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“He is my client, King. He’s always been sweet to me.”
“That may be cupcake, but a man like Montana isn’t one to let your guard down around. Can you forgive me?”
“You kicked me out of my shop,” I muttered stubbornly.
“You kicked me in the balls.” He countered.
“Fine. We’re even.”
“Good. Now,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose before standing. “You done for the day ‘cause I’ve got some place I want to show you?”
Without waiting for a response, King took my hand and led me from the coffee shop.
Chapter Eighteen
King
I scared my woman.
She was the one person on the planet I never wanted to frighten. What did that say about me? Was I the ogre she thought I was? Was I that foul tempered that she couldn’t feel comfortable with me? Was that why she kept fighting me every step of the way?
Watching as my woman skipped rocks along the lake, I gave her some space. I took her to the lake. It was one of the places where me and my club brothers would come to get away from shit and relax. It was also on our private land and the tourists didn’t know about it. Well, the locals did, but they rarely came up, save for a few horny teens who thought this was the perfect place to make out.
Avonleigh Rose Bailey was everything I never thought I wanted.
After my shit marriage with Valerie, I vowed never again. I refused to be caught in any bitch’s web again and, like a moth to a flame; I was in Bailey’s. She had me from the moment she called me out on my bullshit that first day in her shop. Such a little thing. I thought she was spunky and adorable, but it was her mouth. That snarky, cut-throat, take no prisoner attitude that wiggled herself into my soul. Yes, she was still the biggest pain in the ass I’d ever met, but she was my pain in the ass. My woman spoke her mind, kicked ass and never apologized.
She was perfect.
Most people who met me were leery, some even afraid, but not my Bailey. Standing only five-foot nothing and a hundred pounds soaking wet, my woman had no problem knocking me on my ass or ripping the hide off my backside. Yet, when I yelled at her, that’s when I saw the fear I never wanted to see. That one moment changed everything.
Now, she could barely look at me. She was cautious, holding herself back, waiting for me to yell at her again, and I didn’t know how to fix it.
I needed to tell her about her family. I wanted her to know that she never had to look over her shoulder again. That she was free. And I also needed to tell her I knew who Czar was and why he was coming after her, and because I failed to take care of a problem, her father died.
That was a hard pill to swallow.
I prided myself on my ability to turn over every stone, account for every contingency, and take care of it all. The one time I failed to ensure no harm would come to me or mine had now come to bite me in the ass. All because I just wanted to wash my hands of the situation and forget about it.
“You look worried. Why?”
Glancing up at Bailey, I held out my hand. “Sit with me?”
She quirked her head to the side before accepting my offer. Nestled between my legs, I wrapped my arms around her, enjoying the feeling of her in my arms. Facing the water, she sighed, leaning her head back against my chest. “It’s pretty here.”
“I hoped you would like it.”
“You know this place would be romantic if it weren’t for your mood. So, what’s wrong? Spill.”
Taking the bull by the horns, I began. “I brought you out here because I did something while I was gone. Something you are either going to love or hate.”
“Okay.”
“A few of the brothers and I went and paid a visit to your grandmother and your uncles. They won’t be bothering you or Jamison anymore.”
Sitting there with my arms around her, I felt her lightly flinch before she relaxed again. I didn’t know what to expect from her. It wasn’t everyday I told the woman I loved that I systematically wiped out her family so she could rest easy at night. Looking back, maybe I should have talked to her about it, but I didn’t want to burden her with something more. Bailey already had enough on her plate with the shop, her cousin, and with Havoc. Though the latter would disappear once I got my hands on that slimy fucker. I just wanted to make life easier for her. She’d been through so much already. I figured if I could ease some of her burden, she would be happier.
“I see,” she muttered. “Is that all?”
