Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,6

I step inside and flick on the light switch to my left, flooding the apartment in a soft, warm glow. The small space I call home, with such historic charm, has exposed brick walls and original hardwood floors. They were the biggest draw when this apartment came up for sale in this building. And the close commute to work was a bonus.

Setting my keys and purse down on the entryway table, I utter, “Home sweet home.” Home sweet, lonely home is more like it. I’d considered over the years getting a pet, but it wouldn’t be fair to them with the hours I keep.

I head toward the kitchen when I catch my reflection in the mirror above the table. My dark hair lays in loose waves on either side of my round face, with little wisps of gray baby hairs dotting my hairline near my ears. My gray eyes behind my wire-frame glasses showcase my extreme exhaustion.

Sighing, I jump when my cell phone rings from inside my purse.

Retrieving it quickly, I answer, “Grace Halfpenny.”

“Hey, Grace,” the voice of my supervisor, Eric, comes through the line. “I’m sorry to call so late.”

“It’s okay. Is something wrong?” Please say no. I just got home and haven’t even taken off my shoes.

“Austin PD requested crisis prevention for a removal. Parent OD’d in the car outside of a Denny’s. I wouldn’t normally ask, but with Cindy out of the office…” he trails off.

“It’s fine. What’s the address?”

Rattling it off, he apologizes again before hanging up. Without even a second thought, I gather my things, take a deep breath, and step back out into the night’s air. No rest for the weary, right?

Judge

“I don’t have that,” I repeat, walking away from the others to gain a little privacy. I’ve been on the phone with the school’s secretary for almost ten minutes now, having this same conversation over and over again. The same one I’d had when I went to register them a few days before school started.

“Sir, we need to have the children’s birth certificates, transcriptions from their previous school, and vaccination records for their files. Surely you have them somewhere.”

Feeling my eye twitch, I clench the phone in my hand. I know she’s just doing her job, but how many ways can I say it? “Look, I don’t have them. I’ll work on getting replacements for your files, but those kids need to stay in school.”

“Of course.” From the sounds of it, she’s just as pissed off as I am. “I can let it go for now, as legally, we can’t keep them from enrolling in school,” she snaps, emphasizing the last word to reinforce the idea that this isn’t the end of it. “But please, keep me informed on where you’re at with attaining those documents.”

“Will do,” I growl, but the phone disconnects before I finish, making it painfully obvious I’ve been dismissed. Stupid bitch.

Before I have time to stew over being hung up on, my phone rings. With a sigh that’s supposed to be calming, I look down at the screen. Mom is calling.

“What do you want, asshole?” I greet, bringing the phone back up to my ear.

Mom chuckles on the other end. “Fuck you too, prick. Is that any way to talk to your buddy after not speaking for three months?”

I grin. “Pretty sure it’s not my fault. Your phone works just as well as mine does.”

Mom groans on the other end. “I wasn’t exactly on vacation here, Judge.”

“I know, I asked you to go there.” My smile fades. “You good, brother?”

“I’m coming home, man. I’ve done all I can do here, and shit with Marie is hitting the fucking fan. I gotta sort out my own life before I can do much more for this club.”

I lean my ass against a nearby picnic table and stare down at the ground. “You got an escort?”

“Yeah. V is heading back with me. Thinking he might stick around a while.”

“Good. Get your ass home, brother. The club needs their VP back in one piece.”

“Their VP needs his old lady to stop being such a fuckin’ psycho.”

I chuckle, knowing that Mom loves Marie’s psychotic side almost as much as her fancy new tits. “See you soon.”

Disconnecting the call, I shove my phone back into my pocket. Mom and I have been around since the beginning of the Black Hoods MC. We’ve seen and done a lot of shit together. He’s been gone, dealing with an upheaval in the SoCal chapter, but I wasn’t lying