Page 2 of Judge (Devil’s Rose MC #7)

She raises her brows, flicking her gaze to the two teens behind the counter. “Really?” Lovely asks, her gaze swinging back to mine.

My blood feels like ice as it pumps through my veins, thumping in my head, “Are you telling me there’s a threat to my babies and Leo is the reason?

Because if that’s the case I will cut his balls off with a rusty spoon.

It’s bad enough what he did, but endangering my babies with his life choices? Oh, hell no!”

The door to the bathroom slams open and my gaze is laser focused in that direction. I have no peripheral vision anymore. It’s all on the big bastard walking out of the bathroom hall with the gall to look shell-shocked. My feet move me in his direction before I even have the time to think.

“You!” I hiss, finger pointing directly into his stupidly hard looking chest. “Leo-fucking-Jackson, mind telling me what the hell is going on and why the hell there’s a bad guy out there thinking we have a connection?”

Leo stares down at me, those damn green eyes I used to dream about filled with confusion. Well he can stick his confusion. I sent email after bloody email to LeoLovesLasagne@hotmail and text messages and never got a reply. So screw him and the horse he rode in on.

He takes a deep breath in. His huge chest, level with my eyeline puffs out like an overinflated air mattress. How much does this guy bench?

“Kaia,” he says gently and I want to slap my name out of his mouth. “You’re in danger. Your, m-my, our kids, are in danger.”

“ My kids, not yours. Mine. Because of you!” I jab him in the chest, just because I can.

His gaze drops to where I jabbed him, and he looks somewhat amused, but I’m not falling for that lopsided grin.

He must remember why he came here because he takes another deep breath, his shoulders slumping as he exhales.

“I don’t want to argue with you. But, we have shit going down.

I don’t know how they knew about you. Or the kids.

All I know is they’re dangerous and the safest place you can all be, is with the club. ”

My brows lower. “I thought Lovely said your compound was attacked.”

“It was. We’re all sheltering at Chewy’s place. There’s enough room for everyone. You and the kids can have one of the trailers we have on site. I will stay in the big house so you can have your space.” He clamps his mouth shut, as if afraid to say anything more.

He should be afraid. Does he not see that after no contact for fourteen years that asking me to pack up my kids and trust him and his MC family to look after us is a damn ridiculous request?

And yet, we’ve been in town for a few months and some bad guy has put together our relationship to Leo, no matter how much I wish there wasn’t one.

“This threat, it’s real?”

“I know it doesn’t mean much, but you have my word. The threat is real.”

“And they’re dangerous?”

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “They destroyed our clubhouse. They hurt people.”

“Shit,” I curse under my breath.

My hands fist and I really want to punch Leo.

Or something. Anything to make this situation better.

It’s been a long time since I last relied on a man.

That man was my father and he was killed because of it.

But what choice do I have? I have a public business, the whole frontage is glass, you can see right in, to everybody dining and whoever is serving on the counter.

My stomach drops when I think that whoever it is doing this can probably see my kids going about their daily lives as we speak.

Turning and rushing into the main diner room I let out a breath when I see the kids are both busy chatting to customers, Annie-Bella with her hand on an elderly patron’s shoulder, Jax with the coffee pot doing refills.

I can feel Leo behind me, his presence heavy, like my heart, but what choice do I have?

“Fine. I’ll close down the diner. I have insurance to cover missed wage-”

“We can cover that. The MC will cover all your expenses.”

I nod numbly. It’ll hurt business having to close, but I need to keep my babies safe. They’re all I have in the world, and no one is going to take them from me.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Thank yo-”

“It’s not for you.”

Leo nods mutely, his eyes darting over my shoulder at the two people who own my heart.

Turning, I catch sight of my son, fiercely standing in front of his sister, a scowl on his face.

Annie-Bella peeking around him, a hopeful look on hers.

Since she was little she’s always wondered why other kids have fathers.

I haven’t kept anything from them. They know how they came to be, and they know that after my aborted attempt to tell Leo in person, that I tried through phone and email messages.

I heard nothing from the man. To think that we’ve both ended up in the same town at the same time is mind blowing, given that neither of us are from here, instead, from a few towns over.

Last I heard he was in the marines or something.

Clearly my intel was wrong and now I have to let the kids and my employees know that we’re closing the diner for a few days due to a “family emergency”. Great.

“I’ll take care of everything here and be at the farmhouse later.”

“I can-”

“No. I’ve got this.”

Letting out a sigh I paste on a smile and get back to work, ignoring the weight of Leo’s gaze on my back as I walk away. I can do this. For the safety of my kids, I have to.