CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Fallon
MY FINGERS FLEW OVER THE KEYBOARD FUELED BY CAFFEINE and the bag of strawberry Sour Patch Kids Kye had slipped into my work tote, along with a note that read: Slay the dragons, Sparrow. The note fueled me as much as the sugar. I loved that Kye understood just how important my job was.
The buzzer over the entry door sounded, and I glanced over to identify the newcomer. “Hey, Noah. I’m just finishing up the additional home study you needed. Give me one more second.”
“Thanks, Fal,” he said and crossed to his desk, sounding exhausted.
“You need some of whatever Fallon’s rocking,” Mila muttered. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone type so fast.”
I chuckled as I kept right on typing. “Diet Coke and strawberry Sour Patch Kids.”
Mila’s entire face screwed up like she’d just sucked on a particularly potent lemon. “That combination sounds completely disgusting.”
“Don’t knock it until you try it.” I hit save and then attached the document to an email, shooting it off to Noah. “Done.”
I turned to face our newest arrival and winced. Noah looked rough. He had more scruff around his jaw than usual and shadows beneath his eyes. “Are you okay?”
He reached for the water bottle on his desk and sent me a strained smile. “Surviving. Not thriving.”
“Been there. Anything I can do?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You did it. That’s the last document we need to file.”
“Good.” I was quiet for a moment before asking what I really wanted to. “Any updated info on terminating Renee Jensen’s parental rights?”
Noah stiffened slightly. “You know I can’t give you the ins and outs of a case you’re personally involved in.”
“I’m not asking for that. I just want to know things that are—or will be—public record. Like when the hearing is. That way, Kye and I can have our ducks in a row for filing for adoption if her parental rights are terminated.”
Noah let out a long sigh. “Renee goes before the judge this week. I’ll let Rose know if the judge wants to talk to Hayden, Clementine, or Gracie.”
My stomach twisted. I had a pretty good feeling that Clem and Gracie would say they didn’t want to live with Renee.
That they wanted to live with me and Kye.
But Hayden? She was a wild card. Despite the safe, stable home Kye and I provided, she might fight for the unstable one she knew because it was predictable.
“Thank you,” I said, texting Kye to let him know so he could talk with his attorney.
“Fallon.” Noah’s voice was soft, so gentle it had my head snapping up in concern.
“Are you sure this is the right move? I know you care about Kye, but are you sure this is what’s best for those girls?
For you? He hasn’t exactly had a stable life, and there’s some seriously messed-up shit happening with the MC he was involved with. ”
Fury blazed through my veins, and I knew Noah realized it when he reached out and grabbed my shoulder in an attempt to soothe me.
“I just mean—”
I jerked out of his grip and let everything I felt show in my gaze and expression.
In every part of me. “Kye has been through hell on Earth. He lived with parents who abused him physically and mentally. He started fighting in a circuit that meant him getting beat to hell on a regular basis in hopes of breaking free of that life. And then he managed to get himself out of both.”
I sucked in air, and the words kept right on coming.
“He built a multi-million-dollar business through his gifts in tattooing. Built a mixed martial arts gym that offers programming for kids in the community free of charge. And he is the best brother, uncle, son, and friend I’ve ever seen.
So, don’t you ever say a word to disparage my husband ever again. ”
A slow clap sounded from the far corner of the room. Rose stood there, her eyes narrowed on Noah. “Kyler Blackwood is an example of what can happen when the system works. And the fact that you keep trying to belittle the man he has become and all he has achieved is really starting to piss me off.”
Noah clenched his teeth, making tiny divots appear in the hollows of his cheeks. “I just wanted to make sure Fallon knows what she’s getting into.”
“She knows,” Rose clipped. “She’s known the man since she was fourteen, for God’s sake.”
“And he held me together when I was processing the grief of losing my dad and brother, even though his life was falling apart,” I said, punctuating the point.
Rose’s expression softened. “I’m so glad you had that, honey.”
“Me, too,” Mila said quietly. “I’m sorry I judged him based on appearances. I’m starting to see that I have some work to do in that arena.”
I sent her a small smile. “Well, to be fair, he does look a little scary.”
Mila chuckled. “At least it’s scary hot.”
I burst out laughing. “Don’t tell him that. His ego’s big enough.”
Noah slammed his laptop shut and shoved it into a bag. “I have a dinner meeting.” And with that, he stalked out of the office.
My shoulders slumped. Apparently, it was too much to ask to have both my uncertain coworkers do an about-face.
“It’s not your fault,” Mila said, leaning back in her chair. “I’m pretty sure he’s been in love with you since the day you started here.”
Anxiety grabbed at me, and my skin suddenly felt too tight for my body. “No, he’s not. He just—”
“He is,” Rose said with finality. “But he pissed around and lost any chance he had with you by not acting on it. And now he’s mad at himself but pointing that anger outward. It’s not fair to you or Kye.”
I grimaced. “I didn’t give him the impression that I was interested, did I?”
Rose and Mila both dissolved in a fit of giggles.
Rose wiped under her eyes. “Dear God, no.”
“You seemed about as oblivious to him as you would have been if he were a monk taking a vow of silence,” Mila said.
At least there was that. The last thing I wanted to do was make a friend think there was more between us than there was.
Because the truth was … “It’s always been Kye,” I whispered, emotion clogging my throat.
“Trust me. I tried to get over him. I dated. I tried fix ups and those stupid apps where every man feels the need to pose with a dead fish. But it was never …”
“Him,” Rose finished for me, her eyes glassy.
Mila ripped a tissue out of the box to dab at her eyes. “Okay, I’m all in. You guys earned your HEA.”
“HEA?” Rose parroted.
“Happily ever after,” Mila explained. “And Fal’s earned it.”
“I don’t know if we’re there yet,” I admitted. They just couldn’t know how far away we truly were.
“You’ll get there. Why don’t you start by taking off a little early and spending some time with your new family?” Rose suggested.
I glanced at my watch. Half past two. I had a little time before school pickup. I could stop by the craft store for some lunch bag mending supplies and maybe another project like friendship bracelets.
Shoving back my chair, I grinned at them both. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Go climb that scary hot man like a tree,” Mila called as I grabbed my jacket and bag.
“You know,” I said, glancing over my shoulder, “he has some scary hot friends.”
Mila’s head cocked to the side. “Color me intrigued.”
I laughed, waving at both of them and heading for my SUV. I beeped the locks and double-pressed the button that started the engine. I still wasn’t used to all the fancy bells and whistles on this one.
I climbed in, set my bag on the passenger seat, and turned on the seat heaters.
We were slipping into official winter territory.
I backed out of my spot and navigated the full parking lot.
We shared a campus with other county programming, and it looked like something was happening at one of the other small buildings.
I pulled onto the two-lane road that led into town. There was hardly any traffic at this time of day, so I noticed when the motorcycle pulled onto the road behind me. A prickle of unease slid through me, but I shoved it down.
A million people drove motorcycles. Hell, Kye did. It was probably nothing.
But as I drove, the bike got closer and closer.
It looked similar to Kye’s, with a black body, but I couldn’t tell anything about the person driving it.
They wore a leather coat so bulky it could’ve been a man or a woman, and their helmet had a tinted visor you couldn’t see through.
Then again, it was freezing out, so it could’ve been to protect the rider from the weather.
The engine on the bike gunned, bringing them even closer. My heart hammered against my ribs as I pressed the accelerator, going well past the thirty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit. I’d honestly welcome one of Trace’s deputies pulling me over right now.
The bike picked up speed behind me, matching my tempo. My mouth went dry, and I pressed the accelerator until I was going forty-five. The bike revved its engine as if in warning.
“It’s broad daylight. Nothing’s going to happen.” I spoke the words out loud, trying to calm myself.
A truck turned in front of me, not realizing how fast I was going, and I cursed as I swerved around him. He blasted his horn at me—rightfully so. But I couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief at having a vehicle between the bike and me.
Until the motorcycle rounded the truck, blazing past him and putting itself between us.
My gaze jerked from the road ahead, and everything happened in snapshots.
The figure on the bike pulled something from their jacket.
Metal glinted in the sun. A crack pierced the air.
The windshield of the truck behind me shattered.
I didn’t think. I simply reacted. I slammed on my brakes, jerked the wheel to the left, and took a side street as another crack sounded.
I didn’t know if the biker was shooting at me, the truck, or something else. But I wasn’t sticking around to find out. I raced through a neighborhood, running two stop signs and driving at least twenty miles an hour over the speed limit.
I had no idea where I was going until I saw the building. Blackheart Ink. My tires squealed as I jerked to a stop. I didn’t turn off the SUV or get my keys; I just ran for the building.
Jerking the door open, I flew inside.
Kye stood, cleaning his station, and it looked like he was the only person in the studio. He took one look at me and was already moving. He was on me in a flash, hands in my hair, skating over my body. “What happened?” he barked. “Are you hurt? The girls?”
“I think somebody just tried to kill me,” I croaked.