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)
Carefully, I extracted myself from Violet’s sleeping form. Once I’d gotten up from the bed and made sure Violet was still settled and asleep, I picked up my phone from the nightstand and stepped just outside the door to her bedroom.
Just as I shut the door, the fucking phone started buzzing again.
“This better be fuckin’ important,” I grumbled when I answered the fucking thing.
“Nice to hear your voice too, Riot.” Knight was deceptively cheerful. Mainly because Knight was typically reserved. Sure, he had a wicked sense of humor, but it wasn’t often that side of him came out to play. Of all of us, Knight had been in prison the longest and had had the worst time of it. How he’d managed to have a grip on the latest technology and could manipulate it to serve his needs, I had no idea. But the man wasn’t just smart. He was fucking smart. “Get your ass to my office if you want to know the latest on your girl.”
“Tell me now.” The second the words left my mouth, I knew I’d fucked up. I hastily added, “Please.”
“Uh-huh.” I could almost see the tic next to his eye indicating how pissed off he was. “I could do that.” There was a long silence while I waited for him to continue but he didn’t.
“Well?”
“I said I could. Not that I would. You want shit delivered to you in a manner convenient for you, my suggestion would be to answer your phone a little nicer.”
“Sor --” I stopped speaking when the phone beeped, indicating the call had been terminated. “Temperamental asshole,” I muttered before opening the door to Violet’s room again and glancing in. She hadn’t moved. Good. Because it looked like I was going to see Knight.
I went to my room and got dressed, throwing on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and my cut. When I opened the door, it was to a scowling Caleb.
I raised my hands in a defensive gesture. “I swear to God, I didn’t touch her last night other than to kiss her.” I’d blurted out the information without intending to, but honestly, the kid had this whole intimidation thing down. Or it could be I knew how important it was to earn Caleb’s trust. Not just for my sake in winning over Violet, but for Caleb’s sake. He’d never feel safe if he didn’t trust me. If he didn’t feel safe, Violet wouldn’t either.
His gaze narrowed. “You kissed her. My mother.” His voice was cold and deadly.
“Are you sure you’re twelve?” I suddenly realized I’d taken a step backward, retreating when I hadn’t intended to. He said nothing, so I scrubbed a hand over my face, opening the door further so Caleb could come inside my bedroom and we could talk without disturbing Violet. “Yeah. I kissed her. But only because she kissed me. I was kissing her back.” Again, Caleb just stared at me. “OK, I’d have kissed her anyway if I’d known she wanted me to.” Still nothing. “If I say I liked it, are you going to hire someone to kick my ass?”
“You saying you don’t think I can beat you on my own?” Finally, the kid spoke. And yeah, he sounded as angry as I’d first thought.
“No. I’m saying you’d want someone you knew could kill me because Violet wouldn’t approve of you killing me.” I smirked because we both knew it was true. Not because she liked me or anything. She’d be against her son killing anyone. Regardless of if they needed killing or not.
Caleb’s expression didn’t change. “Who said she’d ever find out?”
Fuck.
Yeah. Mic drop moment.
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, running my hand through my hair. This kid was something else entirely. “Look, I get it. You’re protective of your mom. But I’m not your dad. I would never hurt her.”
“Heard that before,” Caleb said flatly, his gaze boring into me, probably trying to see into my soul. “Men make promises they’re unable to keep.”
I stepped closer to him, keeping my voice low but firm. “I’m not asking you to trust me blindly, Caleb. I’m asking you to watch me. Judge me by what I do, not what I say. Your mom deserves someone who treats her right, and I intend to be that man.”
Something flickered in Caleb’s eyes. Maybe uncertainty, maybe grudging respect. It was hard to tell.
“Knight called,” I continued, changing the subject. “He’s got information about your situation. I need to go see him.”
“I’m coming with you,” Caleb said immediately. Not a request.
I considered arguing but thought better of it. “Fine. But you stay close to me, and if I tell you to do something, you do it without question. Got it?”
He nodded once, a sharp jerk of his head.
“We should leave your mom a note,” I said, glancing toward her bedroom door. “I don’t want her to wake up and panic.”