Bulldog - Hope Ford Page 0,14
doing home so early? I thought you were staying until later tonight.”
She rolls her eyes, like only a teenage girl can. “Chloe wanted to go to the mall with me and my friends. I refused to hang out with her and so I had Dad bring me home.”
I should tell her that she needs to respect adults, but Chloe is the one that Charlie cheated on me with, and I know Emma blames her for the breakup. Regardless, I’m not going to get into all that now.
“Whose bike is that, Kate?”
Finally, I do answer him. This is my house and I don’t owe him anything. “A friend of mine is inside. But really, it’s none of your business.”
“None of my business? I bought this house.” He starts to yell at me.
I hold my hand up to stop him. “Go inside, Emma. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She looks between us and walks inside, and I turn back to Charlie, the man that still seems to think he can control what I do.
Bulldog
Luckily, I went in and put on clothes before sitting back down at the dining room table. I can no longer see the man and young girl outside, but I can hear the man. The door opens and in walks the daughter, a younger image of Kate.
She looks taken back. “Who are you?”
“Uh, I’m a friend of your mother’s. I’m Bull.”
She nods her head. “I’m, uh, Emma.” She sits down on the couch and with the open concept, she’s just a few feet away from me. It’s awkward for me, and I know it is for her.
The voices get louder outside, and I ask Emma, “Does he always talk to her like that?”
Emma’s face scrunches up. “Yep, always. She always wanted me to have my mother and father in the picture and I think she thought I wanted her to put up with that mess. Thankfully, he cheated on her and that was the last straw.”
I can’t help but wonder how old she is. She seems pretty wise for a kid.
When the voices get even louder, I’ve had enough. “I’ll be right back,” I tell Emma and walk out the door, shutting it firmly behind me.
The man is staring at me incredulously, but I ignore him. I pull Kate against me. “Go inside.”
She turns in my arms with fire in her eyes, but I smile down at her. “Go inside, please?”
She snaps her mouth closed and finally nods her head. Without another look at the other man on the porch, she walks inside. When the door shuts, I turn back to him with a menacing look on my face. “Hey, Judge Hawthorne.”
“How do you know me? I don’t know you.”
I just laugh. “I’m Bulldog. I’m with the Heartlands MC and you’re on our payroll.”
He looks confused. “Payroll? I’m not on your payroll. What are you talking about?”
I shake my head and laugh again. “You’re right, not anymore. Not since we went on the straight and arrow. But before, when we did all the drug runs, the guns, all of it, you were right there with us. You were in our back pocket. We have more than enough evidence to take you down.”
He looks alarmed for a minute and then shakes his head. “No way. If you try to take me down, you’re going down with me.”
“We’re smarter than you give us credit for, Judge. We have everything tied to you. Nothing has our name on it.”
He sneers, showing me the man I know he is. “What do you want?”
“You’ll never talk to Kate like that again. And if I hear of you mistreating her or your daughter again, I’ll end you. And don’t even test me. You know I can do it.”
I expect him to argue. I expect something, but he really is a cowardly piece of shit by the way he just nods his head and walks away from me, down the steps, and to his car.
As soon as he pulls out, Kate comes out the door. “I don’t need a keeper. I can take care of myself…”
But I stop her and pull her into my arms, breathing her in. “I know. But if you think I’ll stand by and let anyone mistreat you and talk to you like that, you’re mistaken. That’s over.”
She wants to argue. I think she likes to argue with me, maybe because she likes the making up part too. I don’t know, but I’ll stand firm on this. I keep hold of her