Page 10 of Chaz (All Guts, No Glory #3)

“Y our ex?” Chaz frowned, hating the man despite him no longer being a threat. The guy was a first-class idiot for abandoning Lottie and Reya. The way he’d tossed them aside made Chaz’s blood boil.

“He must’ve sent it right before…” Unable to finish the sentence, her words trailed off.

Chaz looked around, his senses on even higher alert. “I have a feeling whatever is in that envelope is the reason you’re in danger.”

Her mouth dropped open.

“C’mon, I want you and Reya secured. We’ll open it in my truck.” He’d feel better once they were away from prying eyes. Anyone could walk into the building and he wanted them all back in his car. He’d be damned before he let anything happen to—

To the two most important girls in his life.

Christ, Madden. You’re pathetic.

It was the truth, though. He’d take a bullet for either of them.

After Samantha, he thought he’d lost his ability to trust women. But he was beginning to realize it wasn’t fair of him to compare Lottie to Samantha. They were complete opposites in every way. If his jaded heart could ever figure out how to love again, he’d shower it on Charlotte Russell.

Once they were securely back in his truck, and Reya was tucked in her car seat, Chaz turned to Lottie. “Open it.”

He watched closely as she tore the seal and plucked out a smaller white envelope. She opened it and unfolded a letter. It looked like there was a neat, handwritten paragraph and he saw Lottie scan it before looking up at him.

“It says he’s sorry. That he wasn’t ready to be a dad.”

Chaz struggled not to roll his eyes. “What else?”

“He says this is for me and the baby.” She held up another piece of paper. “It looks like the deed to a property.”

“Can I see it?”

She handed it over without a hint of hesitation, and she was right. “It’s a deed granting ownership to you. Some place in upstate New York.”

Why would he give her property in upstate New York? Unless he knew he was in some kind of trouble—the kind that resulted in being tossed off a very high balcony.

“Something is going on and we need to figure out what. I think it’s time to call in the Motley Crew. If that’s okay with you?”

“Of course.”

Chaz sent out an emergency 911 text to his team indicating Lottie was in trouble. They responded right away, including Corey, and Brand invited them to meet at Old Glory. The bar didn’t open until later, so they’d have the place to themselves.

In less than fifteen minutes, they’d all gathered at the big, scarred table next to the fireplace. Julia and Ellie also came, their support and care for Lottie and Reya front and center. Everyone began asking questions, getting the lay of the land and being brought up to speed on the happenings of the prior few days. Normally when they got together, the group teased each other like crazy, but the moment one of their own was in trouble, they turned serious fast.

They passed the letter and deed around, Chaz sticking close to Lottie and Reya who sat beside him. He didn’t plan on letting them out of his sight.

“It looks legit,” Jayson said, scanning the legal document, “and names Lottie as the Grantee until Reya is of age. It’s signed by a Notary and everything.”

“Why would he leave us a parcel of land outside of Syracuse?” Lottie wondered aloud.

“Let me check the address,” Brand said, tapping away on his phone. “See if I can pull an image up.”

They waited and when the GPS coordinates popped up, Brand turned his screen around to show a small cabin surrounded by woods.

“Maybe he felt guilty for being a shitty, absentee father,” Brand said, “and this was his way of apologizing.”

“Giving her that piece of shit in the middle of nowhere?” Lex asked. “Gee, thanks. That really makes up for things.”

“Nothing wrong with a cabin in the middle of nowhere,” Corey stated.

“Maybe not for you, mountainman, but it’s not exactly fit for a mom and her baby,” Chaz said. Not that he knew for certain, but he was willing to guess Lottie didn’t want to live in the middle of BFE with Reya. Unlike Corey, who spent his days forging blades with his wolf at his side, Lottie had a life in Cielo Springs. “But it’s good seeing you.”

“Likewise.”

They bumped knuckles. Corey had finally re-emerged and he’d brought two dozen blueberry muffins with him, which were eagerly being devoured. There was nothing the others could do when Corey fell into one of his funks. Just give him the space he needed and keep an eye on him.

“The question is,” Jayson began thoughtfully, reaching for another muffin, “does this connect with whoever trashed Lottie’s place?”

“In my opinion, it definitely does,” Xander said.

“How so?” Lottie asked.

Xander leaned his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together. The former CIA agent was crafty as hell and Chaz was interested in his assessment of the situation. “You hadn’t heard from the guy in two years, right?” he asked Lottie, and she nodded. “So why all of a sudden does he want to be dad of the year? Plus you’re being followed and your place got tossed. It’s all too much of a coincidence.” He stabbed a finger on the deed. “I think the answer might be at this cabin.”

“I can go check it out,” Chaz offered.

“I’m going with you,” Lottie said. She’d brought out her fierce mom voice, so Chaz knew there’d be no point in arguing.

“What about Reya?” Ellie asked, looking over at Wes, who nodded. The couple never had children, but Chaz knew they would’ve welcomed a baby in a heartbeat if it had happened. “If you want us to watch her, we’d be more than happy to do it.”

“Are you sure?” Lottie asked. “I could take her to my mom—”

“We’ll watch her,” Wes insisted.

“Thank you.” Lottie smiled. “You’ve all been so good to me, to us, and I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

“Free drinks will work for me,” Lex said.

Brand picked up a drink coaster, whipping it like a frisbee and hitting Lex in the head. “You assholes already drink all my liquor for free,” he insisted, and they all chuckled.

“I’m sure you and Chaz can work out some kind of, ah, payment system,” Jayson said, and Chaz speared him with a shut-the-fuck-up look. The other man threw his head back and laughed.

“You’re hysterical, Jay,” Chaz ground out, noticing the way Lottie blushed. And, hell, he liked it. A lot. “About as funny as hemorrhoids.”

“Dude, they suck. Glad I’m not the only one,” Wes said.

Chaz snorted. “I meant he’s a pain in the ass.”

“You guys are a bunch of old men,” Xander said. “Thank God I have a while before catching up to your asses. I swear to God, I can hear all your fucking bones rattle when you walk.”

“Fuck off,” Jayson said.

“Yeah, Brand is the only one here who’s breached the fifty barrier,” Lex added.

“Thanks for the reminder, Lex,” Brand said dryly.

“No problem.” Lex thumped him on the back then turned his attention to Chaz. “Do you guys need a ride to New York? I can fly you in my Spitfire .”

“Thanks for the offer, but by the time that bucket of bolts reaches cruising altitude, we’ll already be on our way back.”

“My An-26 is built Soviet-strong, bro. Nothing’s gonna bring her down.”

“Just a light breeze, comrade,” Brand murmured.

But Lex shook his head. “I don’t have the time or the crayons to explain it to you, but trust me when I say she’s built like a hardy, big-boned woman determined to have your babies.”

Chaz spit-laughed into his water. God, these guys were a bunch of characters. But they kept him laughing when life stopped being funny. And he appreciated it more than they’d ever know.

“Okay, it’s settled. Ellie and Wes will watch Reya while Lottie and I take a nice, comfortable commercial flight to New York.”

“Suit yourself,” Lex murmured.

“We’ll head out to this cabin and see what we can find.”

“Keep in touch,” Brand said. “If you need us, just call.”

“Thanks.” Chaz looked at Lottie. “The sooner we go, the better.”

“Okay. As soon as I get Reya situated, we can leave.”

It didn’t take them long to get organized, and while Lottie packed a bag for Reya and herself, Chaz bought plane tickets and threw a carry-on together for himself. He didn’t travel without his trusty Glock, but as long as he followed airline protocol, he wouldn’t have a problem. Airlines had pretty strict procedures when traveling with a weapon, and he didn’t want his lack of prep or not following the rules to become an issue for Lottie.

After dropping Reya off at Wes and Ellie’s place, Chaz drove them to the airport and they hopped on a red eye to Syracuse. Being alone with Lottie felt a little strange at first. It took him a beat to realize it was because he’d gotten so accustomed to Reya always being there. But he was grateful for the uninterrupted time they had together.

And he planned to make the most out of it. Even if that merely meant getting to know the amazing woman beside him a little better.

Once they were at cruising altitude, Chaz unbuckled his seatbelt and stretched his long legs out. He always booked seats in an exit row or else he wound up feeling like a canned sardine packed so tightly between rows. He glanced over at Lottie who was wide awake despite the late hour. She was twisting a blonde curl around her finger and staring at the back of the seat in front of her. He couldn’t tell if she looked more distracted or worried. Maybe a bit of both.

“Reya is in good hands,” he assured her.

“Oh, I have no doubts. I just…” She bit her lower lip.

“What?” he pressed.

“I just can’t stop thinking about everything and wondering why he left us this cabin.”

She turned in her seat and Chaz’s heart skipped a beat. Damn, she was so pretty. And the memories of their makeout session came flooding back. How she’d sounded when he finger fucked her on his bed. Her soft, breathy cries. The way her small body arched. The passionate kisses they’d shared. How good she tasted.

Shit. He was in big fucking trouble. This little ray of sunshine was clearing the clouds from his life in every way possible. And he wanted more.

“Maybe it’s like Brand said. He felt guilty for not being there for you and this is his way of making amends.”

“Maybe.” But she didn’t sound convinced.

“Don’t worry, Sunshine. We’ll figure it out.”

Before he could react, she leaned in and placed a quick kiss on his lips before shyly ducking back.

“You’re a good man, Charles Madden.”

No one called him Charles, and it usually pissed him off if someone did. But when Lottie called him by his given name, all he felt was warmth. Recognition. Seen. He was quickly discovering the woman could do no wrong. At least, not in his eyes.

“Thanks, Charlotte Russell.” His mouth edged up and he lost track of time as they stared into each other’s eyes, completely captivated.

Yeah, he’d do anything for her. If he were being honest, no matter how hard he fought it, how loud he bitched about never falling for the relationship sham again, he’d been falling for quite some time now. And even though it was a scary feeling, maybe with Lottie by his side, it would all be worthwhile. Possibly even the best thing to ever happen to his jaded ass.

He didn’t believe he was happily-ever-after material, but his Disney princess was beginning to make him see otherwise.