Chapter 3 #2
My jaw dropped so far it almost hit the table.
“Adopt her? What makes you think that CPS is going to let a young, unmarried guy like you, with no kids, adopt a child?” I wasn’t asking to be mean; it was just unlikely.
Usually they wanted these kids to go to families with both a mother and father present and usually other children when possible. A safe, steady home.
“That’s why Hush called you,” he said, biting back his irritation at my questions. Though his restraint said that he already knew that those were problems.
“He makes the most sense out of all of us,” Riptide said with a shrug.
My gaze flicked back to Priest as I tried to figure out why he would be best suited to adopt a child. I mean out of all these—mostly single—men I guess he’d do as well as any.
“I don’t-”
“He’s one of the few of us with kids around her age,” said a voice from behind me, cutting me off.
I hadn’t realized Butcher had snuck back into the room. There was another man standing next to him that I didn’t recognize. A look at his cut told me his name was Toxic. He looked very much like all the rest. Older, dark hair, gorgeous, and danger emanating from every pore of his being.
Kids around Caitlyn’s age.
My eyes widened in shock as Butcher’s words penetrated my surprise and my heart sank. Toxic shook his head then smacked Butcher upside the head.
“What the fuck,” Butcher snarled at him.
“You deserve that and I saved you from Priest doing worse,” Toxic told him, then went to take his seat.
Butcher rubbed his head and shot us a baleful look. “How was I supposed to know he hadn’t told her about his kids?”
“You have children?” I asked Priest in a strangled tone.
The realization was just sinking in that I hadn’t known him as well as I thought I had.
Months of ‘getting to know each other’ had almost culminated in us dating and he hadn’t told me anything important about himself.
It made me remember back to when I’d been telling him about myself and he’d obviously been holding back from really letting me get to know him. Hurt settled over me.
Priest sighed. “I was going to tell you. I just…” He broke off and shot a glare at Butcher before meeting my gaze again. “We’ll talk about this later.”
“No need,” I snapped, yanking my hand from his. “It’s none of my business.” My heart cracked down the center once again. This man was already responsible for more bruising on the organ than I should have allowed.
Hush muttered a curse under his breath and gave Butcher his own dark look, though I wasn’t sure why he was mad at the man. This was Priest’s fault, not Butcher’s.
“Look, Jenny. We need your help makin’ sure that Caitlyn stays with us. If she goes into foster care she’ll be in danger. If what we suspect about her father is true and he gets to her, she’s as good as dead,” Hush explained.
“Have you reported this to CPS yet?” They all gave me stares that said I was crazy.
“Right. Of course not. Okay. I was on leave, but I’ll let them know I’m coming back to work tomorrow.
” I looked at Priest. “We’ll set up a time for you to bring her in after I have a chance to start a file on her and notify my bosses.
I’ll figure out a way to make sure I end up as her permanent case manager.
That gives me time to start thinking the rest of this through. ”
When I’d gone to Texas I’d been an assistant to one of their most prominent case managers.
Too bad he’d been a dirty, evil bastard who had almost cost the lives of two of the Austin Chapter’s babies and my friend and co-worker Julie.
After he disappeared—much to the shock of the agency—they’d promoted me.
“Great. Thank you, Jenny,” Lockout told me. He glanced over at Priest, then Hush. “I’ll leave it up to you two to explain to your women further that when it suits the club to have them help we’re grateful, but otherwise this is our business.”
My eyes narrowed, but I didn’t bother to say anything else.
I understood, even if I didn’t like being left out.
Who was I kidding? I wasn’t even an old lady, just a friend they’d asked for help with a little girl who’d found herself homeless.
Clearly Lockout was confused in thinking I was Priest’s ‘woman’.
Seek had more cause to be angry than me and if the scowl on her face was any indication, she was furious.
She too kept her mouth shut, but that could be because Hush had his hand wrapped around the nape of her neck.
He was silently telling her not to speak, though none of us missed the gesture.
Judging by the look on her face, she was going to be having words with him once they were alone. I didn’t envy Hush at that moment.
Lockout stood up and leaned over the table, catching my gaze. “Seriously. We appreciate the favor, we’ll owe you one. If you ever need any help in the future, anything, we’re here for you.”
“Thank you.” I meant it. It was kind of nice knowing that if I had any trouble I could come to this powerful group of men with my problems and it would be handled. That’s exactly what he meant too, any trouble, of any kind, they would be there.
The meeting room cleared out quickly and despite her rage, Seek stopped to give me a hug goodbye. “We need to get together one of these days. Get lunch.”
“I’d love that,” I told her with a happy grin.
Soon it was just Priest and I left and I turned toward him. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair now.”
“Jenny, wait-”
I didn’t bother. The hurt was churning in my chest. He hadn’t told me he had kids. I could understand not wanting me to meet them until we were official, but to not even tell me something as important as that? In all the time we’d been talking? What else hadn’t he told me? Clearly a lot.
The fact that we’d lived states away should have made it easy for him to tell me something like that.
It wasn’t like I could pop over, unannounced, to meet his kids.
It was the reason we hadn’t started a relationship sooner and had only barely begun talking about one by the time he sent that text.
I walked out of the room and through the clubhouse’s lounging area, where the bar was.
His arm wrapped around my waist just as I reached the door, yanking me back against a hard chest. “You’re not leaving until I explain.” He must have jogged to keep up with me, because I’d gotten a head start on him and had practically bolted out of the building.
Who are you kidding, with those stumpy little legs compared to his? He might have only walked.
“There’s nothing to explain, Priest,” I said, spinning in his hold. As soon as I faced him, I shoved his chest as hard as I could.
He let his arms drop to his sides, but not because I’d pushed him. I had no hope of breaking his hold. He was too strong. He let me go because I wanted him to.
“I’ll see you in a few days.” With that I ran out the door. I couldn’t bear to look back at him. I was too angry and hurt to deal with him right now. Too raw from my recent loss to be able to sort through what I was feeling.