She bites down on her lip, suppressing her laugh. “You’re right. You’re not nice at all.”
I grin. I like it a lot better when she’s smiling. “There we go. Now tell me, how often do those guys come around these parts?”
“Darkwater Hollow? Not often. They’re based on the outskirts of Kansas City.”
I nod. “Good.” If that changes, I’m going to have to do something about it.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
I arch a brow. I’m thinking about all the creative ways I can end Lyle’s existence, so I doubt it.
She squeezes my hand. “You’re probably second-guessing letting me stay with you. I’m broke, with a crazy ex, and a godfather in a biker gang. I’ve got baggage.”
“I can handle it.” In fact, I’d fucking love to handle it so that she never has to worry about those fucks again.
She just sighs. “I wish my dad never got Uncle Lyle involved with us. I don’t know why he thought having him around would help anyone. My dad was bad enough, but Uncle Lyle is worse.”
“Bad how?”
Her jaw flexes. “For my dad, the gang was number one. Followed by partying, women, and gambling. Family was somewhere at the bottom of his list of priorities. And Mom always made up excuses for him. She loved him ’til the day she died.” Her expression darkens. “Never understood how she could stay so devoted to a fuckingcriminal.”
The sheer amount of fury she wraps around that last word sends ice sliding down my spine.
“My father smuggled drugs for Mexican cartels. He hijacked cars and sold them for parts. He stole, and cheated, andkilled.” She looks me right in the eye. “How could she love a man like him?”
A pit opens up inside my stomach. “I have no idea.”
“Neither do I.” She tugs her hands out of mine and gets to her feet, frustration rolling off her in waves. “I need to shower. I’m covered in dust. Before they came, I was sorting through my things back at the house.”
“Okay. I’ll get dinner started,” I say numbly.
I watch her disappear into the bedroom. A few moments later, the shower starts.
Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
If only she knew who she was speaking to. If only she knew the things I’ve done. My record is no better than her father’s, that’s for sure. And to think I considered—
I can’t tell her. I cannevertell her.
I rake my fingers through my hair and let out a low breath. This shouldn’t matter. My past life is exactly that—in the past. And Ipromised Sandro I wouldn’t say a word to anyone, so what the hell was I even thinking back there?
All right. There’s no point in freaking out. The important thing is that I kept my mouth shut.
Moving down the hall, I stop by the window that faces the front yard.
I don’t like the thought of leaving Blake here alone while those bikers are sniffing around. What if they come by again while I’m gone? What if they do something to her?
She said they don’t come to Darkwater Hollow often, but that doesn’t mean they won’t start now.
It’s better if I’m here to keep an eye on her. I sift through my calendar in my head. I can move some things around to minimize my time at the office, but not everything.
Which means I’m going to have to…
Fuck, Sandro’s going to kill me.
CHAPTER 22
