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“Is that going to be a legal issue we need to deal with?” Ruin asks me rather than Landry. “Should we call Kourtney?”
I notice Landry’s getting wound up. Her eyes lose their glow, and her jaw remains clenched.
I nearly throw my sandwich at my president as a subtle way to tell him to shut the fuck up. He catches my gaze and very deliberately smirks.
The motherfucker is still holding a grudge over me not showing up at some meeting he wanted for the founding members. Except Landry had a doctor’s appointment that day. With her car acting up, I worried she’d get stuck on the side of the road again. Better to tail her to be safe than hold my president’s hand on an issue that he easily solved without me.
Landry strokes Brooklyn’s head, clearly thinking about someone stealing her daughter away. I never suspected the kid wasn’t hers. Brooklyn looks similar to the other kids. I should have figured it out, though. Beau, Brooklyn, and Beckett have birthdays too close together. I just assumed one of the kids came early.
Irritated again, I consider asking Selene something overly personal to piss off Ruin. But his woman’s got issues, and I’m not a dickhead like my president.
Maybe Ruin realizes he’s upsetting the pregnant woman with the bruised lip. He doesn’t like to think of himself as a full-blown asshole. Backing off, he asks questions about the kids, like ages and who goes to school.
“I’m going to stay at my school until the end of the year,” Blair says and then peeks at me to see if I’ll disagree.
“You’re close to the end,” I mutter. “No reason to start over right now.”
Blair grins at her mama, seeming delicate today. Last night, the kid stood up to me like she did with her shithead father. Now, she radiates unease. I also notice she cradles her arm more.
“Can kids take pain medicine?” I ask Landry after lunch.
“Yes.”
“Do you have the right kind for Blair?”
Landry studies my face as if searching for something. “I’ll give her some before naptime.”
“She naps?”
“No, but she lies in bed and reads while they sleep. You and I could talk while they rest if you wanted.”
“Talk about what?”
When Landry narrows her eyes, I can’t help mimicking her move. My nature dictates I respond to any aggression with my own. Landry rolls her eyes when I try intimidating her.
As she sits with the kids and Ruin’s women, he gestures for me to walk outside with him.
“How are your wounds?” I ask before he can lecture me.
“Better,” he says as he looks over my land. “Healing is easier when I know Selene’s piece -of-shit husband is missing his face.”
“I wounded him first so he had time to get scared. Less suffering than what he deserved. At least, he knew his end was coming.”
“I appreciate that. I also liked how you shot the guy he was with, so the cops would wonder about the real target.”
“I got lucky since he was having dinner with a few local slime bags.”
Ruin studies me. “You weren’t wrong about Landry. She’s beautiful.”
“I know.”
“And she seems good-natured.”
Instantly irritated, I growl, “What’s that mean?”
“Not a bitch like our first wives.”
Taking the compliment, I shrug. “She’s got a big heart.”
