Page 76 of Broken Daddy

Ouch. That looked like it hurt. Which is probably how she got any bruises she had. She was so clumsy, it was starting to worry him.

Was clumsiness a sign of something else?

“You know, I quite like her,” Sondra said. “She seemed so boring and cheerful when I first met her. But she’s got gumption.”

“Did you know that her brother was a client of your husband’s?”

It was a risk asking her this. She could turn on him and go to Alan. But he now had some leverage on her as well.

Sondra looked genuinely surprised. “Really? How on earth did he afford Alan’s fees? That girl looks so poo. . . um, not wealthy.”

“Maybe that’s why she works so much? Perhaps she took out loans to pay your husband. He lost the case, too.”

“Did he?” Sondra frowned. “That’s . . . unusual. Not to say it hasn’t happened before. But Alan doesn’t like to lose. Was it a while ago?”

“The trial was a few months ago.”

Sondra looked thoughtful. “I didn’t know that. There must have been a lot of evidence against her brother if Alan couldn’t get him off.”

Hmm. The more that they looked into Stein . . . the less he cared whether the bastard lived or died.

17

Devi was so tired that she wasn’t certain she could continue to put one foot in front of the other.

All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball on the floor and cry. But she had to get through this shift at the tavern. Just a couple more hours and then she could go home and stay up all night, holding the baseball bat that she’d found at the thrift shop.

It was Thursday night. She hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep since last Sunday. She’d caught a few hours here and there but she needed more.

“You need to go to bed.”

The voice startled her and she jumped, turning to find Hayes glaring up at her. He was sitting in her section again. The same place he’d been the last two nights she’d worked.

What was his problem? Why was he always around?

“I will once this shift is over,” she replied.

“But will you sleep?” he asked.

Sleep? What was that? Every night she stayed awake, waiting to see if Derick would come home.

Or if Vega would return.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he urged. “I can help you.”

Yeah, right. No one could help her.

Devi plastered a wide smile on her face. “I don’t know what you think I need help with! I’m fine.”

Little liar.

His hand was practically itching with the need to spank her ass.

But more than wanting to spank her, he wanted to wrap her up tight in a blanket and rock her back and forth on his lap until she fell asleep.

He wanted to feed her, make her rest, make that smile fill her whole face once more.

Hayes clenched his hands into fists and released them. Something was definitely going on with her tonight.