Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,45

too much of a chance. This is the only way.” Even as the words slip past my lips, my candor shocks me. I know I’ve had my doubts about my job, but saying them out loud seems so foreign. I love my job, or I used to love it. But this case has given me an entirely new perspective on it all. Right now, Kevin and Natalie’s safety is all that matters, with or without the law on my side.

“Well, if you’re thinking about a career change, I could use someone with your dedication at the women’s shelter I’m building. The non-profit paperwork was just approved last month, and I’m working on sourcing extra capital outside of what the club has agreed to pitch in to get me started,” Blair mentions casually. “It’s not much, but I hope to build on it in the future.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Working without a paycheck would be hard, but it gives me an alternative to consider later. With so few things to spend my money on over the years, I have a decent nest egg. I could survive if something happened with my job, at least for a little while.

“I hope you do.”

The door swings wide, and the three of us shift our focus to the men filing out in a line. Seeing me, Eugene makes his way over.

“The club’s in, but I’m going to need you to stay with me for a few days. I don’t want you going anywhere alone.”

“I don’t need protection,” I counter. “I’m a big girl.”

His face doesn’t waver at my joke. “I’m not taking no for an answer, Grace. I’ll go get the kids, and we’ll swing by your place to get your things. You’ll be staying at my house.”

He pivots away from me and heads for the hallway. I guess I understand why they call him Judge now.

Judge

“But... we haven’t seen our dad in years,” Kevin says, his eyebrows squished together in confusion. “He took off when Nat was born. I don’t even really remember him.”

Natalie just stares ahead, her gaze unfocused.

Moving beside her, Grace wraps an arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay, honey?”

Natalie lays her head on Grace’s shoulder. “I want to stay with Mr. Judge.”

“You’re not going anywhere, kiddo. You’re staying with me. I won’t let anyone take you away.”

Natalie finally focuses her gaze, and when she does, she turns it on me. With a slow smile, she throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist and hugging me tight. “You’re our father, not him.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. But good bricks. These kids haven’t even been in my care for two months, and we’re already a family. We argue sometimes. We laugh together. We play together. And most of all, we love each other.

“Damn right I am,” I tell her, but my voice is thick with emotion.

“You kids go on up and get into bed. It’s late.”

“Goodnight, Grace. Goodnight, Mr. Judge,” Natalie says with a musical lilt.

“Night,” Kevin says, following his sister out of the room and down the hall.

Grace’s eyes follow them before they disappear from view. “They’re amazing kids. They’ve been through so much, but they’re sweet, kind, and care about others.”

“They’re fucking incredible kids.”

Grace smiles. “You’re a pretty incredible father to them too.”

Heat blooms in my chest. “Fucking incredible,” I correct her.

She bites her lip, attempting to hide her smile. “Oh, excuse me. You’re a fucking incredible father.”

I lift my arm and flex my bicep. “Fucking right I am.”

Grace’s laughter fills the common area of the clubhouse, and a few of the guys look over. I can tell they don’t trust her, seeing as she didn’t exactly make a good first impression. But they will. Once they see the real Grace—the one not hiding behind her glasses and a stack of case files—they’ll realize she’s a good woman.

“I never had a father,” she tells me. “I was an orphan from the day I was born.”

“What happened to your parents?”

“I’m not sure, really. And I think that’s the worst part. There was no information in my file. Not their names, their ages. Nothing.”

I take her hand in mine. “Is that normal?”

She gazes off into the distance, looking at nothing. “Nope.”

“So you grew up in foster homes?”

“More than I care to count,” she says sadly. “All over the state too. I never stayed in one place long enough to get settled.”

“But they were good to you, right? I mean, not all foster homes are