Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,48
Hashtag had turned off my GPS, so that shouldn’t be possible.
“I pinged your phone, and after I searched your apartment, I found this address written on a pad of paper.”
“Wait a second. You broke into my apartment?” I bellow. “How dare you!”
“Wellness check,” he snaps. “Your super let me in. I wouldn’t have had to do that if you’d answered your fucking phone.”
A coil of anger unfurls inside of me. It wasn’t a wellness check. He intruded into my private space and abused his power to do it. The nerve of him.
“So what?” I snarl, throwing my arms wide. “You’re stalking me now? I’m allowed to have a life, Aaron. One where I do not need to inform you of my every move. You’re crossing a line right now. You need to leave.”
“I know whose house this is, Grace. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Why don’t you step aside and let me take care of him so you can go back to your life?”
He tries to sidestep me, but I stay put. He’s not going into that house. I won’t allow it.
“What exactly do you think you know about my life?”
His eyes narrow. “Enough to know that this case is clouding your judgment, and that you need a healthy dose of reality to help you realize you’re in danger.”
Oh, this ought to be good. “Explain to me, how I’m in danger?”
He tips his head at the door. “That man will get you killed, Grace.”
“He’s protected me more than you ever could have.”
“How? He’s the bad guy in this, not me.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong. That man has protected me and those kids.”
Aaron’s face stills. “That’s twice you’ve said that. How has he protected you?”
Folding my arms across my chest, I let him have it. “Their father tried to take me hostage a few days ago at the coffee shop next to the office. Eugene scared him off. If he hadn’t, there’s no telling what that man would’ve done to me. He’s a junkie, and he’s dangerous. I probably wouldn’t be standing here right now yelling at you if it weren’t for Eugene.”
“Oh, come on. That doesn’t change who he is or what he’s capable of.”
“Let me tell you who Eugene Grant really is. He’s a hard-ass of a man who loves those kids more than anyone on this planet could. If it weren’t for him, Natalie would’ve been sold into a sex trafficking ring. Kevin would have turned out just like their uncle who forced them both into it. If he and his club hadn’t stepped in, neither one of those kids would be in one piece right now. He saved them. He’s protected them. If that’s not the definition of what a father should be, then I’ve failed as a social worker.”
He takes a step back. “You knew all this, and you didn’t bring it to me? I could have fucking helped you, Grace.”
“No, you couldn’t have. Only the Black Hoods could help me.”
Aaron blinks once, twice. “What exactly can they give you that I can’t?”
“Safety,” I reply. “The ability to do what I need to do to protect these kids.”
“You’re breaking the law.”
I laugh, without an ounce of humor. “The law is already broken. It has been for a really long time.” Everything I’ve held back from him the last few years continues to flow out of me like a raging river after a heavy spring storm. “I’ve watched family after family being torn apart. For once, I want to keep this one together. They can protect them.”
Aaron’s nostrils flare. “They’re not his to protect.” Spittle flies from his mouth as he raises his voice. I’ve never heard him yell before, but somehow, I’m not surprised he has such a short fuse. “And neither are you.”
“That’s for me to decide, not you.”
What happens next, happens so fast, I don’t have time to register it.
Aaron’s fist rockets toward me, dangerously close to my face, but only the breeze from its power caresses my cheek before landing against the door behind me.
His eyes fall closed when he realizes what he’s done. “Grace, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
I feel the support of the door fall away and land against Eugene’s body, shaking with rage. “I will fucking rip your head off and shit down your neck,” he growls.
Aaron’s eyes grow wide.
“No!” I cry, turning to face Eugene. Placing my hands on his chest, I stare deep into his eyes, searching through the fiery