Page 19 of August 20

She shook her head. Looking over his shoulder for Brooke, he was surprised to find her away from his daughter. The woman had the eyes of an eagle. Skye was never out of her sight.

He used the remote control and turned down the sound on the television. Deeper in the house, the shower ran.

Surprised Brooke would leave Skye alone, he said, "Okay?"

"I'm hungry."

He motioned for her to follow him. Usually, he waited until eight o'clock to set out the milk and cereal for her and Brooke. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet.

Once Skye chose what kind of cereal she wanted, he poured the milk into the bowl for her. After watching her dig in without a care, he got curious to know what kept Brooke. She never let Skye eat alone.

He walked past the bedroom and straight to the bathroom door. The shower still ran.

His gut told him something was wrong. Brooke was dedicated to Skye. She supervised every aspect of Skye’s daily routine and slept with her at night.

He put his hand on the doorknob, knowing it was unlocked because he'd removed all door locks prior to bringing her to the house.

He opened the door. Steam rolled out of the room. Through the thick air, he found Brooke sitting on the shower floor, hugging her knees. He stilled, holding his breath as the scene in front of him made sense.

Brooke's shoulders shook as the water drowned out her sobs. He swallowed hard. She was a fighter.

Not once had she broken down in front of him over the last six weeks. She'd gotten angry. She'd ignored him. She'd glared. She’d spouted off. But she always remained strong for Skye.

In his investigation, he discovered how alone she was in the world. An elderly grandmother had raised her until she was nineteen. She had no living relatives.

Because she was alone, he'd decided to hold her hostage until Skye accepted him as her father.

He would do anything to have his daughter in his life. Seeing Brooke’s relationship with Skye fucked things up for him. He never expected his daughter to be attached to her. Brooke was like a mother to her.

Better than a mother—it took a special, confident woman to love someone else’s child.

Yet, day after day, Brooke stood strong beside Skye.

Until today.

He'd expected to feel better about outlasting her. His whole purpose of holding her hostage was to gain custody of his child.

Closing the door with a soft click, he stood in the hallway, catching his breath. He rubbed the back of his neck and filled his lungs with air. It was time to move to plan B.

He worked the stress from his neck and returned to the dining room. Skye wasn't at the table. He looked into the living room and found her lying on the floor with her coloring book and crayons. He exhaled in relief at finding his daughter content and unaware of the turmoil in the house.

Grabbing his coffee cup, he went into the kitchen and refilled the mug. Every second of his days and nights were filled with the fear of screwing up. If Skye ran away or Brooke broke out of the house, everything he'd done since the day he became a father was for nothing.

He gripped the counter and hung his head. All he wanted was for the situation to end, and he could live here with Skye.

Havlin Motorcycle Club was waiting for him. He could provide a good life for his daughter. She'd want for nothing.

A small hand patted him on his hip. He straightened and turned, keeping Skye’s hand away from the pistol tucked at the small of his back.

He grunted, questioning her without words.

"Don't you feel good?" asked Skye.

"Why?" He stood straighter, swallowing past the tightening in his throat.

Skye frowned. "Aunt Brooke doesn't feel good."

"I'm fine, honey." Brooke entered the room, fully dressed and brushing her hair. "You were supposed to stay in the bathroom with me."

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