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“I can’t leave those boys either.”
“It seems we’re at an impasse.”
I immediately shake my head.
“We’re not. We’re all going to New Mexico.”
“I can’t leave St. Louis,” she snaps.
“You won’t have a choice. The kids are coming with me.”
“So you’ll just take them from me?”
“Taking them would imply that you’re not welcome to come along. I’m not taking them from you, but it’s not safe to stay in town. We have to figure out how to rid ourselves of the issue with Keres, and they aren’t exactly known for backing down. They want money and are demanding monthly payments. They will from now until eternity. The only way to get out of that is death. I don’t plan on dying nor do I plan on letting you or those three innocent kids end up that way.”
“Won’t they follow us?”
I’d like to assure her she’s a hundred percent safe, but there’s no way to guarantee any of it. Not being able to do so makes me feel like a failure before we can even attempt the trip.
“I’ll use every resource I have to get you there safely.”
“And what happens in New Mexico?”
“We’ll stay in the clubhouse. We can—”
“With a bunch of bikers? That’s where you want your daughter to be?”
I take a fortifying breath. It astounds me the preconceived notions people have about bikers. Some may be true for clubs like Keres, but there are more good clubs than bad.
When I don’t answer, she continues, “I won’t have any of those children around drugs, crime, and women with loose morals.”
I can’t help the huff of laughter that escapes, feeling a little prideful of the way she grows angry, her eyes narrowing to slits as I laugh at her words.
“Let any of the guys there hear you call their women that, and you might regret it,” I warn. “There are no drugs, no crime, and other than the occasional gal one of the guys might bring home for the night, there are no loose women.”
She sure does have a strong opinion about other women considering the way she knocked on that damn above-garage apartment door not wearing any panties, but I wasn’t complaining then and I sure as hell won’t complain now.
She doesn’t seem convinced.
“The overnight guests are instructed to leave before any of the kids can see them,” I explain further.
“There are other kids?”
I nod. “More than I can count some days. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find there. I’m not even going to bother telling you to hold judgment until we get there. Feel free to think all you want. Everything you think will be proven wrong. Cerberus is a group of people who love and care for each other. They’ll give you the shirt off their backs without hesitation. You’ll see.”
She doesn’t seem at all convinced, but there isn’t much I can do with the scowl that seems to be tainting her pretty face any time I’m around.
“What about my mom?”
She just told me about her mother, but that’s less of an issue than the logistics of getting Mila and three kids to a different state.
“There’s an amazing nursing facility there. After we get settled, we can send for her or even come back to St. Louis to bring her back.”
She seems a little calmer than she was when I first told her of my intentions, but it doesn’t help to calm me down any.
“What will your girlfriend think?”
I watch her for a long moment, wondering what her intention is for asking this question.
