Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
I blinked a few times, surprised by her answer. She’d really thought this through, and I couldn’t say I wasn’t proud of her for the way she was handling the situation “Wow. That’s a lot to cram into the short time since I’ve seen you.”
My dad nodded and let go of my mom’s hand to put his arm around her. “I’m lucky your mom will stand by me after everything I’ve done.” There was no missing the love in his eyes as he turned to look at her. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to her. And anything I can do to make sure that she’s happy and that I’m by her side.”
His comment made me wonder about how the court case was proceeding. “Does your attorney think you’ll end up in jail?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
His expression was grave as he nodded. “We met with him as well. Unfortunately, it’s almost certain that I won’t be able to avoid incarceration. But he’s confident that I’ll be able to minimize the length of my sentence if I turn state’s evidence on the people who bribed me. Especially since prosecuting them could be a huge boost to the career of the state’s attorney.”
I felt Cash tense next to me. “Any of those people as dirty as Bickle?”
My dad shook his head, quickly assuring him, “No, he was the worst of the lot. And the others don’t have organizations to back them. My testimony won’t put Karina or Kiara at risk.”
“Good,” Cash bit out. “’Cause if you put my woman in danger again—”
“I won’t,” my dad growled adamantly.
“You’re really going to testify against all of them?” I asked.
“Absolutely.” My dad brushed his fingers across my mom’s knuckles. “I meant it when I said I’d do whatever it takes, and that means owning up to my mistakes and dealing with the consequences. And if I can make sure those other crooks pay for their crimes, earning a shorter time away from my family…that’s a start. I need to make things right so I don’t drag you girls and your mom into my mess any more than I already have.”
I would never completely trust my dad again, but his answers and seeming determination gave me hope that maybe one day, we could patch our relationship. And perhaps he could do so with Kiara, too.
10
Cash
I was happy to usher Karina’s parents to the door once they’d finished their visit. It seemed like the meeting had been good for her, but it had clearly exhausted her as well. She sagged into my side, so I swept her into my arms and carried her to our room.
When I laid her down on the bed and ordered her to rest, she halfheartedly protested but fell asleep a minute later. Figuring she would rest easier if I held her, I removed her clothes, undressed myself, and climbed into bed. But before I could wrap myself around her, my phone vibrated on the nightstand. Grunting in annoyance, I leaned back and grabbed my cell. It was a text from Mac. Fuck.
Mac: My office.
Me: Be there in five.
I pulled the covers up over Karina and carefully scooted off the mattress so I wouldn’t wake her. This whole situation caused her too much stress, which wasn’t good for her. Especially if my boys had done their job and knocked her up.
After dressing in jeans, boots, a black T-shirt, and my cut, I left a note for Karina telling her to rest. Since her vest hadn’t come yet, I ordered her to stay in the room until I returned. Then I headed down to meet with my prez.
Scout, Dax—our sergeant at arms-–and a couple of our enforcers were all in the office with Mac when I arrived.
“Waiting on Knight,” Scout informed me. I nodded and shuffled over to the wall to lean against it. Knight showed up seconds behind me, and Mac told him to close the door when he walked in.
“My friend in Phoenix has a contact in Bickle’s organization,” Dax informed us. “He sent a date and time for Bickle’s location. He’s meeting with a potential drug distributor, so depending on how Cash and Knight want to handle this…” He trailed off because we all understood his meaning.
Mac scratched his beard as he contemplated, then glanced at me and Knight, who had come to stand next to me. “Take Dax and at least three other brothers with you,” he told me. “Handle your business. Quietly and cleanly. We don’t want any of the other assholes that Timkins will name to get wind and disappear.”
I nodded, and Mac turned to Knight. “Before you head out, take Kiara to the clubhouse. Bridget and a couple of other old ladies will come to keep your women calm and distracted. We’ll have more than enough guards on them, so they’ll be safe.”