Page 3 of Faking it with the Bad Boy Bikers

“No, you’re sad! He made you sad. I’m going to kick him again!” The little spitfire only stopped struggling to get free when her mom shot her a stern look. “Fine. I won’t kick him again, but I think you should.”

“What the actual fuck, Nellie?!” Mills rubbed at his leg and scowled. “You’ve got a kid? A feral one, at that?”

That comment hardened Nellie’s resolve, it seemed. Her chin went up, her back straightened, and her voice was lower when she spoke again. “Say something like that again and I’ll do more than kick you, Mills Jonathan Hellstone. It’s been a decade but I still remember your weak spots.”

“You don’t know anything about any of us anymore. You’ve been gone for ten years, Nellie. You just want to show up again like you didn’t walk out on us?” Mills ran his hand over his face as he looked around and realized they had an audience. “Shit. Are you staying? If you’re staying, maybe you should come inside so we can talk without everyone hearing all of our sordid secrets.”

Nellie turned away and gripped Waylan’s shoulders. “Go on back to the car. Now.”

Waylan scowled at Mills one more time before stomping away. She had a face for war as she stalked past me.

Nellie straightened, facing her brother again. “I didn’t walk out on anyone. What you just did, though, showing your ass in front of your niece, was gross. Maybe think about it and find us when you’re ready to apologize.”

She turned and barely got a few feet away when Vera stepped out in front of her. Without saying anything, Vera wrapped her arms around Nellie and hugged her tight. I felt like I wasinvading a private moment when Nellie’s eyes slowly shut and she slowly brought her arms up around her sister. Vera said something that had Nellie nodding and then the women moved apart and Nellie hurried the rest of the way to her car.

The vintage Charger would’ve been enough to get my blood going without the sexy woman getting into it. Then she popped back out and marched straight up to me. I had a moment of stupidity, wondering if she wanted to get my number as much as I wanted to write mine down and shove it down the back of her pants.

“My cat?” Her voice shook and she looked like she was barely holding her shit together. There were tears brimming in her eyes which hadn’t fallen yet.

I cleared my throat and realized I was still holding her cat. I wanted to see the same fierceness on her face I’d seen on her kid’s face. Leaning into her, I lowered my voice. “Should’ve let the kid beat his ass. She could’ve taken him.”

She froze for a second and then her mouth tipped up in a smile as her eyes danced over my face. She licked her lips as she took in a deep breath and blew it out roughly. “Thank you.”

Her fingers brushed my chest as she took the cat from me and then she was gone, driving away with her soldier kid and her fat cat. I shook my head after I couldn’t see the car anymore and glanced around. The party was definitely over. Vera was quietly ripping into her brothers with Dean, Reed, and Lennon at her back. Everyone else looked more than uncomfortable at what they’d just witnessed.

Henry Aarons and Seth Millovich joined me and Henry whistled. “Damn.”

Both men had been undercover with me on the Michael Mays case and both men were working with me at the sheriff’s office to fill in the void the former dirty Sheriff and Deputies had left. Ilooked between the two of them and rubbed my chin. “Damn is right.”

“She really kicked the shit out of Mills.” Seth smirked. “With a little training, that kid’s going to be the next Chuck Norris.”

I looked down at my arm and swore again. “She bit the shit out of me.”

They looked down at my arm and laughed. Henry slapped my shoulder. “Seems that girl and her momma both like to leave an impression.”

CHAPTER 3

Nellie

“Mom?” Waylan sounded worried. “Is that what you thought would happen?”

I let out a sharp laugh. I felt like I was moments from crumbling. Mom and Dad were dead. Mills wanted nothing to do with me. I’d just embarrassed myself in front of what looked like the entire town. Things were not fine. I glanced down at Papa Jack and winced. “Papa Jack isn’t getting a kitty treat tonight.”

“Mom?”

I sighed as I parked in front of Vivian’s Bed and Breakfast. Turning to face my daughter, I thought of the dangerous looking biker who’d held Papa JackandWaylan like they were delicate. Despite my previous experience with the biker gang that Virginia and Blade had been in, he hadn’t scared me. His words about Waylan had been just what I needed to hear to keep myself together in front of everyone.

“That didn’t quite go the way I expected it to, no. That’s okay, though. We’ll try again another day. For right now, though, we’re going to go inside and you’re going to meet the woman who taught me fourth grade.” I held my hand out until she slapped it. “I don’t want you worrying about anything right now, baby. We’re going to be great. Got me?”

She sighed and took her seatbelt off. “I got you.”

“Let’s see if we can get out without Papa Jack embarrassing me. He really is a giant jerk.” I laughed. “Did you see that dog was wearing pajamas?”

“Yes! Should we make Papa Jack wear pajamas? You know, as a punishment?”

“I’m starting to worry about how creative you’re getting with ways to punish him. I heard what you said about the pickles, too. If you think I’m bringing another jar of pickles into our house again, you’re wrong.”

She groaned. “Mom! I was just joking.”

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