Page 170 of Indecent Lies

He paced, swore and he tried to call her. Of fucking course he did, but she rarely had battery, something he’d bitched to her about, so it dumped him to an automated service.

He paced some more and dragged both of his hands through his hair, while the goat trotted at his heels and the kitten slept away on the couch in her t-shirt fort.

“This shit is not happening, Poppy.” he muttered.

He was not losing his good life now.

No fucking chance.

He’d carry her back over his shoulder if he had to.

She was not running back to New York where people treated her like she didn’t matter.

She mattered so fucking much to him that his heart was about to rip out of his chest but he had things to do and no time to brood.

With the goat bleating on his lap for attention, he idly stroked Glenn and connected a call. “I know it’s a shit thing to ask, Snake, considering, but whatever, I’m asking. I need you to do me a favor and come and watch my goat and cat while I catch a flight.”

“Hold up, you have a goat?”

“Yeah, and a kitten. They’re Poppy’s, she rescued them. Now they live here with us.” He was pacing through his bedroom to toss a few clothes in a holdall bag as he talked, made sure he grabbed enough ready cash from the wall safe too and shoved that in there.

Snake agreed to come over.

He brought Tag and Capone with him.

“Yo, goat dad. How’s it hanging?” Prince Charming sauntered in and made himself comfortable by sticking his head in the fridge and came out with the fixings for sandwiches.

“Seeing as my girl has run back home, not good.” A tick manically worked his jaw while he held onto the last three nerves he had left.

“Oh, damn.”

“And Grigori left that shit for her, sent from the fucking grave.”

All three men snapped to attention. Then cursed the air blue.

“That’s Marianna, one of the women we got out of there,” Tag said clarifying, hunched over the photos. He cut his eyes to Texas. “It’s pretty damning. I mean, for your girl to see.”

“Yeah. It was nothing, the chick needed help, I didn’t know I was having my pic snapped.”

“Glad that asshole is dead.” Snake declared with venom to his voice box. “Go get your girl, Tex, leave a key, I’ll make sure someone is here to look after the ankle biters.”

“Poppy has a feeding and walking calendar on the fridge and don’t mind Glenn if he sticks close to your leg, he’s a clingy jerk.”

The pain from missing her hit him from all corners.

He was not into spanking, but he envisioned his girl going over his lap several times when he got his hands on her until he was over this.

The club party had been canceled the other week, due to Lawless’ surprise incarceration, so the only time Texas saw Capone was that night in the bar.

He got a surprise when he felt the guy at his shoulder. “You need company to New York?”

Startled he only stared. “Thanks, but I got it.”

“Sure? We know you don’t like that place.”

“Sure, but thanks, appreciate it.”

Capone inclined his head.