Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,2

you know I can’t.”

“One of these days, I’m going to convince you to do it.”

“You always say that, and it never works.”

“One day, it will.” Winking, she pats the folders resting on her arm. “I better get these files into the system. Mark will kill me if I work late tonight. You have a wonderful weekend.”

“You, too.”

Spinning on her heels, she disappears, leaving me to finish up a few more things before the alarm on my phone goes off. Shit, it’s already six. If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for my date with Greg. The last time I was late, he was an absolute bear. Not that his mood is ever really cheerful.

Grabbing my things, I shut off the remaining lights in the office and lock the door behind me, praying that traffic will be light as I make my way to the car.

Judge

“Come on, guys!” I call up the stairs for the third time. “You’re gonna be late for your first day!” I never thought I’d ever say those words, but here I am, instant father to two very traumatized kids.

Kevin comes thumping down the steps first, pulling his shirt over his head. “Sorry,” he mumbles, brushing past me and plopping his ass down into a kitchen chair. “Didn’t sleep so good last night.”

I watch him for a moment. “What’s going on, son?”

Shrugging, he peers at the empty plate in front of him. “Just nervous, I guess.”

Poor fucking kid. He’d been through more shit at sixteen than most grown men I know, and he’s still here, powering on, taking care of his sister, and trying to give them both a good life. His shit past will make him into a good father someday.

“Where’s Nat?”

Kevin worries his lower lip between his teeth. “Uh, she’s coming. She was just trying to look her best, I think.” She and Lindsey had picked out her outfit over a week ago. I know girls can be finicky about their clothes, but as many bags as the two of them brought into the house from the mall, she has more than enough options. My credit card is proof of that.

I sigh. Kevin’s a shit liar.

“Eat,” I order, pointing at the plates in the center of the table piled high with scrambled eggs, toast, and sausages. I admit, I went overboard, but both kids are skin and bones, and I’ll be damned if I send them off to their first day at a new school on an empty stomach.

Leaving Kevin to his breakfast, I take the stairs two at a time, glancing at the clock on my phone as I get near the top. Shit.

“Nat, honey, ya gotta hurry. We need to leave in a few minutes.”

“Coming.” The bathroom door at the end of the hall muffles her reply, but not enough that I can’t hear the sadness in her voice.

I move toward the door and tap it a few times with my knuckle. “Everything okay in there, kiddo?”

I hear her sniff. “Um, yeah. I just…”

“You just what, Nat? What’s going on?” I grip the knob and twist it gently, when what I really want to do is rip the whole damn thing off its hinges. “Open this door.”

Hearing her quiet sobs, I take in a deep breath and blow it out slowly, preparing myself for the worst. I listen as her hand rests on the knob, and without a word, she pulls the door open.

Her face is red, her eyes puffy and swollen. Her hair is in some sort of a twist at the side of her head, but even I know that’s not right.

“I just can’t get my hair right,” she cries, her sobs now chest-wracking gasps.

She looks so tiny for a twelve-year-old. The kids at her new school are going to tower over her, and I hate the idea of leaving her there. She’s so broken, so soft-hearted. Maybe she’s not ready. I know Lindsey says to try, that she needs to interact with her peers and rediscover what it’s like to be a normal kid, but she’s not a normal fucking kid. Not after what she’s been through.

“Can you braid hair, Mr. Judge?”

Mr. Judge. I don’t know how many times I’ve told her to call me plain Judge, or even by my actual name, but she continues to call me Mr. Judge. And I’m not gonna lie, I kinda like it. It’s special, something between just the two of us. “I can’t say I do, shug. I’ve never had much of