Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,38
Hoods have a lot of friends out there, sweetheart, but we have a lot who don’t like us much too. Could’ve been someone who has a beef with us. Could’ve been some punk kids causing shit. We’ll find out.”
She opens her mouth as if to say something, but seems to think better of it. Pushing to her feet, she grabs her jacket and purse off the chair beside her.
“Well, I should get going. It’s late.”
Of course she should. It makes sense that she does. So why do I not want her to leave? “Stay,” I tell her. “Natalie thinks you’re spending the night. She’ll be looking for you when she wakes up.”
Grace gapes at me, that frown reappearing on her forehead. “I can’t sleep here. It wouldn’t be right.”
“I can’t let you go home at this time of night unescorted. That wouldn’t be right.”
Curling her hand into a fist, she props it on her hip. “You’re such a frustrating man.”
“So?”
I can’t help it. I shouldn’t be goading her, but her hair’s a mess, her clothes are disheveled, and her cheeks are still pink from sleep. She looks adorable.
“Goodnight, Eugene.” Pushing past me, she moves toward the front door.
“What about the kids?” I ask as she walks away. “What are you going to do with our case?”
Pausing, she turns. Placing her jacket and purse on a nearby bench, she comes back to sit on the couch. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
What the fuck does she mean, she doesn’t know? “Were you not paying attention when the kids told you their history?”
She 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