Free Meant To Be (Heaven Hill Series) by Laramie Briscoe

visit the courthouse and see what we can find out. We need to be smart about this. Tyler had a feelin’ last night. We need to be talkin’ to the old man about it too. Shouldn’t he be here soon?”
    The group began to look uncomfortable. “Where is he?”
    Nobody said anything, nobody met his eyes and one brother even started whistling. “Where is he?”
    “I think he went to see your mom,” someone mumbled.
    That was all it took to put him in a murderous mood. In a matter of moments he was out the door and on his bike.
    “Did you have to tell him?” Steele asked, his blue eyes glaring at the brother who had opened his mouth.
    “He asked, I answered.”
    “Don’t do it again.”

    “How are you getting along?” Roni asked.
    She and Denise sat inside the screened-in porch, enjoying the beauty of the afternoon. The kids were upstairs doing homework and playing on the laptops that had been mysteriously provided for them. Denise wasn’t sure if it had been Roni or Liam, but she was grateful.
    “Not too bad, I’m just not sure what my place is here, ya know? I feel like I’m invading his territory, but he keeps telling me to treat this house like home.”
    “Trust me, if he didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be here. He must see something in you and your kids.”
    Denise shrugged. “I dunno, we haven’t really talked that much. He hasn’t really been around.”
    “Yeah, word has it there was a job today. Of course I don’t know any details, but last I heard everyone was safe.”
    A feeling of dread settled over her. “Do people sometimes not come back safe?
    “Honestly? Depends on what they’re doing. This life isn’t for everyone. There have been casualties and even fatalities of our wars. It’s just a fact of this life.”
    That was what scared Denise. What if her kids were caught in the crossfire?
    “I don’t mean to scare you, don’t get me wrong. Ninety percent of the time things are fine, but there are turf wars and pissed off clubs. There can be dangerous times.”
    As she opened her mouth to respond, she heard Liam’s motorcycle coming up the drive. “Guess he’s back.”
    Roni listened intently. “He’s pissed though.”
    A look of disbelief crossed her face. “How can you tell that by the roar of his bike?”
    “Lots of practice. You’ll be able to do it sooner or later.”
    He came barreling through the front door and stomped all the way through the house and out onto the porch where they sat.
    “What crawled up your ass?” Roni questioned her brother. “We were having a nice, quiet time.” It amazed Denise that anyone spoke to him in that way.
    “Dad’s gone to see Lauren.”
    Just like that, the mood shifted for Roni too.
    “Who’s Lauren?” Denise questioned softly.
    Liam glared at her before turning around and stomping out again.
    “Forgive him, he doesn’t deal well when she’s mentioned. Lauren’s our mother. She abandoned us. For some reason, our father still loves her. Give Liam some time, he’ll come around. He’s just gotta get over it. C’mon girl. Talk me out of this bad mood.”
    Smiling, Denise started rambling, enjoying her afternoon acting like any other woman in the world. She did, however, put the little tidbit of information about Liam’s background in the back of her mind. When the time was right, she would ask her questions and hopefully get her answers.

Chapter Eleven

    W illiam rolled over taking Lauren’s body with his. It wasn’t very often that they did this, but sometimes they just got caught up in the memories and the moment.
    Even after what they had just shared, her stomach bunched with nerves. She had to say what was on her mind, but she knew it would not be received well. “You’ve got to watch it with Liam,” she started carefully.
    He groaned. He didn’t want to hear this. He hated when she acted like she knew her son. The only way to get her to stop was to throw hurtful words back in her face.
    “Shut the fuck up,”