Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
I want to trust him. Everything in me screams at me to trust him. But how can I when it’s his life I’m gambling with? When it’s our daughter’s life?
How can I not?
“I’m scared, Keegan. So fucking scared,” I whisper.
He makes a sound in the back of his throat that kills me a little. It’s like my pain is his, like he’s dying because I’m hurting.
“I know, sweetness. I know,” he whispers, clinging to my fingers. “But I can fix this. The sheriff and the MC will help keep you safe.”
My eyes fly open wide. “S-Sheriff?”
“Yeah. Dillon Armstrong.”
My heart stalls. It feels like my throat is going to close up on me. “I…I…”
“Breathe, Landry baby. Just breathe.”
How he expects me to do that when I’ve spent the last three months committing one long crime spree, I don’t know. If the sheriff finds out, the only place I’ll be going is jail.
“I m-may be in trouble,” I whisper reluctantly. “Legal trouble. Um, for the car. And…other stuff.”
“Shit.” He shoots me a look. “You stole the car?”
I jerk my chin in a nod, refusing to meet his gaze. “And the tags. And…other stuff.”
He doesn’t say anything. He probably regrets promising to keep me safe now. Why wouldn’t he? The mother of his child is a thief and a liar. Probably not the kind of woman he wants to tell anyone he was involved with. And now, we have a kid together.
“We’ll handle it, Landry baby.”
I whip my head in his direction, my eyes wide. “What?”
“We’ll handle it,” he says firmly. “You did what you had to do to survive and keep Lily safe. No one will hold that against you.”
“Except the sheriff,” I whisper.
He chuckles quietly. “Dillon isn’t that kind of sheriff.”
Not that kind of sheriff? I don’t even know what that means. Aren’t all cops the same kind of cop?
“Has Lily seen a doctor lately?”
“No,” I whisper, feeling two inches tall again. “I…” I exhale a breath. “I went into labor in a little town in New Mexico. A doctor delivered her at his house. I was afraid that any sort of paper trail would lead them to us.”
He sighs quietly.
“You probably think I’m a terrible mom.”
He glances over at me, surprise in his eyes. “Is that what you think?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” I ask bitterly. “I’ve been driving around with her in a stolen vehicle since she was born. We lived in it. I can’t take her to the doctor. I’ve stolen most of what we have.” Tears burn at my eyes. “She deserves so much better.”
“You both do,” he says softly, and I know he means it.
But with the weight of my decisions choking me, it’s hard to see it that way. I did what I had to do to protect her and keep her away from Garrick and the MC…but it doesn’t make the guilt of my crimes any easier to swallow.
I’m not sure anything will ever do that.
Chapter Six
Keegan
When I pull into the driveway at the Silver Spoon MC, I spot Dillon’s unmarked unit parked off to the side. He’s leaning against a porch railing, watching Tate Grimes and Jason “Cash” Montoya argue over a Ducati pulled up right outside the clubhouse.
Landry is tense and silent in the seat beside me, clearly nervous. I probably should have given her a little more information on the MC, but I wasn’t entirely sure what the fuck to tell her. I doubt anything I would have said would have reassured her anyway. These are men she needs to meet for herself to realize they’re nothing like the pricks who kept her locked up.
Dillon notices my truck bouncing down the driveway first and pushes away from the railing. He says something to Tate and Cash, who stop mid-argument and turn in our direction, matching looks of grim worry on their faces.
They know exactly what it means when someone asks the sheriff to meet them out here. It’s never good news, that’s for damn sure. They’ve been down this road a few times now.
By the time I pull up beside Dillon’s unmarked, they’re waiting off to the side. I ignore them for a moment, turning to Landry. She’s pale, her eyes full of anxiety.
“Everything will be okay,” I murmur, reaching out to cup her cheek. “I swear to you, I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t trust them, all right?”
She stares at me for a long moment before exhaling a slow breath. She nods once, putting her trust in my hands. And fuck, I want to pull her onto my lap and kiss the fear from her eyes. But I can’t do that. Not yet.
She’s been through hell. She needs me to focus on keeping her and Lily safe first. And then we can work out this shit between us. One way or another, though, we will be working it out. She disappeared from my life once. I won’t be letting that happen again.