Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
See how well Tena liked taking care of a goddamn invalid.
Didn’t matter. That shit was going to happen, guaranteed, he promised himself.
Fuck. His palms itched to grab his sled and go after those sorry motherfuckers.
The darkness of the beating he planned clouded every one of his thoughts.
Images of setting that car on fire with that fucker inside filled the devil with joy, raging inside him.
He was a fucking idiot for not getting that car’s tag numbers.
Once back in the building, he sent the front door slamming shut behind him. The force rattled the windows on the front of the house. He climbed the stairs, two at a time, pounding out his anger with each slap of his bare feet against the wooden stair treads, remembering the hood rat Tena used to be.
At the front door of his apartment, he took hold of the doorknob then froze. He took a step back to gather himself, taking in long, deep cleansing breaths. The hand on the knob twisted so tightly he should’ve broken the damn thing. Blood dripped from his hand.
He eased off the hold and wiped his hand against his jeans.
A broken doorknob added another thing for him to have to deal with and he was at his limit.
What the fuck was he going to do?
He opened the door to see both his daughters on the floor with the puppy. Tears pouring out of their eyes.
Fuck. His life was too fucking hard.
He went to them, dropping down to one knee. Like normal, Mae launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. In a rare show of deep sorrow, so did Abigail. They needed love and loyalty and reassurance in a home filled with girl empowerment.
Why was that so fucking hard to find?
His hands brushed down their hair as gently and tenderly as possible.
“We’re going to figure this out, okay?” he said. Mae nodded, leaning back. Her big eyes swimming in tears. She didn’t look convinced. His arm circled tighter around Abi who wrapped herself against his side.
He went to his ass, drawing them with him. He gave all the time, love, and attention he could.
~~~
“Let me change,” Cash said quietly seconds after the front door lock clicked in place. He had no idea where Joe was in the apartment, but he was certain his actions last night had caused a shit storm of worry and confusion among his team.
The weight of his selfish actions landed like a ton of bricks on his shoulders.
So much for his legacy of being a “team first above anything else” agent.
“All night?” Joe asked from behind him. His tone showed his annoyance and aggravation. Also, his lack of sleep. The answer to Joe’s question seemed obvious so Cash didn’t reply as he headed to his room.
“Give me a minute to change clothes,” he said, hoping for the time to gather himself and come up with some sort of reasonable explanation for why he did what he did.
“Fuck that, Ryan. I was literally on the verge of pushing the nuke button about every five minutes last night. I didn’t know what happened to you in there.” Joe followed, steps off his heels. When he tried to shut his bedroom door, Joe’s hand shot out, holding it open.
“I was doing my job,” Cash said firmly, his brows lowering. He gave his most commanding tone and stare over his shoulder. A reminder of who ran this show. “I’m not here to explain my actions to you.”
“We’re a team. I’m stuck inside this apartment to have your back. Of course, you have to explain yourself to me. I explain myself to you. You’re my partner,” Joe said, his hands going to his hips.
Cash saw the anxious exhaustion on Joe’s face. Joe may not understand all the reasons he was sent to Dallas, but he wasn’t wrong and had shown loyalty. Instant guilt crashed over him and it sucked. His incredible night, teemed with passion and desire, that needed time to process had only been his. Joe suffered for Cash’s actions.
“I’ll do better,” he finally said and gave a nod. The words sounded lame. Cash scrubbed his hand over his face. “I was able to work my way into his life. I feel like he’s beginning to trust me. I needed to go with it last night, but I’ll do better about checking in as I can in the future.”
Cash glanced away from Joe toward the window with its drawn curtain. He honestly didn’t fully trust Joe, but he was headed in that direction. Maybe it was time to take the leap. Apparently, Joe had let last night ride without notifying anyone of his long absence. That had to mean Joe didn’t know who to trust either.
This whole operation was a shit show. Joe’s actions intimated that, at least for him, it was the two of them, doing what it took to find the answers. A strong show of partnership. Cash drew in a cleansing breath. He reached for his cell phone, pulled up a music app, and turned a random playlist on to drown out their conversation to any listening devices that may have been installed.