Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
“She was never going back. She didn’t love getting her undergrad,” Ben pointed out. “You can’t treat her like Greer.”
“I know that. Now. She took to that training like a duck to water. A violent, aggressive, perfectly competent at taking out the bad guys duck,” Chase said with a sigh. “I have to deal with it. Anyway, don’t worry about Harlow. She’ll be fine. Jasper got off with a warning from the FAA. I think that was because they sent out a young woman who he took to lunch and probably is in bed with now. Youth. That kid should be happy he didn’t kill anyone today.”
“He’s a handful,” Ben agreed. “I’m glad we only had girls. So much more reasonable.”
Chase snorted.
Niall stood, done with the brothers’ banter. “But Harlow did kill someone, and she’s not unaffected by it. I want to talk to her.”
One of Chase’s big shoulders shrugged. “Then you should call her.”
“You know she’s not answering her phone,” Niall replied.
Ben sent him a sympathetic look. “I think she needs some time.”
“Like years,” Chase added.
Niall shook his head. “If I give her time, I’ll lose her.”
Chase frowned and gestured to Jensen. “I don’t think she’s taking him back. Are you planning on dumping your best friend for a girl you’ve known for a couple of months?”
“If I have to,” Niall said.
“Yes,” Jensen said at the same time.
“Well, isn’t that interesting.” Chase looked at his twin. “You were right. He’s going to martyr himself, and the other one is going to be too timid.”
Niall knew which one he was. “I’m not timid. I thought we were solid, Harlow and I. We said I love you even after this asshole dumped us.”
“I didn’t dump you,” Jensen said with some fire back in his tone. He’d been lifeless for hours, dull and without any of the bravado he’d come to expect from his friend. “I was protecting you.”
“You say potato he says abandonment,” Chase snarked. “It all boils down to the same thing. Asshole here has decided twice to protect my daughter by leaving her behind to clean up all of his messes.”
“Hey, I thought we were being gentle about this,” Ben complained.
“I am,” Chase affirmed. “I left my gun at home. That’s me being gentle.”
“I didn’t mean for her to clean up my mess. I meant to do that myself.” Jensen sounded stronger. “I meant to clean it up so she didn’t have to be touched by it. I was going to give Jack what I had on Hamilton and offer to testify.”
“Without the lawyer we so generously provided you with,” Chase pointed out. “Did you think Lucas left his home for funsies?”
“Well, I kind of thought he left so he could fuck with his son.” Niall wasn’t going to let them run all over Jensen. They didn’t have clean hands in this either. Especially Chase. “You’re the one who pushed her boundaries time and time again. I need you to understand that if I’m her man, I’m going to have a problem with that, Mr. Dawson.”
Chase’s eyes narrowed. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not her man since you’re here with him and not her.”
“Chase,” Ben began.
The man was intimidating, but Niall’d had a day. He got into his potential future father-in-law’s space. “I do not intend to let her go. I owe Jensen, and I know that hurts her right now, but she’s a logical, kind woman and she needed some space. She’s not going to have it for long because I intend to convince her to marry me, and when I do, I’m going to trust her. I’m going to support her. And I’m going to call her father out when he fails to do the same.”
Chase’s face fell. “Damn it. Fine. Ben, I owe you twenty.”
Ben snorted as he sank down to the seat Niall had vacated. “I told you he wasn’t going to play dead.”
“Well, he’s been quiet up to this point,” Chase shot back.
He wasn’t going to be quiet forever. He liked to lay back and wait to see if he was needed rather than inserting himself into every situation, but it was clear Chase needed more. “I love your daughter, and if she’ll have me it won’t matter that you don’t like me. What will matter is her happiness, and she can’t have that if you’re constantly fighting her. She loves you. She also worries you think she’s an incompetent moron rather than the brave warrior princess she is.”
“And now I like him.” Chase sighed again, a long-suffering sound. “All right. My brother here seems to think our daughter can’t be happy without at least one of you.”
“Both,” Ben corrected. “You know I said both.”
“We can’t pick one?” Chase asked.
Ben stared at him.
Chase’s shoulders came down, and he seemed to give in. “Fine. But it’s obvious to me they’re going about this all wrong. And killing that asshole isn’t going to bother Harlow. She’s had to save more than one young woman from his criminal organization. Trust me. She’ll sleep like a baby when it comes to that.”