn’t happy about what happened to Harleigh and had to come see for himself that she was okay.”
“Ohhh, yay.” Harleigh sighed and leaned her head against her father’s shoulder. “Daddy, did I tell you I broke my foot because some woman ran over it with her stroller?”
There was a long pause and then, “I assumed it was broken during your altercation with the bad guy. Which, I might add, was very stupid of you. I told you to run away from danger, and only fight back if you had no other choice.”
She snickered. “I did have no other choice.”
“Being pissed off that your boyfriend went to prison for no reason and throwing yourself at a murderer with a knife isn’t using your best judgment. Nor did you have no other choice.”
She sighed at her father’s words. We then spent the next twenty minutes talking about nothing consequential as we waited for Payton to arrive with Dax.
Dax who was extremely pissed off and let me know it when he saw how comfy and unclothed Harleigh was when he walked in the door.
After making sure that she was okay, he gave me one look and said, “Would you please follow me outside?”
“Dax,” Harleigh warned.
I got up, knowing this had to be handled now or it wouldn’t be handled at all.
“Sure thing,” I said. “Hey, Payton. I have plates and forks and shit in my cabinets. Why don’t you go find all that and get Harleigh some food? She has to eat before she can take another pain pill, the doctor said.”
Payton got up to do just that, and before Harleigh could lift herself up off the couch and follow us, I leaned over the couch and into her space.
“It’ll be fine,” I said softly as I placed my lips onto hers. “Plus, I might as well get it over with now.”
“Get what over with?” she asked, sounding resigned.
“The asking for your hand in marriage thing,” I said. “Because we’re going to be married before our kid comes.”
“What?” she breathed.
“What?” Max almost shouted.
Dax growled behind us.
Payton started to laugh.
“Oh, Maxie Poo, you totally deserve everything you’re about to have headed your way,” Payton teased as she walked into the kitchen.
I winked at Harleigh’s startled face, then backed away and walked out the door without another word.
I wasn’t surprised when both men followed me out.
Nor was I surprised when Max immediately said, “She’s pregnant?”
I shook my head. “Not yet…but she will be. Soon.”
Dax started forward, but Max caught him by the shoulder. “Don’t. I like that he’s being honest, even if I want to kick his ass for doing it.”
Some movement caught my eye, and I turned to stare at the man that was loading another U-Haul with boxes.
“Be right back,” I muttered distractedly.
I looked at Craig, remembering what Charles had said last night. Knowing there was yet another thing I had to take care of.
Craig looked up before I’d even gotten across the street and stiffened, then looked away before we could make eye contact.
“You remember him, don’t you?” I asked curiously.
Craig’s head whipped around, and he stared at me as if I’d just done the unthinkable.
