Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,38
purses her lips. “Of course I did.”
“Did you not see how settled in they are here? This is their fucking home, Grace.”
“I know it is. I saw and heard everything you and the kids said and did, and it means the world to me that the three of you trusted me enough to let me in on the truth of your situation. Not many men in your position would do that, I don’t think.”
She’s right. People who live the MC lifestyle are usually a different breed. They don’t follow the same rules as everyone else. They don’t rely on anyone but the people in their club when they need something. And they never go to the authorities. Not for anything.
And in the grand scheme of things, when it comes to these kids, Grace is the authorities. She has the power to allow me to keep them.
“Have a seat,” she says, indicating the chair across from her.
I stare at her for a moment, unaccustomed to being told what to do in my own damn house. But I do it, curious as to what she’s going to say.
“Henry Tucker is a dangerous man, Eugene. I mean, really terrible.” She shivers. “I don’t just mean the stuff in his file, either. I can just feel it in my soul. He can’t get his hands on Kevin and Natalie.”
Finally, something we can agree on.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Honestly, my hands are tied here. Their father has legal rights to them. The judges always rule in favor of the biological parent, and I don’t see why this case would be any different.”
My jaw aches as she speaks, and I have to force myself to relax it.
“There’s no way in hell they’ll ever go with that man. Even if I end up spending twenty-five to life in prison for ripping his throat out with my bare hands, Kevin and Natalie will never end up with him.”
Grace shivers again, and I reach behind her, pulling the fleece blanket down from the back of the couch. Unfolding it, I give it a shake and drape it over her shoulders.
“The only thing I can think of,” she continues, “is for you to apply to become their legal foster parent. That takes a lot of time, and the review process alone can take weeks. Plus, you’d have to attend classes, and DCS will have free rein over the way you run your home for as long as the kids live here. I have a friend who processes the applications. I could call in a favor.”
I chew on that for a moment. “I have a better idea.”
Her face brightens a little.
“You give me everything you know about that fucker who claims to be their father. You give me any details that will help us get the cops off our backs. The club will find their father. He’ll sign those kids over to me, legally, and then he’ll disappear.”
Grace is on her feet in an instant, pacing the floor. “I will not take any part in you and your club killing anybody, Eugene Grant. Not even a bad person like him.”
Before she can finish the last word, I’m in front of her. Taking her face in my hands, I run the pads of my thumbs along her cheekbones. “I’m not in the business of just offing people, Grace. I’m flattered you think I’m that cold-blooded, but it’s just not the way the Black Hoods run things. Not unless we have no other choice.”
She doesn’t know it, but when our bodies are this close together, her pupils dilate, and her body leans closer, her breasts brushing my chest just enough to count.
“You promise you won’t hurt him?”
“Not unless we have no other choice.”
I watch as her eyes fall closed, looking as if she’s fighting a war inside her mind. Finally, after a few moments, she nods. Her eyes are still closed, but she nods. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything. I’ll give you the file. Do what you want with it, but I’ll need it back the same day.”
She looks defeated, while I feel like I’ve just climbed Mount-fucking-Everest.
I crash my mouth onto hers, her lips soft as they dance against mine, her tongue darting out to glide across my lower lip.
The smell of her hair fills my nose as her body presses even closer to mine. When she moans softly into my mouth, I realize that just being here with her like this silences everything. All the bullshit that invades our