Chapter Three. #2
“It’s worth creating a relationship with them,” I drawled, and Warden nodded.
“Except we pissed Mike off last night.” Warden looked directly at me. “Dynamo, make things right,” he ordered.
I scowled, but understood Warden was correct. We hunted traffickers, as ACI did. Unfortunately, I’d already tried to make nice, and Mike had ignored me and basically told me to get fucked.
Kids loved toys, correct? What the hell would I know?
I didn’t even buy for Maci, Ham, and Grace.
Instead, I gave Bryony money to buy what they needed.
Now I stood in a damn toy store, wondering what was cool for two little girls.
In the end, I grabbed a sales assistant and picked their brain before blowing nearly two hundred bucks on two fuckin’ goth dolls.
Eyes watering at what they each cost, I headed out to Mike’s address, which Cipher had got for me.
Pulling up, I saw it was past five, so they should be home.
School was over for the day. Hell, were they even in school, or was it spring break or something?
Ham and Maci were now homeschooled after Bryony ripped the principal a new one.
Seeing Mike’s black SUV in the driveway made me feel disappointed.
I had hoped to avoid this. However, nobody called me a coward.
I swung off the bike as the door opened. I’d prepped myself for it being Mike, but instead Raven stood there. She glared at me in pure dislike.
“I came to apologise,” I said, not liking the haunted bruising around her eyes. I’d done that. The club strongly believed in protecting kids, and I’d caused harm.
“Dad!” Raven yelled and walked away.
I paused; did I wait? Oh, hell, might as well follow her.
I entered the house, shocked at how homely it felt.
From the outside, it looked ultramodern and new.
Inside was a different story. Pictures covered the walls of the large entrance hall, surrounding two double doorways.
Observing more closely revealed Mike, the girls, and sometimes a woman.
That must be the murdered mother. She was blonde and attractive in a girl-next-door way.
“It’s you!” Robin gasped, skidding to a halt as she came down the stairs. “Go away, you’re not going to hurt Daddy.” Robin scowled, and I hid a smile.
“Nope, I’m here to say sorry. I bought you this,” I replied and held out a doll.
Clearly, I owed the sales assistant a huge tip, as Robin’s eyes widened, and I saw greed cross her face. Oh, Robin wanted it. I offered both dolls, and Robin glanced between them.
“Which one do you want?” I asked.
“Vampirana,” she said, pointing. I gathered that was the vampire doll. I offered it to her, and Robin took it with reverence.
“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Robin gasped and, without warning, launched at me. Startled, I stepped back as two arms wrapped around my waist. “Thank you, scary lady!”
I heard boot steps as I awkwardly patted Robin on the shoulder. There was no way I’d ever admit it, but the hug felt nice. Mike appeared through one of the double doorways, Raven beside him.
“Look, Daddy! Vampirana!” Robin squealed. The grim expression Mike gave me faded as he smiled down at his ecstatic child.
“Did you say thank you?” he asked.
“Yes, can I go play?” Robin demanded, clearly excited at the doll.
“Sure,” Mike agreed.
“Here, this one is for you,” I said, holding the second out to Raven. She eyed it with suspicion before glancing up at Mike.
“Carry on,” he urged, and she stepped forward and took it.
“Thanks,” she muttered begrudgingly and shot off after her sister.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Mike stated. I stood awkwardly in the hallway.
“I want to apologise.”
“For digging into my past, accessing redacted materials, or for scaring the fuck out of my girls?” Mike fired back.
“Do I get to pick?”
Mike let out a bark of laughter. “Christ, you’re a piece of work. Come on through, I’m cooking dinner.”
I followed Mike through the lounge into a wide kitchen.
The area was open plan and clearly a family home.
There were signs of the kids: a blanket, a doll, and a pair of shoes.
The sofas appeared comfortable, and there was an oversized armchair.
On the arm was a book, and I imagined Mike sitting in with a girl on either side and reading to them.
There was a corner with several toy boxes, too, and I saw shelves with games and books stacked neatly on them.
Mike stood in front of a stove, stirring something in a pot. He glanced over my shoulder and nodded. “Take a seat.”
“Thanks.”
I sat watching him move about the kitchen.
Mike understood what he was doing and was fuckin’ sexy in doing so.
He wore an old pair of jeans worn down and frayed at a knee, that clung lovingly to his ass.
He had a tee on with ‘Navy SEAL’ written across the chest, and the kicker was that he was barefoot.
Barefoot men in jeans possessed a certain irresistible sexiness.
“Go on,” Mike said, turning around and leaning his hips against a counter. He crossed his legs and stared at me.
“What?” I stammered, my train of thought jumbled.
“Apologise.”
“Oh yeah. We overreacted. We’d received the message with a clear threat aimed at Maci, and then you arrived. Naturally, I acted on a perceived threat and moved to protect Maci,” I said.
“Nope. That’s not an apology,” Mike retorted.
“What?” I replied, confused.
“That’s an excuse. Not an apology.”
I glared at Mike. “We were out of order.”
“There was no we. There was you and a knife.” Mike touched his neck where I could see the healing scab of where I’d cut him.
“What do you want?” I demanded, out of my depth.
Mike shook his head in disappointment and reached over to stir the pot. “A genuine one, Dynamo.”
“I just offered you one!”
“No, you gave me an excuse for your actions. I get that. But I didn’t receive an apology. Here, I’ll start you off. Mike, I’m really sorry for… now you take over.”
I got the distinct impression that he was enjoying this. “Look, I’m sorry for scaring your kids, for giving them nightmares, and for hurting you. I won’t apologise for distrusting you; I don’t know you. And I’m not apologising for jumping the gun; that might have meant life or death for Maci.”
“What else?” Mike pushed.
I frowned. Mike smirked, and a tiny flutter happened in my stomach.
“Mike, I apologise for breaking into classified files and checking you out,” Mike said, and I shook my head.
“No, I’m not, and you’d have done the same. How were you aware of that, anyway?”
Mike grinned. “Cipher isn’t the only expert in cyber hacking. My name is flagged; anyone runs a search, it’s noted.”
“No way did someone catch Cipher. I don’t believe that,” I exclaimed.
Mike smirked. “Cipher’s one of the best, but not the best.”
He turned back to the stove while I tried to absorb that. Cipher had to be warned that his check had been marked. That could have endangered him and the club.
“Cipher’s safe. The Royal Bastards aren’t in danger. If I wanted him shut down, I’d have given the order,” Mike threw over his shoulder.
What was he? A mind reader now?
“Anyway, I’ve said what I needed. I’ll let myself out,” I stated and stood up.
“Fancy dinner?” Mike asked, turning to look at me.
“What?”
“Dinner, you know, food.”
“I know what din—”
“Good. Stay. You owe me. Show Raven and Robin that you’re not a demon-spawned monster so they can sleep without nightmares,” Mike demanded.
“I am, though.”
“No. I don’t believe that. No bitch would have brought two highly sought-after dolls to apologise to the girls,” Mike refuted.
“It was the right thing to do,” I replied stiffly.
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to. Stay and eat with them, let them see you’re human.” Mike’s eyes studied me carefully, and I wondered what he was seeing. Whatever it was, Mike wasn’t prepared to back down.
“If you mean you’re sorry, you’ll stay,” Mike stated and turned away.
I chewed that over, sat down, and glared at him.
Damn him and his clever words. I’d eat and then leave.
This was an untenable situation to be in.
It felt too familiar, too much like a dream I’d once had that had been stolen from me.
A family. That was something I’d never experienced.
Men who cared little about the fact that I’d once dreamed of my future had taken it from me. They’d paid in blood, but so had I.