“That’s ridiculous,” she grumbles as I help Hope break the eggs into a bowl then hand her a fork before kissing her nose when she smiles.
“Accept it or stay home,” I tell her, trying to keep the frustration out of my tone in front of Hope.
“Fine,” she huffs, slicing off a piece of butter into the pan on the stove.
“Fine,” I agree, reaching around her to get a coffee cup then dip my face close to her ear. “Are you still sore?” I ask, feeling her shiver against me.
“No,” she breathes after a few beats.
“Relish that feeling, baby, ’cause tomorrow, you wont feel the same,” I say, placing a kiss on her neck before pulling the skin there into my mouth, biting down until she gasps.
“Please don’t have Sage come to the salon,” Ellie says after we’ve eaten breakfast and are finishing up putting away the dishes that we just washed. “I don’t want to make it awkward for Kim.”
“I’ll send Tallon,” I tell her, but I know I’m going to have to talk to my cousin. Really, I’m surprised he hasn’t brought up what went down with him and Kim before. It’s not like him to keep something like that to himself.
“I still think it’s ridiculous to send anyone.”
“And I would rather be safe then sorry,” I tell her, drying off my hands then leaning back against the counter and pulling her to stand between my legs. “I need to know you’re safe,” I say, and she studies my face for a long time before letting out a breath.
“Okay, but only for today.”
“I’m not negotiating with you, Ellie, not when it comes to you or Hope’s safety.”
“Having a boyfriend who’s a badass is annoying,” she mumbles under her breath, making me smile.
“You’ll get used to it eventually,” I promise her, running my hands up the curve of her waist.
“If you’re done bossing me around, can I go finish getting ready for work and make sure Hope hasn’t painted herself or another wall?” she asks, referring to the last time we left Hope alone and she started painting the wall in her room with glitter nail polish.
Feeling my brows pull downward, I look her over and ask, “I thought you were ready.”
“I still need to do my makeup, and I want to get Hope dressed before I go. No offense, but the last time you watched her and she wore her green Christmas tights and her frozen dress, I was a little embarrassed.”
“She wanted to dress herself.” I shrug, grabbing her ass and pulling her closer. “And you don’t need makeup, you already look beautiful.”
“You’re such a guy.” She smiles, leaning up and kissing my jaw.
“I want a real kiss before you go,” I say, hauling her tighter against me and dipping my face towards hers.
“Boss—”
Cutting her off, I cover her mouth with mine and swipe my tongue across the seam of her lips, groaning when her lips part and her tongue slides across mine, leaving behind the taste of her and coffee. Pulling away slowly with one last kiss, I smile when her eyes flutter open and her hands reluctantly release my tee.
“Tonight,” I tell her, watching her eyes heat and feeling her body melt into mine.
*
“Can you paint my nails, Ax?” Hope asks, coming into the kitchen, where I’m standing and going through surveillance for one of the local businesses that’s been having a slew of break-ins over the last two months.
“I…” Looking at the polish in her hand, I know this will be disastrous, even worse than her doing it herself, which is bad, considering she had polish covering her and her clothes the last time she did them. “How about we go get your nails done?” I say instead.
“Weally?” she breathes happily.
“Sure, sweetheart, then after, we can go see July at the vet.”
“Yay!” she screams, dancing around in circles, making me laugh.
“Go get your coat and shoes,” I tell her, and she runs out of the kitchen. Shutting down my laptop, I grab my hat from the counter and pick up my keys, putting them in my pocket.
“I can’t find my coat.” Going to the front hall and opening the door for the coat closet, I pull out her jacket that is hanging on one of the lower hooks.
“Did you even look?” I ask, handing her the coat, knowing she never looks for anything; she always just says she can’t find whatever it is she’s looking for so that someone will get it for her.
“I looked everywhere but there,” she says seriously, making me fight back a smile.
“Do you know where your shoes are?” I ask.
“Yep,” she says, running to the living room and coming back a few seconds later with a pair of sparkly, red, kids’ plastic heels on that remind me of The Wizard of Oz.
“I don’t know if you should wear those,” I tell her, watching as she attempts to walk in the shoes, which are too big and are only made for playing dress-up.
“But they wook pretty,” she states, looking down at herself and tapping the toes of the shoes together.
Knowing Ellie won’t be happy if she wears the heels, I go to the front door and pick up her tall, rainbow-striped rubber boots and ask, “How about these instead?”
“But I wike dese ones,” she insists as her bottom lip wobbles and tears fill her eyes.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. You can wear them, but we’ll take these just in case.”
“Okay,” she says with a smile as the tears dry up instantly, letting me know I just got played.
Walking into the nail salon thirty minutes later, carrying Hope, because she can’t walk in her shoes, I wonder if this was a huge mistake. There is nothing but women inside, and by the way they are all looking at me, you would think I just walked into a speed-dating meet-up.
“How can I help you?” an older woman asks, looking at me then Hope, who has suddenly gone shy.
“She would like to get her nails painted,” I tell her.
“Oh,” the lady says, smiling at Hope. “Do you know what color you want?”
“Pink,” Hope says, laying her head against my shoulder.
“How about I show you some of the pinks we have, and then you can pick your favorite?” the lady asks with a gentle smile.
“Okay,” Hope replies as I set her on the ground so she can follow the lady in her sparkly heels to a large display of polish. Feeling heat on my back, I turn around, noticing a few of the women in the salon have their eyes on me, and most of them have an approval there that is making me uncomfortable. Turning and going to Hope, I watch as she doesn’t only pick pink, but purple and sparkles as well, before handing the colors off to the woman, who then leads her over to one of the chairs.
“Would you like a massage while she gets her nails done?” a younger girl asks, coming up to me.
“No thanks,” I say, trying to be polite while taking a seat in the chair next to Hope.
“Are you sure?” she asks, and I feel my jaw grind as her eyes wander over me.
“I’m sure,” I mutter, turning away from her watching the woman doing Hopes nails glare over my shoulder before turning her attention back to Hope.
“It’s nice of your dad to bring you here to get your nails done,” the woman doing Hope’s nails says, and my body goes tight. If Hope someday decides to call me Dad, I will be all for it, but I don’t ever want her to feel like she has to, or make her feel awkward about it.
“He’s always nice to me. He even wet me wear my sparkewe shoes today,” Hope tells her, tapping her feet together, causing the shoes to fall off and hit the ground.
“I bet you have him wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?” the lady asks, smiling at Hope then me.
“No.” Hope giggles.
“You do, honey,” she says to Hope then smiles at me and winks before painting her nails, only to have to fix them three times before they dry. Once we leave the salon and arrive at the veterinarian clinic where July works, it’s just after two and the lot is half empty.
“Can you carry me?” Hope asks
when I set her on her feet in the gravel parking lot.
“How about we change your shoes?”
“I want to show Juwy my sparkle shoes that match my powish,” she tells me, holding up her now glitter-covered fingers for me to see.
“Okay, hop on,” I tell her, bending down for her to hop on my back so I can carry her across the lot. Once we reach the entrance, I let Hope down then open the door, which chimes when we enter.
“Hey, is everything okay?” July asks, coming out of one of the back rooms, tucking in her shirt, followed by Wes.
Smirking at her, she rolls her eyes as I say, “Your dad said you had some puppies dropped off here yesterday, and I wanted to show Hope.”
“Puppies?” Hope smiles, tilting her head back to look at me, then looking at July, she asks, “Can I pet them?”
“Of course you can, honey, and I love your shoes,” July tells her, running her hand over the top of her hair.
“How’s it going, man?” I ask Wes, giving him a handshake while July talks to Hope about her nails.
“Was gonna to call you as soon as I left here,” he says quietly, looking at Hope and July.
“Everything good?”
“We need to talk,” he states, pulling his eyes from the girls.
“Ellie gets off work at five. You got time to meet up after that?”
“I’ll be with the guys at the shop,” he says, leaning back against the counter behind him.
“Should I bring my uncle?” I ask, knowing if this has anything to do with the girls, then my Uncle needs to know since it’s his case.
“Bring him along.”
“We’ll be there,” I mutter, feeling myself grow tight.
“You getting a dog for Hope?” he asks, changing the subject looking over at Hope and July.
“She’s been asking for a sister,” I tell him, shaking my head.
“Jesus.” He smiles.
“I know.” I smile back, mumbling, “She might be a genius, ’cause every time she asks for a sister, she asks for a dog right after.”
“Smart kid.” He chuckles.
“I’m fucked,” I tell him honestly, turning when I hear Hope laugh.
“Get her the dog then give her a sister,” he says, patting my shoulder.
“Plan on it,” I say, and his eyes crinkle as he shakes his head. “I’ll see you later.”
“Later,” I agree, watching as he goes to July, telling her something that makes her blush before kissing her then putting out his fist for Hope to bump with hers before leaving.
“What do you say we go see some puppies?” July asks, and Hope jumps up and down in her heels, causing the click clack to bounce off the walls before taking her hand and following her down the hall towards the back of the clinic. Going out a set of double doors she leads us into a small room with a bench along one wall.
“Sit on the floor and I’ll be right back,” July says, and Hope sits on the floor while I take a seat on the bench, resting my elbows on my knees, watching as she smiles at me excitedly. A moment later, July comes back into the room with two puppies, one in each hand. One is dark brown, and the other is cream-colored, both wiggling in her grasp.
“They’re so cute!” Hope cries as July sets the puppies on the ground, and they immediately go to Hope and begin climbing all over her. “What are their names?” Hope picks one then the other up, holding them close to her face so they can lick her.
“I haven’t named them yet. Do you want to help me?” July asks, and Hope lets go of the one in her hand then picks up the other.
“This one is Chocolate Chip,” she says, holding the brown one in a hug that has me worried for the small puppy.
“And this one?” I ask, picking up the cream-colored pup that isn’t as hyper as the other.
“Pancake.” She smiles then giggles as Chocolate Chip crawls up her chest, forcing her to her back so he can lick her face.
“Do you know what kind of dogs they are?” I ask July, who takes a seat next to me on the bench as Pancake burrows his way into the crook of my arm.
“We think a lab mix, but there isn’t really any way to tell for sure without a DNA test,” she says, smiling at Hope, who is barking at Chocolate, making him bark back. “Chocolate’s a boy, and Pancake’s a girl. They are both sweet.” She gives me a knowing look.
“Ellie is going to kill me,” I say, watching her grin.
“She won’t be able to kill you when she sees how cute they are,” she singsongs, running her hand over Pancake’s body.
“Two puppies,” I mutter to myself then look at Hope, who’s laying on her back, watching as Chocolate walks backward, dragging her red sparkly shoe around.
I’m so fucked.
“Where do I sign?” I sigh, and July’s face lights up.
Hearing the front door alarm beep, I look at Hope and place my finger to my mouth, telling her to be quiet as I make my way to the hall toward Ellie.
“Hey, baby. How was work?” I ask her as she shuts the door behind her and takes off her jacket.
“Good, not too busy, and nothing happened,” she says, looking at me with triumph.
“I know. I talked to Tallon, and I also spoke with Mellissa’s father, who told me that he was going to send Mellissa to stay with her aunt for a while,” I tell her, watching as a look of relief passes through her eyes.
“Oh,” she says, and then her eyes move over my shoulder when Hope yells, “No! Don’t eat that, Pancake!”
“What’s going on?” She frowns, when I move to stand in front of her.
“Before you get upset, just know this is better than the alternative,” I tell her then block her again when she tries to move past me.
“Jax,” she growls, but before I can say anything else, the sound of little paws hitting the hardwood floor followed by the sound of tiny feet echoes through the room. “You didn’t,” Ellie says, and Chocolate Chip runs to her feet and jumps up on his back legs, pawing at Ellie’s black boots.
“Don’t be mad,” I say, leaning down and picking up Chip. “How can you be mad at this face?” I hold the puppy close to my cheek.
“I can’t leave you alone with her, can I?” she asks, fighting a smile as Hope steps from behind me, holding Pancake. “Two? You got two puppies?” she asks, seeing Pancake.
“Surprise!” Hope sings, and Ellie’s eyes go to her then move back to me as she shakes her head. “Aren’t they cute, Mama?”
“Very cute, Angel,” Ellie replies as I feel something warm soak the front of my tee. Looking down, I groan while Ellie and Hope both laugh. Setting the puppy down on the floor, I rip my now soaked shirt over my head then smirk when Ellie’s gaze drops to my abs.
“I gotta go shower, and head out to meet my uncle and Wes,” I say, watching her face change. “Everything’s okay,” I assure her, reading her face, reaching out and running my fingers over hers. “When I get home, we’ll talk.”
Nodding, she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth before saying, “Okay, when you get home.”
“I’ll be back down in a second,” I rush out, jogging up the stairs and hopping into the shower quickly. When I make it back downstairs, I find both Hope and Ellie in the living room, sitting on the floor, playing with Chocolate Chip and Pancake, both of them with smiles on their faces.
“I’ll be back,” I say, walking into the room and crouching down, kissing Ellie then leaning over and pressing a kiss to the top of Hope’s head.
“What do you want to do for dinner?” Ellie asks, and fuck me if that simple-ass question doesn’t do something to me.
“Whatever you want, baby. If you don’t feel like cooking, I’ll cook when I get home, or we can go out to eat.”
“I’d like to eat something that tastes good, and no offense, but the only thing you make with flavor is pancakes,” she says, making me smile.
“You don’t like chicken breasts and steamed vegetables?”
“If you add butter and mashed potatoes with gravy to that the
n yes,” she retorts.
“So do you want to cook?”
“I’ll cook, and then unwrap you a bar or something,” she says with a grin patting my abs.
Shaking my head I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and pull her toward me kissing her, saying, “I’ll eat whatever you cook, babe.” Then I stand, saying goodbye to Hope before leaving the house and heading out to my truck.
*
“So what do you got?” I ask, taking a seat next to Uncle Nico, Sage and Tallon in one of the metal folding chairs around a large table in the middle of the compound’s open court. Taking in the other men at the table, I notice Z, Mic, Everett, Harlen, and Wes all have the same look on their faces.
“You know we’ve been keeping our ears to the ground, and there’s always a lot of chatter, most of it never panning out. But last night, Everett made contact with a source online. This person told him they had a lead about our guy, and then they sent over a name. When we did a simple search online, we were able to pull up a picture of a Yury Letov,” Wes says, and Mic slides a piece of paper across the table with the mug shot of a guy on the front of it toward me.
“He was in Tennessee when July was kidnapped, but has since disappeared,” Mic adds as my uncle picks up his phone and starts to send someone a message.
“I haven’t showed July this picture yet. I know that’s going to be the quickest way to find out if this is the guy, but I hate pulling this shit back up when she’s finally starting to relax,” Wes says, and I know exactly what he’s saying. Ellie’s not jumpy anymore. I don’t see the constant worry in her gaze, but I know I don’t have a choice in this matter. I have to show her.
“Fuck,” I growl, ripping my hat off and running my hand over my head then down my face. “I don’t want to have to show Ellie this, but I know if she finds out I kept it from her, she’s going to be pissed, especially when she wants to help.”
“Do you want me with you when you show her?” my uncle asks, and I shake my head.
“No, I won’t show her until after Hope goes to bed. I’ll send you a message when I get her answer.”
“I’ll talk to July tonight too,” Wes says, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest.
Until Jax Page 17
