Page 63 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

Seth looked slightly sick when he replied, “Because it’s up to Hector if he wants to share with you what we talk about.”

“It’s okay,mamita,” he said quietly.

Sadie gave her dad a hard look before she hit Hector with the same thing.

Then she got up and warned them both, “Be nice.”

She reached and grabbed her pictures, smiled at her dad, then walked around the table and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. She did this before she shot an adorable warning look to Hector, and both men watched as she walked away.

When she was out of earshot, Seth clipped. “A puppy?”

Hector turned his attention to Seth. “She loves animals.”

“That’s hardly enough protection, Chavez,” Seth retorted. “And it’ll take at least a year to train it to do what it should be doing.”

“Then it’s good Vance Crowe installed a security system in my place that’s so much better than the one you had at your house, it’s laughable. And yours was top of the line. And that Sadie agreed to keep the tracker on her car and continue to carry one in her bag. Also, to have her location monitored through her phone.”

Seth puffed up his chest and huffed out a breath, which was the only way he’d share that he found that acceptable.

But Hector wasn’t feeling good about this.

“There a reason I need to keep her covered?”

“No. Except she’s my daughter and the worst happened to her, so I would hope you’d stay on target.”

“Since that’s always on both of our minds when it comes to Sadie’s safety, maybe don’t waste what little time we got left, and instead, ask me what you really wanna ask me,” Hector ordered.

Their eyes clashed.

Then, through clenched teeth, Seth asked, “How is she coping?”

He meant about the rape, because, yeah, that was always on both their minds when it came to Sadie’s safety.

It sucked the man was all in to be a good dad. It was a whole lot easier when he was a cold, heartless asshole.

“She’s fine,” he gritted in return. “She has good friends, two of whom know what she’s been through, two others got her into counselling. She likes her counsellor. Trusts her and connects with her when needed. My mom’s teaching her how to cook. She goes in next week to get fitted for another bridesmaid dress, this time, for Ava’s wedding. And if we don’t kill each other fighting over paint colors and shit, I’ll be putting a ring on her finger soon, so she’ll be getting fitted for another type of dress.”

Seth’s face turned to stone.

“You know it’s going to happen,” Hector warned low.

“There’s movement on my appeal,” Seth forced out.

Their case had been tight, so he muttered, “Good luck with that.”

“We’re appealing the sentencing, not the verdict.”

Hector sat still and studied him.

“Seems the judge may have acted improperly.”

“Fucking shit,” Hector muttered.

He’d been concerned about this.

“You want your future fiancée’s father incarcerated?”

“I want a criminal to pay for his crimes. After that’s over, I’ll worry about you being my father-in-law.”

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