Page 108 of Bits and Pieces

“How can you not when your lover looks like this?” I say and gesture at my belly. “You never stood a chance.”

I’ve noticed Silas prefers to be angry. His natural state is pissed off. Even in the pictures I’ve seen of him with his friends before Kati and the lost baby, Silas always looked like someone fucked with him.

For me, though, he smoothes out his furrowed brow and allows a grin at my teasing. We watch each other silently as his fingers work at my swollen feet.

“The last month of pregnancy sucks,” I explain as my hands caress my belly. “Even with all the help you’ve offered, I only want to lie around and nap.”

“Then, you should go to bed, and I’ll watch the kids. In fact, I’ll text Ruin and ask for time off.”

“Like paternity leave?” I murmur, making him grin. “Maybe you can save that time up for after the baby is born.”

“I’ve been in the club for twenty years. We don’t have paternity leave. But if we did, I’d have earned more than a few weeks’ worth.”

As he does the math in his head, I receive a text from Blair’s school.

“Jakob Copper is here in the office. He is demanding to see Blair. We might need to call the police. You must come in.”

I drop the phone and try to jump from the couch. Except like the night Blair’s arm was broken, I’m far slower than I imagine.

Silas reads the text and makes a noise better suited for animals. For a moment, our gazes meet and I witness the man who killed Neal. That beast is the one who returned home sliced up from a fight that I suspect the other man didn’t survive. Silas Bennings is a ruthless killer. That’s the man standing before me right now.

However, his rage isn’t spawned by a selfish need like money or respect. He’s worried about Blair. Like, when he beat the life out of my abusive husband, his rage is a force for good. I have no doubt Jakob Copper will regret setting this beast loose today.

While Silas informs Woodrow and Rosemary what’s happening and asks them to alert Ruin, I struggle to shove my swollen feet into my shoes.

Soon, though, we’re in the SUV, racing toward Beehive Ridge. I’m nearly coming out of my skin as I call the front office and speak to several people. Each call is cut off.

The first one informs me that Sandra Copper got into the school and went to Blair’s class.

“She tried dragging your daughter out of school. Blair’s currently in the principal’s office. We’ve called the sheriff’s department.”

I hear yelling in the background, just before the phone goes silent. Calling back, I learn more of the Copper family has arrived.

“We’re locked in the front office.”

“How many are there?”

“Ten. Maybe more. They might be armed.”

I recall the many times the Coppers bullied anyone who crossed them. A few years ago, Chris Copper wanted to date a local woman who kept turning him down. Angered, he claimed she made threats against the family. Everywhere the woman went, the Coppers would show up and hound her. They got her fired. They vandalized her car and harassed her at the grocery store. Though the sheriff’s department got involved at times, every attempt to scare the Coppers only encouraged them to flip out more.And now, their crazy bullshit is directed at my baby.

As the situation at the school spirals, Silas calls Ruin. “If they hurt my kid, I’m burying them!” he roars while racing through a red light on a quiet road. “Remember those lines we talked about never crossing? Well, I’ve got no fucking lines if shit goes south. Get it?”

“Sure, man,” Ruin replies in a dark tone. “Did you think I was going to ask you to play nice and show restraint?”

Eyes full of rage and nostrils flaring, Silas mutters, “As long as we’re on the same page.”

“We’re Steel Berserkers, Nomad. We’re always on the same page.”

During the entire wild ride, I hold on for dear life and pray we don’t crash. I’m also begging the SUV to go faster so I can reach Blair.

The Coppers’ brand of crazy feeds off itself. Once they get going, they don’t turn off. The principal is a tiny old woman. There is zero chance the school administration can stand strong against a hysterical Copper clan.

“Stay behind me,” Silas instructs as we near the school. “Don’t get hurt. I’m your shield. You’re only here to remove Blair from danger. Don’t say anything.”

We arrive at the school to find cars parked haphazardly around the entrance. Silas does the same, actually rolling onto the sidewalk to cut down on walking time. He hurries around and helps me out.

I try to keep up with his long legs. Since jogging isn’t an option, I just let him go up ahead. When he realizes I’m not right behind him, he forces himself to slow down.

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