My father won’t be able to take having a toddler around. He’ll need a woman to take care of him. One of the younger girls. A teen, but old enough that she would have been beaten into submission. Or one of the women who is desperate to be an old lady—desperate enough to go with Bridges and try to please him.” She was revealing way too much about her life, but they already knew. They’d been there. They’d witnessed it.
“That was always the trouble with you,” Steele murmured. “You’re so damned smart. You observe everything.”
She didn’t know what was wrong with being intelligent, and she didn’t care.
“Keep going,” Czar said. “And sit down before you fall down. Driving yourself to the point of collapse isn’t going to get that boy back. You have to eat, sleep, and be in good shape. We’ve got a little time because they aren’t expecting you to succeed so quickly when they failed in finding us. We need to take that time to plan things out, so we get him back the first time and there’s no chance that he can be injured or killed.”
She flinched at the thought. She’d been avoiding the idea that her father and brother might kill her son, but it was a very real possibility if they got angry enough.
Steele put his hand on the small of her back and gave her a little push toward the chair where she’d been sitting. She might have protested, but Alena was back, putting a steaming bowl of soup on the table and a small basket of sourdough bread beside it. Lana added a bottle of water.
There was sense in what Czar said and it gave her the added idea that he was considering taking her along with them when they went after Zane. She was going even if she had to hitchhike after they left; it would be better for her to be there. She knew the way her father thought—and she could track him once she figured out one of the places he had taken her son.
She slipped into the chair, trying not to wince when she settled into the seat. She had to be careful of angles because her ribs were sore, and she knew Steele watched her with hawk eyes. They all seemed to be watching her.
“Did you go to a doctor?” Steele asked.
She sent him a look. Was he crazy? She was beat all the hell up. A doctor would report it to the cops. She knew that. If her father or Braden caught wind the cops were looking for them, they’d kill her son and bury him where no one would ever find him.
“After you eat, I’m going to have to take a look at you.”
“Like hell.”
“Watch your mouth.”
“Like you do?”
“Breezy, I’m pissed with good reason. No matter what was happening between you and me, I had the right to know you were pregnant with my child and you know it.”
There was truth in what he said, but she didn’t want to give that to him. She couldn’t make one single concession to him. She’d been so young and so afraid. She’d never been outside the club, and her father certainly hadn’t encouraged her making her own decisions. She had the lowest self-esteem possible and a baby on the way.
To avoid answering him, she put a spoonful of soup into her mouth. The flavors were perfect. She’d never had such good soup. She looked at it. Not from a can. “I’ve never actually tasted anything as good as this in my life.” She blurted it out without thinking.
Alena beamed. “I’m so glad you like it. I’m opening a restaurant soon and that’s one of my original recipes. Do you think it needs more black pepper?”
Breezy shook her head. “This is as perfect as it can get. Seriously.”
Alena shot a glance at Lana. “At last. I was pretty certain this batch had the right everything.”
“I’m hungry,” Ice said. “Did you make enough for all of us?”
“Got any of that bread to go with it?” Storm, his twin, added.
“There’s plenty for everyone,” Alena assured.
“We’re going to need clothes for the baby,” Steele said. “Breezy, you’ll have to make a list for us. We’re not up on what babies need. We’ll need a room ready for him, so include furniture …”
“He has clothes and furniture bought and paid for with money I worked for,” Breezy said, glaring at Steele.
“I’m well aware of that.” Steele took the chair opposite her while