Page 99 of Renegade

I took a deep breath and blurted out, “My mom’s in a biker gang and not the type you see doing charity drives at Christmas. I didn’t know how to tell you before—” I trailed off, suddenly unable to finish the sentence.

Before you killed someone.

He laughed. “Yeah, that’s a deal breaker for me.”

I frowned. “Are you serious?”

He kicked his chair back and knelt down next to me, taking my hands in his. I didn’t miss the way they trembled.

“No,” he said softly. “I’ve been sitting here for the last couple of days, trying to find the right words. Then, when David said you knew, I thought that was it. It’s supposed to be black and white…right and wrong. Yet, I keep finding myself in gray areas.”

There it was.

He’d just put into words what I’d struggled with since allowing Monica back into my life. I hadn’t had the first clue how to reconcile my recovering addict of a mother with the image of a biker’s ol’ lady.

“I do too. Maybe loving someone means spending time in the in-between areas.”

“I went and saw Katya earlier—the woman found with Elizabeth.” I nodded, encouraging him to continue, “I wanted to see how she was. I guess she saw the same news blurb that Elizabeth did because she was in pretty bad shape by the time I got there.”

I couldn’t even imagine what that woman was going through.

He continued, “Her father showed up and wanted to know if it was done. Nikolay offered me forty grand to ensure that Landon never made it to jail and I took it.”

I mashed my lips together to keep from gasping, settling for a small nod instead.

He’d not only helped murder someone, but he’d accepted a bribe to do it. Then I thought of how Josué would react if it was me—forty grand was a small price to pay for the peace of mind in knowing your daughter was safe.

“Katya said it was blood money—which is true. I’m a hired killer, even if I didn’t put the final bullet in him, I’m still responsible. I gave her proof that he was gone and then told her to keep quiet about it, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s all gonna go south—” Mike got quiet before asking, “Are you willing to be labeled an accessory after the fact if I go down for first degree murder?”

My pulse raced at the thought of going to prison. I swallowed the saliva that had pooled in my mouth before replying, “I love you. The rest is just details.”

He rocked back on his heels and studied my face before his face split into a grin. “Jesus Christ, Red. You gotta have a screw loose to stay, but I’m not letting you back out now.”

I smiled, even as my stomach twisted into knots.

His hand released mine and he cupped my chin. “I love you too. I feel like I fell in love with you on the beach in Galveston and I’m sick of fighting it.”

I’d been waiting for those three words ever since the day I met him. When he and I were just Jack and Charlotte, I’d imagined a life where I wasn’t the daughter of an addict. He’d apparently done the same thing.

And, so what if it wasn’t the fairy tale I’d hoped for? Loving him in the gray areas was a hell of a lot better than the lukewarm emotions I’d experienced with anyone else.

Feeling like there was no better time than the present, I chimed in, “If we’re being honest…” His eyes narrowed. “I—I hate flowers.”

Mike smirked and cupped a hand around the back of my neck. “You hate flowers? Okay, I feel it’s only fair that I tell you that you are, without a doubt, the worst cook I’ve ever met. With your skills, you’d manage to burn cereal.”

I cuffed him upside the head. “You could’ve just left it at bad…you didn’t need to elaborate.”

He grinned and pressed his lips against my left earlobe. “Next?” He whispered and I shuddered with pleasure.

“Next confession? I don’t like historical documentaries.” I winced, awaiting his reaction.

He cracked up at that and moved his mouth down to my jawline. “So, when you told me you loved them…”

I moaned softly and whispered back, “That was a lie. I was just trying to be accommodating.”

He shook his head and chuckled before his lips brushed against my throat. “I only turned them on because I thought you were as into them as I was. What kind of shows do you like?”

I bit down on the corner of my mouth as he pulled the neckline of my sweater down and his tongue dipped into the valley between my breasts. I shakily confessed, “Investigation Discoveryand Sci-Fi stuff.”

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