Page 49 of Judge
Her eyes drop to her hands, “Do you think less of me? I put our kids in danger, I was selling myself, I-”
“Stop, Kai. None of this is your fault. Seth preyed on you, he targeted you and used you.Heis the one who endangered our kids, not you.Youare a fucking survivor. That bastard took your self esteem, your safety, your fucking father and yet you havesurvived and raised two amazing people. I am inaweof ,Kai. To the marrow of my bones.”
She burrows into my much larger body and I hold her tight. “Now, tell me everything you know about this fucker. He’s about to disappear.”
Jax
“You know with Mom dating Da-Leo that school’s gonna be even more shitty.”
“Were you about to call Leo Dad?” Ugh, Fannie-Smella can be such a pain in the ass.
“No.”
“Yes you were!” She grins then sighs. “I call him Dad and I think he likes it.”
I nod. He does like it. He goes all soft looking. Which is weird cos the dude is massive and covered in tats.
“I like him, Jax. I want him to be our dad. Is that lame?”
“Nah, it’s not lame to want a dad. Besides, heisour dad.”
“And he seems like he’d be able to keep mom safe,” Annie whispers, looking behind her. “He was there, at the diner, Jax. Seth.”
My spine stiffens and I shake my head as the memory of the last time I saw that motherfucker comes to mind.
“Do you think Mom will move us? I don’t want to leave the DRMC,” Annie whispers.
“Why don’t you worry about the kids at school and I’ll make sure that fucker never comes near us or Mom again?”
“OK. I’m sure I can deal with the kids at school.”
“What’s going on at school?” Cove asks around the sucker in her mouth.
“Nothing,” Annie says quickly, smiling at her and Jovie and Elio. “Just some kids giving me shi- um, crap, about being a DRMC kid.”
Cove scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Kids are dicks. Want us to have a word?”
I stare down at the three of them. They’re all about eight years old and go to elementary school. Well, Cove and Jovie do, Elio goes to a special school that Vi’s sister teaches at. From the stories they sound like little shits.
“Ah, nah, you’re all good. Thanks anyway,” Annie says, trying not to laugh.
“Your loss,” Cove shrugs, walking off with her gang.
“They’re kinda scary,” Annie says, and I nod in agreement, because, well, they kinda are. “You’re gonna tell Dad, right?”
“Tell Dad what?”
Chapter 16
Judge
Iimpatiently listen through church waiting for Wire to finish his report on finances and some other shit I don’t care about. Ever since Kaia told me her secret and Jax told me his plans, I’ve been quietly fuming. How dare some slimy fucker threaten my family?
“Good, thanks Wire. Anything else to add?” Marx looks around at each of us, holding eye contact for a moment.
I clear my throat and his surprised gaze finds mine. In the entire time I’ve been a brother in the DRMC never once have I had anything to bring to the table. “Ah yeah, so, Kaia told me something interesting last night.”
“I fucking knew it! Knew she couldn’t be as untroublesome as she seemed,” Rider cackles, rubbing his hands together.
