Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
“OK, then.” I smiled up at Knuckles. “Thanks for helping us.”
“Just, if the parole board asks you about anything, tell them Riot went the extra mile to protect you.”
I started. It hit me how serious this was for Riot. “Oh, my God! When the cops find those guys, are they going to come after you?” The thought nearly made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t know what his past was, but there was no way he deserved to go back to prison for killing those bastards.
Knuckles raised his hands. “Calm down, honey. No one’s going back to prison, and certainly not for killing those pissants.”
“How can you know that?”
“This is one of those things I want you to trust me on.” Riot squeezed my hand so he had my attention. “I won’t let you down.”
Had he phrased it any other way, I might have insisted they tell me everything. The fact was, I didn’t really want to know. I knew in my heart I couldn’t handle the raw facts.
I nodded. “You’re right. I’m just concerned about it is all. I don’t know you, but you’ve shown me more kindness in a few short hours than Doug showed me in thirteen years of marriage. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Riot’s jaw clenched, but his eyes softened as he looked down at me. There was a long moment as we stared at each other. His brow furrowed and I could see him struggling with something. Then he shook his head and gave me a small smile. “Let’s get you inside. You guys need rest.”
Riot took us inside the nearest building. The door opened into one large room. It looked like a common room or just the place everyone hung out. Kind of reminded me of a sports bar from my college days. He took us to the back, and we stepped into the elevator. He closed the gate and the lift started moving up.
When he stepped out into the hallway, he held out his hand to me once again. I took it without hesitation. Caleb cleared his throat. When I glanced back at him, he raised an eyebrow, looking from mine and Riot’s joined hands back to me.
Immediately, a wash of shame crashed over me. I was still married, for Christ’s sake! What was I doing holding this man’s hand?
I tried to jerk my hand away, but Riot held fast. He looked down at me and his eyes widened in shock. He let go of my hand and took a step away from me.
“It’s all right, Mom.” Caleb’s face was bright red. “I was teasing. Apparently, it backfired spectacularly.”
“I’m still married to your father,” I said softly. “I should respect my vows.”
“Right,” Caleb said, ducking his head. “Like Dad loves and cherishes you. Seems to me he disrespected stuff first.”
“That doesn’t mean I should --”
“Mom. Stop.” Caleb reached out and took my hands. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m jumpy,” I said, trying to smile when I really wanted to cry. The sad truth was, I wanted to crawl into Riot’s arms and let him hold me together while I grieved for a while without shattering into a million pieces. “I’m overreacting to everything. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t more than a little scared. But not of you, Riot. Or anyone here. Doug Harrington is a dangerous man. The very last thing you want is him looking at this place too closely.”
“You let me worry about that, honey. I promise none of us will underestimate him.” Riot’s expression was so earnest there was no way not to believe him. Riot was a funny mixture of violent killer and simple country boy. Of course, most simple country boys could become violent killers if pushed far enough, so I kind of thought the analogy fit him perfectly. As he spoke, two women hurried down the hall. They greeted us with large, welcoming smiles.
“We put you in one of the top-floor apartments.” The woman speaking smiled warmly. “I’m Hannah, Knuckles’ woman. Pippa here is Gunnar’s. Gunnar is my twin.”
“Hello.” I managed a small smile, despite how exhausted I felt. “I really appreciate your help. We don’t want to be a burden.”
Pippa waved my words away with a flick of her wrist. “Honey, you’re not a burden. We take care of our own here.”
“We’re not --” I started to say we weren’t part of their club, but Hannah cut me off.
“If Riot’s looking after you, you’re one of us now.” She smiled and linked her arm with mine, guiding me down the hall. “The apartment’s not fancy, but it’s clean and there’s, like, four bedrooms. I honestly don’t think anyone has ever lived in any of the top-floor apartments before me, Pippa, and Carrie got here.” Hanna opened the door to a huge living area. She waved her hand around the large living area. It was pretty plain and had nothing on the walls or surfaces, but there was a lot of space. Doug’s estate was luxurious in the extreme, but even though I’d lived there for thirteen years, I’d never felt comfortable. This place felt like a new start. I knew it wouldn’t be a permanent thing, but it represented the beginning for me and Caleb.