She pulls back to look at me. I cup the back of Charlie’s head with one hand, brushing away Emery’s tears with the other. My chest cracks wide open. My heart is a bleeding mess with my girls in my arms.
Protectiveness roars in my chest, and even if I’m barely keeping it together, I stay strong for them.
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t.” I stop Emery, wiping another tear. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“He’s my uncle.”
“And he’s going to pay for what he’s done. I promise.”
Zane will pay if it’s the last thing I do.
23
Emery
Charlie nuzzles against me,squirming as she sleeps. I haven’t let her go since the agent handed her to me. Even after Hayes had a prospect bring a car to pick us up, I sat in the back with my hand resting over her in her car seat.
Her nose scrunches, and I soothe her by gently rubbing her arm until she settles.
Hayes stayed with me through dinner, but then he had to meet up with Steel. This time, I wasn’t worried what he might be doing or how long he would be gone. I understood.
The Feds storming the compound escalated a war, and this is only the beginning of it. Hayes has no idea what my uncle has done—what I’ll be forced to do for him. He still thinks I’m on his side. I wish I was.
But I’m not anymore.
I’d like to believe Hayes will destroy my uncle before he can act on today’s threats. That Charlie and I will be safe,and this will all work out. But today is proof of just how far my uncle is willing to go to keep control over us. His threats aren’t idle.
If I don’t help him, he’ll use Charlie against me, and I can’t let that happen, no matter what I feel for her father.
While eating dinner, I considered telling Hayes what my uncle said. It’s clear he cares. I have no doubt he’d listen. But Hayes’s club comes first. When he learns that Charlie and I are a complication, will he stand with us or his club?
Where will we go if he kicks us out?
I’m stuck.
I press a kiss to Charlie’s forehead, breathing her in. Her hair is dark like mine, but her eyes are bright like her father’s. She’s the perfect mix of both of us. Every good thing curled in one. She deserves so much more than the world I brought her into.
She’s my heart.
My purpose.
I didn’t believe in fate until Charlie, and now I can’t imagine my world without her. She led me back to her father—to the only peace I’ve known. It has to mean something, even if I can’t keep it.
Through the window comes the rumble of Hayes’s motorcycle pulling up to the house. He cuts the engine, and I close my eyes, breathing Charlie in as I listen to his boots moving up the porch. He’s quiet as he opens and closes the front door. Only the creak of the floorboards tells me where he’s at.
When he pauses in the bedroom doorway, I blink my eyes open, taking in his worn expression.
Today was hard on all of us. I can’t imagine what he went through once we were taken. He’s been strong for my sake, but it’s clear his smile is weighted. If only he knew I’m going to be his club’s undoing.
Charlie stirs, blinking her eyes open like she senses her dad nearby.
“You’re still awake?” He walks into the room.
“I can’t sleep.”
My eyes are heavy. Exhaustion has turned my bones to lead, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t relax.
