Page 34 of Savage Ends

Lindsey, her and Bull’s baby girl, was secured to her chest as she worked.The little girl was sound asleep.

“Are you sure you should be here?”Pat asked.

“Yeah, Bull’s back in his office.It’s all good.”

He knew Bull wasn’t happy with Maddie being a potential target.The problem was, they couldn’t hide their women away forever.Maddie and Aria had to return to work.

Pat looked down at the sleeping child.He never thought of having kids himself.Children and wives, families, were not in his future.At least, for the longest time they hadn’t been.Now as he watched Bull and even temperamental Grant, it seemed possible.

He couldn’t help but think about Ava.She would make an amazing mother.He just knew it.

“Is Mrs.Beckett here to get her car fixed?”Maddie asked.

“No, she came for a word.”

“A word, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine.”He stepped out into the cold air.Fall was turning into a cold one.

Halloween was just around the corner.He knew the guys were looking forward to the Halloween party they threw every year.This time, he didn’t know if he was even tempted to go.

Rusty was wiping his hands on a cloth as he stepped out.

“Do you think she even realized there were more of us around?”Rusty asked.

“No.I don’t think that is ever on her mind.”

“She’s hot,” Rusty said.

“Don’t fucking touch Mrs.Beckett,” Pat said.

He rarely got into it with the guys on who they could and could not fuck.Hazel was strictly hands off.

Rusty held his hands up.“Hey, it would be doing you a favor.”

“And how do you figure that would be doing me a favor?”Pat asked.

“While I got her screaming my name, you could have all the fun you wanted with her daughter.”

Pat shook his head.“Don’t touch her.”

He knew from his digging that Hazel had been through enough.Her husband did leave her the means to be able to take care of herself, but that wasn’t the kind of shit he’d been talking about.On paper, and through the town gossip, he knew Ava’s parents had been the real deal.Not just two people coming together for sex.They had been in love.Married when they were eighteen, two years later they had Violet.

For twenty-one years they were together, until a horrible act of fate took him from her.Ava had been fourteen, Violet nineteen, and Hazel thirty-nine years old.Their lives were changed forever.

“Whoa, dude, seriously, consider me hands off.You don’t need to tell me twice.”

He continued to glare at Rusty and he wrinkled his nose.“Whatever.”

Pat watched as Rusty turned toward the front gate, and then suddenly made himself scarce.

This now had his attention, and it was none other than Lidia, stepping through the gate.She had her hair pinned back, and was covered from head to toe in a thick jacket.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey.Aria is not here,” he said.

“I know she’s not.I called her and asked where you were.”