When We Burn (The Blackwells of Montana #1)

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

brIDGER

S eeing my girls today, after the longest work week I’ve had for a while, was the best. Taking Dani into my office and sinking inside of her? Nothing beats that. It was a fantastic couple of hours.

And then Dani’s text came through.

I’m swinging from best day ever to you have got to be fucking kidding me in the span of two minutes.

So, it’s no surprise when the outdoor doorbell rings, and one of my guys calls out to me.

“Hey, Chief, there’s someone here for you.”

Walking down the hallway, I shift my shoulders and concentrate on keeping my face impassive and my body loose.

I won’t let her know that she gets to me. That’s what she wants.

“Bridger!” Angela’s face brightens with a wide smile, and she opens her arms, as if she wants a hug, and I shove my hands into my pockets .

“Hello, Angela. What’s up?”

She sticks her lower lip out in a pout. God, did I ever think she was cute? For fuck’s sake.

“Can we talk in private, please?”

It feels disloyal to take her to my office when, less than an hour ago, I was making love to the woman of my dreams in there, so instead, I lead Angela into a conference room and close the door behind us.

Before I can evade, Angela’s hands are gliding up my back, and she’s plastered herself to me, and I push her away.

“Don’t touch me.” My voice is even, but I’m so fucking pissed off, I want to throw her ass out of here.

“Oh, please. The sex between us was always good, honey, and you know it. We did some fun shit. Remember that time?—”

“We’re not here to walk down memory lane. What do you want?”

She lets out a gusty breath, and then to my utter entertainment, tears fill her eyes.

“Oh, Bridger. I just miss my baby so much.” She swallows hard and brushes daintily at a tear. “I made a huge mistake when I left the two of you. I know that now, and I’ve come to apologize and get my family back.”

“We were never a family.”

“Don’t say that.” She shakes her head and covers her mouth. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do mean it.” I cross my arms over my chest and wait. Angela breaks down into more tears and theatrically brushes them aside before lowering into a chair .

“I know I deserve the cold shoulder. I was horrible to you. I know that.”

“Do you know it?” I tilt my head to the side, watching her. Watching the calculation move through her hard, calculating eyes. “Leaving me in the NICU by myself with a tiny baby. Leaving me at home with her, to take care of her, while you did what and who knows what? That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“I’ve changed.”

I bark out a laugh at that. “No, you haven’t. What, did Mister New York dump you?”

A sneer moves over her mouth, and I know that I’ve hit the nail on the head.

“Ah, there it is. Well, you’re not welcome at my house.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re actually into Dani Lexington.” She scoffs at that and then lets out a laugh, pushing her long blond hair back over her shoulder. “Come on, Bridger. She’s so… plain. Such a fucking doormat, and she’s?—”

“One. More. Word.” I let the anger show on my face now as I glare at her. “Say one more word about her, and you’ll be sorry.”

“Right. I’ll say you tried to assault me in here.”

My stomach rolls with nausea.

“There are cameras in this room.” I point to two corners. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to be alone with you without it being recorded? Now, what do you want? I won’t ask you again. ”

She blows out a breath, no sign of tears in sight, and pushes her hands through her hair.

“Are you sure I can’t have you ?”

“Let me make this perfectly crystal clear.” I lower myself and get within a foot of her face. “There will never be a time or a circumstance where I would want you in Birdie’s or my lives. You’ll never touch me. You’ll never so much as breathe near me after this.”

“I need money, Bridger.”

At that, I stand back up and laugh.

“I tried to get my car fixed, but Brooks wouldn’t help me because you’ve turned your whole family against me.”

“You did that all on your own.” Jesus, she’s a piece of work.

“Look, I don’t want to stay in this shitty little town.” She stands and walks across the room to the other side of the table and sets her hands on her hips. “My parents sold the hardware store, and they’re going to spend every dime of that money, traveling and God knows what. They’re not going to leave anything to me. There’s no reason for me to be here. If you’ll give me some money, I’ll go, and you’ll never hear from me again.”

I want to laugh.

I want to rage.

Instead, I nod slowly, as if I’m actually considering this. “For the rest of Birdie’s life, you’ll stay away if I give you money?”

“Yes, I swear it.”

“How much do you think I should give you? ”

“One million dollars.” Her face is perfectly serious. “And buy me a new car.”

I continue to nod, and she gets bolder.

“Come on, I know you can get the money. Beckett could take out a loan against the ranch, or hell, one of your good friends is a billionaire. Ask Ryan Wild. I don’t care who you get it from, just pay me, and I’ll go away.”

“And if I refuse?”

There’s so much coldness in her eyes.

“I hear Dani’s renting the house across from yours.”

My hands fist in my pockets.

“It sure would be a shame if something happened to her.”

“You’re so fucking stupid, Angela.” I start to laugh and enjoy the look of pure shock that crosses her face. “How did you think that you could show up here and make demands? How did you think that you could ask for anything from me?”

“I’m Birdie’s mother!”

“You’re nothing.” I don’t hold back the disgust anymore. “You’re no one. You signed away your rights to my daughter years ago. Without hesitation. Without a flicker of emotion. You have no more claim to her than you do a stranger on the street.”

She huffs out a breath, and I continue.

“In addition, there is a restraining order that prevents you from going anywhere near Birdie or Dani so you don’t try to pull any of your shit the way you did at the school. In fact, that order covers this fire station, and with one phone call, I could have you in jail.”

“Like restraining orders do anything,” she mutters.

“I don’t give a shit where you go, where you live, or what you do,” I continue. “But you won’t come near my kid or my girl, or I’ll have you arrested.”

“You’d have the mother of your child arrested ?”

“Without a second fucking thought.” I shake my head at her again. “Go away, Angela. Go find a life that makes you happy, and leave us alone.”

“Wait, you’re not giving me any money?”

I blink at her and then look at the ceiling. “Did you not hear anything I just said?”

“I thought you were just lecturing me. I figured on that. Mr. Goody-two-shoes who never does anything wrong was sure to give me a firm talking to, but I need that money, Bridger.”

“And I need you gone.”

“Bridger!”

“No.” I point at her, my voice rising. “I’m not giving you a fucking dime. Ever. Get the fuck out of my building and out of my town.”

I open the door and point for her to leave. She marches out, past me, and down the hall to the building entrance. As she opens the door, she pauses dramatically and turns back to me.

“This isn’t over.”

“It’s been over for almost five years. Go fuck yourself, Angela.”

After I make sure that she’s pulled out of my parking lot, I call Chase Wild.

“Hey, Bridger,” he says .

“Hey. I have a situation.” I quickly tell him about Angela, remind him about what happened at the school, and then relay what just went down here. “I can give you the security footage from the conference room.”

“Yeah, I’ll take that. We’ll drive by yours and Dani’s houses regularly until we know Angela has left town.”

“I appreciate that. I think she’s all talk. She’s so fucking horrible, so entitled and selfish, but as far as I know, she’s never done anything violent in the past. She talks a big game.”

“Still, we want to keep documentation on all of this. If she does go to your house, or anywhere else on the restraining order, we can pick her up.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yep, we’ll all be there. See you then.”

Chase hangs up, and I walk into the area where my guys are.

“Did you see that woman who was just in here?”

They nod.

“Yeah, we know who she is, Chief.”

“If she ever so much as sniffs around this place again, you call the cops. Got it?”

More nods.

“Got it.”