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“Perfect. I know an entire organization we can buy.”
He gets it surprisingly fast. “Those are kids.”
“You wanted a hockey team of kids.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” He rolls toward me. “You wanna be with your family? Is that it?” There’s no disdain or mockery in his voice, only understanding and consideration.
I now realize Jax wants one thing, something he’s never had.
We aren’t so different. Some divine intervention put us misfits together, all missing the same thing.
A family.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ll make a deal with the devil himself if it keeps you and Aurora safe. Besides, it wouldn’t just be my family. It’d beourfamily.”
55
AURORA
I liein bed between two muscled space heaters, both light sleepers. I’ll wake them if I try to climb out of bed, but when footsteps thud in the living area, my boredom gets the best of me.
Plus, the gait is familiar, and we need to talk.
Carefully, I free my legs from the blanket and crab crawl to the end of the bed. My boys must have been up late. Neither of them moves when I crack open the door.
Peeking my head out, I don’t see anyone. Ricky is either in the kitchen or in his room. I haven’t heard the clanking of the elevator, so he hasn’t left.
I quietly close the door behind me and dash to the kitchen on my tip-toes. The smell of fresh coffee hits me, and my stomach growls. Maybe I can sneak in a cup before Ethan wakes.
Ricky’s head turns as I enter the doorway, his gaze landing on my excited face before dropping to my bare legs. In my defense, Ethan’s shirt is as long as a dress, ending at my mid-thigh.
Plus, Ricky has seen me in less.
“What are you doing, princess? Trying to get me killed?”
“I wanted to catch you before you left. Are you going out for breakfast? Can I go with you?”
He leans against the counter, coffee mug held to his lips. He’s wearing his typical black cargo pants and black T-shirt. His blond hair is getting longer, curling around his baseball cap.
“You sure you want to? You haven’t talked to me in weeks.”
There’s an unmistakable bite in his tone, and his heated stare roams my body with a different type of assessment. No longer am I his client and he my guard. He never was. He hasn’t taken a penny from me, which makes sense if the government is paying him.
I cock my head and cross my arms over my chest. “Want to take me to breakfast or not?”
He sets the mug down and holds up a finger. “One: Ethan will have my nuts. Two: Your fiancé will hunt us down. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a tracker embedded in your neck. Three: The twins will have every mafia wannabe tailing us.”
I roll my eyes and release a disappointed sigh. I’m ready to give up and return to my bedroom when he pushes off the counter and stands in front of me. I’m tall for a girl, but he’s well over six feet, so I have to peer up at him.
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and my stomach flip-flops, my lips parting at his dark look.
“Breakfast with a side of mayhem sounds fantastic. Go get dressed so I don’t have to add murder.”
I retrieve my clothes and phone from the bedroom, and then I dress in the hall bathroom.
I doubt my boys will be awake anytime soon, but I shoot them a text to prevent panic when they find me missing.
The cold New York air is exhilarating. Icy snowflakes stick to my eyelashes, and I tilt my face to the cloudy sky.