AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We have the high ground,” he tried again with a grin.
I snorted and took a sip of wine. Sure, whatever that meant. “I need you to take Calla to the trampoline while I talk to him,” I said as I heard Michaela greet them at the door.
“Ooh. Ruthless,” he grinned.
“Make her laugh,” I added.
“Roger that.”
Calla was the first one to bound through the doorway, and I was amused to find that her hair was an absolute mess, sticking out around her ears and haphazardly thrown into a ponytail. But she had on a cute romper, and she catapulted herself into my arms, immediately launching into a detailed story of her magical trip to Yellowstone.
I wanted to hear about it, but I had a job to do. I kissed her all over, squishing her tight, and then said, “Hey baby, do you remember Dr. Cade? Lachlan?”
“You’re here! Yay!” Calla said happily. I couldn’t have written a better script for her if I tried.
“I am,” he replied with a charming smile, and he held out a hand to her. “Would you like to meet some kids your age? My nephews are the best friends. I would know. They’re my BFFs.”
“Youhave BFFs?” Calla asked incredulously.
As Lachlan led her away, I stood and faced Jason, who was already glaring over my shoulder at Lachlan and Calla. It was a low blow to make him feel insecure about his role as a father, but this wasn’t a normal divorce. He’d threatened me and the people I cared about, and he’d done it illegally.
Jason was wearing a black turtleneck that probably contributed to the sweat under his nose and along his gray hairline. His pants looked designer, but they didn’t do him any favors with their high-waisted design, overly pressed creases, and slick material. He wore the same pair of black and white sneakers he’d been wearing on Tuesday, and he’d switched out his gold watch for a smartwatch.
I took a sip of my wine before saying, “So. Ultimatums.”
He looked around, like someone might hear us. “You clearly didn’t take my advice. At all. That asshole slapping a steak on your plate is a criminal, Laur.”
I pulled an exaggerated thinking face. “Am I supposed to… care? You left me alone with our kid, Jason.” I took a step closer, lowering my voice as if I didn’t want to be overheard, either. “What did you expect me to do? I need someone to provide a life for us. Lachlan is a doctor. He has money coming out of his nose.” I paused, thinking again. “And he’s a good fuck.”
Jason’s lip curled. “So, you know they’re criminals, and you don’t care. Not even for Calla’s sake.”
I shrugged one shoulder, sipping my wine. “Whatever monster I am, you can take credit for, Jason. Besides, Remington covered his tracks and Lachlan backed up his research to a secure location, so we aren’t scared of whatever bullshit you claim you’re going to release.”
Jason got a glint in his dark eyes. “So, you don’t care if I poke around your fuck buddy’s cloud a bit?”
I gulped a little louder, doing my best to toe the line between affected nonchalance with a hint of nerves. “You’re bluffing.”
Jason’s eyes pinched into slits. Behind us, Lachlan had gotten Calla on the trampoline and he had her laughing loudly as he bounced her around like an egg in a frying pan. Jason wet his lips, wiped them with a hand, and looked to his right, clearly holding back from something. “You know,” he said, finally. “I was doing this for you, Laur. I was doing it to protect you from your own bad judgment. Now I’m thinking you’re going to get what you deserve.”
“I deserve a decent-sized dick,” I drawled. “And, hey, I found one. Go home, Jason. Stop playing at hacker boy and go back to scrubbing hard drives or whatever it is you do in Norway.”
Jason inhaled slowly, his lips curling inward, and then, to my shock, he took an angry step toward me. His hand lashed out to grab my upper arm, and he yanked me hard against him. With fury stilting his words, he whispered harshly, “You want to play games with me? Fine. Let’s play games. You’ll lose everything, and when you come crawling back to me, you’ll just have to take what I’m willing to give to you.” He looked me up and down. “And I guess you’re a slut now, so expect to be treated like one.”
A large, warm shape appeared behind me, and then Lachlan’s voice said, “You have two seconds to remove your hand before this whole picnic goes south.” Jason released me, pushing me away from him and meeting Lachlan’s gaze with challenging indignation.
Lachlan caught me, and his hands replaced Jason’s by encircling my upper arms softly. His thumbs rubbed my sore skin with gentle, reassuring strokes.
“I was leaving anyway. Best of luck with your research,doctor,” Jason snorted.
Then he was gone, but my mind barely comprehended the end of our interaction because my heart was doing a painful stuttering thing, and emotion had clogged my throat with a thick bubble of tears that threatened to burst. I forced it back down. Jason had done exactly what I’d wanted him to do. I didn’t need to get my panties in a wad over that. Mission accomplished.
Once Jason had gone through the door, Lachlan turned me in his arms and lifted my elbow, inspecting where Jason’s fingers had dug into my flesh. “Motherfucker,” he gritted. His thumb smoothed over the welts before he pulled me into a hug. “Hey, are you okay? If I’d thought he would get physical with you, I never would have—”
“No, I’m fine,” I assured him.
Remington jogged over, glancing over his shoulder where the kids, oblivious to the altercation, were playing on the swings. “Shit, Laurel, are you okay?”
I nodded. “I think it’s safe to say I pissed him off.”
