Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,55

own wounds and rock her gently from side to side.

“Nothing’s ever going to be the same again, is it?”

And that’s when I realize that no, it won’t be. The cops have arrested Henry. Karma’s in a coma. Lindsey will never have children, which is something she’s always wanted. And my kids will never have peace until they know he’s gone. Not in jail, but gone.

As a father, I need to make sure my kids get their peace, no matter what.

Grace

I never thought this day would come. The day I would walk into my office for the last time. While a part of me has pangs of sadness for all the years of work I’ve lost to this place, the future in front of me lessens it.

I scan the four walls that are filled with memories. Good, bad, and in-between.

I’ve done good things here.

I’ve seen the worst.

I survived.

I pull out one of my desk drawers and double check that all of its contents are securely nestled in the box on my desk. A noise draws my attention to the door. Eric leans against it with a frown on his face.

“Grace,” he mumbles before shoving his way inside.

“Eric.”

“I thought I’d come see you off.”

“That’s nice of you,” I lie. He’s only here because it’s mandated for anyone who puts in their notice.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” I hear it in his voice that he wants me to reconsider.

“It is,” I declare. I broke the rules. All the rules, actually. And to be honest, it felt good that I helped bring a family together instead of tearing it apart with a lot of help from Eugene and his club. “It’s time, Eric. I’m ready for a change.” More like, there’s no way in hell they’d allow me to stay employed here when they figured out whose bed I’m sharing. It’s not like I can hide the big beast of a man from this side of my life. They could call my judgment into question as a key witness for future cases because of my association with the club. No. This is the best thing for all of us.

“What will you do now?”

“I have a job offer. A good one.”

“Oh, wow. That was fast. Any place I know?”

“Nope.” Grabbing a photo on the edge of my desk made by one of the kids I’d helped reunite with her dad, I stuff it into the almost overflowing box. “It’s the change of pace I need. After so many years, it’s going to be nice to help people again.”

Eric arches an eyebrow in confusion. “We help people every day.”

“Eric, be honest. When’s the last time you felt good about our line of work? When you really felt like you helped protect the happiness of the kids who come into our care? Don’t you get tired of watching families being torn apart over some technicality?”

“We are helping them, Grace. We protect them from abuse. Homelessness. Poor living conditions. Happiness isn’t a factor in what we do.” Taking a deep breath, he shrugs. It’s like he’s reading the recruiting handbook back to me verbatim. The old Grace would’ve believed every single word of his spiel. I know better than that now.

“I thought being in their shoes would help provide a deeper perspective into what they’re going through, but do you know what I realized? The system hasn’t changed. A lying parent can rip away the rights of the other parent whenever they want. We send a child into foster care when their grandmother wants to care for them. How are we protecting them?”

“We’re bound by the law, you know that.”

“Well, I’m tired of laws that only work for those who know how to manipulate them to fit their own agenda.”

“Jesus, Grace. Is that how you see it?”

“You really are blind to it all now. It’s a shame. You used to be such a good advocate for these kids, but the life of bureaucracy gets us all, I guess.”

“Where is this coming from? This isn’t the Grace Halfpenny I know. What’s changed?”

What hasn’t changed about me? I’m happy. I have a family. It may be a little non-traditional, but it’s a family. One that looks out for each other in their own ways. It’s not the kind of family I was looking for, but it’s the one I’ve needed all along.

“Family. I have a family for the first time in my life.” He stares at me again with confusion. “That’s where I’ve been, Eric. I wasn’t