Page 144 of Deserter

With a heavy sigh, he reached for my hand. “Sweetheart, the type of men involved in those things—”

“I know,” I finished for him. “They’re not good men. This was it though. No more games.”

He stood up and pulled me into a rough hug. “I just worry with you and the girls all alone.”

I led him to the door. “We’re good. I promise. Thank you again for keeping them on such short notice.”

“Hopefully, they’re finally asleep. There was a lot of up and down with needing another story or a glass of water. They keep you on your toes, don’t they?”

“That they do,” I answered with a laugh.

“Anytime you need me, just call, okay?”

“I will, Daddy. Love you.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek and watched him walk out to his car before turning off the porch light and kicking off my heels.

I straightened theAmerican Girlmagazines and Thor comics scattered across the couch and placed them on the side table before heading into the kitchen.

My father may have been great with my girls, but he was terrible at cleaning up after them. The sink was piled high with empty ice cream bowls, dinner plates that still contained quite a bit of dinner, and the one hundred drinking glasses that Dakota seemed to work through in a day.

I grabbed my apron from the pantry and threw it over my head with a sigh. I thought about Jamie as I began scrubbing the dishes by hand. It didn’t matter how much he had going on with the club, he’d always cleaned up the kitchen after meals.

Early on, I’d argued with him, insisting that I was capable of handling it, only to be met with a smack on the rear and a command to go put my feet up.

He’d crank up the radio and work until it was spotless. Eventually, I came to realize that it was as much for him as it was for me. He’d needed that time alone; to work through whatever it was he was dealing with.

I paused with a soap covered bowl in my hand and strained my ears before shaking my head. “Dakota Mae,” I muttered to myself with a smirk before drying my hands on a dish towel and removing my apron. Ten bucks said she was trying to summon the mighty power of Thor when she should’ve been sleeping.

“Girls,” I hid a smile as I opened their bedroom door. The sounds of their soft, rhythmic breathing filled the air and a chill ran down my spine.

I turned the lock and pulled their door closed with a click before walking back toward our bedroom. Hawk wasn’t on the front porch and I found myself praying that it was because he was investigating the sound.

It was probably a raccoon or a stray dog, but I’d grab the gun, just in case. I crept across our dark bedroom, freezing as a lighter ignited from the chair in the corner.

I jerked back with a strangled cry before laughing shakily. “Jamie, you can’t keep coming in like this! I almost had a heart attack!”

“Hello, Celia.”

It wasn’t Jamie.

It was Thirteen.

I stumbled back a step before looking toward the dresser where I kept my gun. I kept my voice calm as I asked, “How did you get in?”

He casually flicked the lighter again, illuminating his face as he lit up a cigar. “You don’t mind if I smoke inside, do you?”

“I do. You need to get out.” I just needed to distract him long enough to get my gun.

“That’s no way to treat a guest, is it?” He tsked.

I dove for the dresser and he began laughing as I scrambled to find my weapon. The sound of my own heartbeat thrashed in my ears, drowning him out.

“Looking for this?” he asked lazily, holding up the gun for my inspection before releasing a plume of smoke.

My chin quivered and I took a jerky step backward, quickly followed by another. He made no move to get up from the chair. If anything, he seemed amused by my actions.

The bathroom tile was cold against my bare feet, but I kept moving until I slammed into another body. I rounded on my would-be attacker, only to find Hawk.

I immediately threw my arms around his shoulders, sobbing, “Oh my god, Hawk. He followed us home. He found us!”

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