Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
“And if I refuse?”
There’s so much coldness in her eyes.
“I hear Dani’s renting the house across from yours.”
My hands fist in my pockets.
“It sure would be a shame if something happened to her.”
“You’re so fucking stupid, Angela.” I start to laugh and enjoy the look of pure shock that crosses her face. “How did you think that you could show up here and make demands? How did you think that you could ask for anything from me?”
“I’m Birdie’s mother!”
“You’re nothing.” I don’t hold back the disgust anymore. “You’re no one. You signed away your rights to my daughter years ago. Without hesitation. Without a flicker of emotion. You have no more claim to her than you do a stranger on the street.”
She huffs out a breath, and I continue.
“In addition, there is a restraining order that prevents you from going anywhere near Birdie or Dani so you don’t try to pull any of your shit the way you did at the school. In fact, that order covers this fire station, and with one phone call, I could have you in jail.”
“Like restraining orders do anything,” she mutters.
“I don’t give a shit where you go, where you live, or what you do,” I continue. “But you won’t come near my kid or my girl, or I’ll have you arrested.”
“You’d have the mother of your child arrested?”
“Without a second fucking thought.” I shake my head at her again. “Go away, Angela. Go find a life that makes you happy, and leave us alone.”
“Wait, you’re not giving me any money?”
I blink at her and then look at the ceiling. “Did you not hear anything I just said?”
“I thought you were just lecturing me. I figured on that. Mr. Goody-two-shoes who never does anything wrong was sure to give me a firm talking to, but I need that money, Bridger.”
“And I need you gone.”
“Bridger!”
“No.” I point at her, my voice rising. “I’m not giving you a fucking dime. Ever. Get the fuck out of my building and out of my town.”
I open the door and point for her to leave. She marches out, past me, and down the hall to the building entrance. As she opens the door, she pauses dramatically and turns back to me.
“This isn’t over.”
“It’s been over for almost five years. Go fuck yourself, Angela.”
After I make sure that she’s pulled out of my parking lot, I call Chase Wild.
“Hey, Bridger,” he says.
“Hey. I have a situation.” I quickly tell him about Angela, remind him about what happened at the school, and then relay what just went down here. “I can give you the security footage from the conference room.”
“Yeah, I’ll take that. We’ll drive by yours and Dani’s houses regularly until we know Angela has left town.”
“I appreciate that. I think she’s all talk. She’s so fucking horrible, so entitled and selfish, but as far as I know, she’s never done anything violent in the past. She talks a big game.”
“Still, we want to keep documentation on all of this. If she does go to your house, or anywhere else on the restraining order, we can pick her up.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”
“Yep, we’ll all be there. See you then.”
Chase hangs up, and I walk into the area where my guys are.
“Did you see that woman who was just in here?”
They nod.
“Yeah, we know who she is, Chief.”
“If she ever so much as sniffs around this place again, you call the cops. Got it?”
More nods.
“Got it.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
DANI
“Dani?”
I’ve just walked past Birdie’s room, and her little voice calls out to me.
“Hey, pumpkin.” I push into her room and sit at the edge of the bed, smoothing her dark hair away from her sweet face. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
Pickles is purring at Birdie’s hip, and I reach over to scratch her behind the ears.
“I know.” Birdie yawns widely and holds my hand in hers. “Today was fun, taking Daddy and the others food.”
“I thought so, too.” Especially in Bridger’s office. Talk about hot. The only thing that left a sour taste in my mouth was seeing Angela en route to see Bridger, too. He hasn’t texted me about it, so I hope that means that nothing came of it. “Maybe that’ll be something we do more often. Maybe once a month. Would you like that?”
“Yeah, it would be fun, and we can change the menu.”
I grin at her. Sometimes, this little peanut is five going on thirty. “That sounds fun. I’m definitely down for that. What else is on your mind tonight?”
Typically, Birdie has no problem going to sleep at bedtime, so I wonder if something is bothering her.
“You live here. With me and Daddy and Pickles.”
“Yes, I do. Are you sure that’s okay with you?”
“I like it.” She smiles at me, and I can’t resist leaning in to kiss her little cheek.