Page 24 of Striker's Foul
I just stand and stare, taking it all in as my thoughts swirl. Luke thinks Harold might have something to do with the attacks on both of us.
Jude finally looks over and notices us.
“Mom.” He stands up, and with those long legs of his, he’s wrapping me in an embrace before Luke can even move his arm wrapped around my shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asks Luke once he finally pulls away.
“I’m okay, kid. Sorry to interrupt your exploring, but I needed to make sure you were safe, as well as your mom.”
“It’s okay. What’s the plan now?”
“Don’t worry about that. We’re heading to your place for the night. As soon as the damage is fixed at my place, we’ll go there and stay. Good?”
“What? Luke, I don’t know if we’re ready to move in together.” I step away from him, needing to take control of the chaos. I can’t let my life be dictated by others. I’ve taken care of myself and Jude for too long to let Luke come in and take over.
“Amelia,” Luke says, and I know he’s serious when he doesn’t call me angel. “I told you, the man who attacked you was the same one who shot me. He had a partner. We need to be careful. I won’t let my guard down.” He leans down close, whispering so only I can hear. “Plus, I left so much of my baby batter inside you last night, you could be carrying another one of my kids. You’re my wife. Remember.”
He flicks my necklace, and the shock of his words and the truth have me nodding. I have to trust this man. He didn’t leave me. He was forced to.
“I’ve been in charge of Jude’s and my protection for a long time.”
“Well, to be honest, I’ve been fielding your security for years now,” Julian says. I glance over to where he’s sitting on a bar stool.
The elevator opens, and several men step out. I recognize a couple of them, but there’s also a woman and a small boy with them.
“Amelia, this is Hemingway, his woman, Blythe, and their son, Hartley. This is Grim, Cowboy, Jumper, and Frost. They’re the officers with my club. Butcher couldn’t make it because he’s on another assignment.” Luke points to each person as he introduces them.
I recognize Cowboy and Grim from the first time they came to the roadhouse with Luke. As I look over the group, the woman looks slightly familiar to me.
“You’re the reporter who was at the Motorcycles, Mobsters, and Mayhem, aren’t you?”
Blythe smiles and steps away from Hemingway. “Yes, I was there.” She reaches out and takes my hand. I shake hers.
“I was there too. I saw you. I also read your article and loved it.”
Motorcycles, Mobsters, and Mayhem was a romance book signing I attended in Frisco. It took place a month after my papa died. I drove up with my aunt and cousin, who flew down from Indiana to go with me.
“That’s cool. Thank you. I’m here because I want to help you release a statement.”
I step back and look at Luke.
“Harold told me I couldn’t make a statement without clearing it with him first. I’m not sure I want to go against him.”
“How about we start with the easy stuff?” Blythe pulls my attention back. “We’ll go with something simple, like how you moved away years ago to live with your family in Texas, and now you’ve decided to return home with your son to introduce our town to some good Texas barbecue.”
“Harold said not to mention Texas.”
“It’s up to you what you share with the press. But if you remain silent, they’ll make up their own assumptions and stories. Like this one.” She holds up her phone, and I see pictures of me walking into the salon this morning. They’re zoomed in on my bruises, and the report claims Luke gave them to me.
My chest tightens. “Fine. But I want it made clear I was attacked by an intruder at the bar, not Luke.”
“I can do that,” she says.
Blythe sits with me at the breakfast bar, and we work on her laptop, drafting a statement. Jude, Leif, and now Hartley continue playing video games. Gambit’s wife, Franci, sits with us while the others head into the next room.
“You know, if you release a statement saying you and Luke are co-parenting your son, it will keep the masses from assuming the wrong thing,” Franci suggests.
I look at Blythe for advice.
“It’s a good thought, but people are going to make awful assumptions no matter what. The press can spin it and say Amelia kept Jude away because Striker was unfit. When I used to dig for dirt on an assignment, I always went for the worst-case scenario.”
