Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 138522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
“Amen to that,” Reid adds.
“I might help,” Carrie chimes in. “What an asshole.” She slides her hand to Reid’s. “Thank God you got away from that man before he pulled you down.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Reese says, tuning us out, and focusing solely on Abbie, “if this gets pointed your direction. It may not. We’ll prepare tomorrow. We’ll be ready for anything.”
Abbie breathes out. “Then you’re still with me?”
“I’m with you,” Reese says, with no hesitation, but the lines of his face are drawn tight, his tone harrowed. I know this man. He’s worried for us. I wasn’t. I knew there was nothing that could come back on us, but Abbie’s past with her ex is riddled with motives. And mine is riddled with my father, who won’t just go the fuck away. It might be time to start to get worried.
Chapter sixty
Gabe
I’m still contemplating the levels of hell my father might travel to drag us there with him when Cat pops to her feet, drawing everyone’s attention as she exclaims, “I see everyone in this room worrying right now and this is ridiculous. We need to just go talk to dad and end this.”
Abbie casts me a hopeful look. “Is that an option? I didn’t think that was an option.”
“No,” I say, at the same time as Reid and now the entire room is standing.
“You’re not going to see your father,” Reese orders, on his feet and catching Cat’s hand, grounding her right here in their home. “You and our baby don’t need that stress.”
“Worrying like this is stressful,” she replies. “Let’s just end it.” She twists around to face us all. “End it. Let’s confront him.”
“If anyone was going to confront him, it would be me,” Reid replies. “I’m not personally involved. He sees me as the cold-hearted bastard I can be.”
“Neither am I,” Cat argues. “I’m not involved.”
“When you get involved, we look rattled,” I interject. “He doesn’t need to see us as rattled.”
“Exactly,” Reid states. “Calculated is more like it, and calculated means we wait to see what Blake has to say about any tricks he might have played to frame us.”
“We don’t need to give him ideas,” I agree. “For all we know, the police are looking at him right now.” I eye Cat’s belly pointedly. “Protect what’s important. Reid and I will deal with our bastard of a father who should be protecting you, too, but won’t.”
The doorbell rings. “That’s Abbie’s mother,” Reid says. “Walker has the security clearance to bring her up.”
I turn to Abbie, my hands settling on her shoulders. “Be strong and she’ll be strong.”
“I will be,” she promises. “I don’t want her to panic.”
“You also need to allow Reese to talk to her without you protecting her. Just like I had to do with you.”
“Yes,” Reese states. “I need to be clear, Abbie. I’m representing you with the family right now. I’m not promising to represent your mother. I met her at the shelter. I liked her, but I need to talk to her before I make a commitment.”
“Thank you for considering her as a client,” Abbie says. “She’s a good person, but she’s also—”
“Abigail!”
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Abbie rotates and takes off around the couch. I watch as the two of them collide into a hug just outside of the line of the living area. “That bastard can’t even die without making your life hell,” her mother growls.
Abbie gasps and speaks to her mother in a low voice. I eye Reese, who gives me a small smile that tells me he gets it. She’s protecting her daughter. He motions me to join him. “Let’s go to the kitchen,” he says, kissing Cat as Reid catches her arm and urges her to stay behind. I know my brother. He’s going to talk our sister off the ledge our father will shove her off of.
A few minutes later, me, Reese, Abbie, and her mother are in the kitchen standing around the island.
“You’re the best of the best, I hear,” Abbie’s mother says to Reese. She looks tired, her red hair a tangled mess, dark circles shadowing her eyes. “I already knew you were generous and that you love animals, considering your help at the shelter. You’re a good man. Thank you for helping.”
“I try to be,” Reese says. “And what was Abbie’s ex? What kind of man was he?”
“He was no man. He was a monster.”
“You hated him,” Reese states.
Abbie’s mom doesn’t hesitate. “With all my heart and soul, but I suspect that man has plenty of people who feel that way. I don’t think lying about it serves a purpose besides making me look like a liar.”
“She’s always brutally honest,” Abbie offers. “I was going to warn you about that.”
Reese’s attention falls on Abbie. “Let me have a word with your mother alone.”