Free Black Dawn by Cristin Harber Page B

should on Muscle Milk and Power Bars in place of meals. Mia knew that and fed him well. She mama-beared the shit out of him sometimes, and that was a perk of being best buds with Winters.
    Judging by the lack of other vehicles outside, he was first there, and that was planned. He needed Mia’s opinion on yesterday because he was furious—and worried. After Lexi had gone back with Matt, Parker had headed back to GUNS, then hit his gym and worked out to the point of delirium. Neither activity cleared his mind. So his next step was to talk to Mia, the woman who knew how everything emo worked, because he was choking on a ton of it.
    He pushed through the front door that had been left open for the incoming crowd. “Hello? Anyone home?”
    “Kitchen,” Mia called.
    “We’re in the kitchen,” squeaked a high-pitched, girly voice.
    Parker smiled at Clara’s repeated words. He rounded the hall and saw the kids before Mia. “Hey, short stack. How’s it going?”
    “The baby’s not listening.” Clara’s little nose crinkled in annoyance. “He’s stealing all my snacks.”
    Mia popped up from behind the island counter with a pile of platters and set them down. “Don’t let Ace have any of those cookies.”
    The evidence was all over Ace’s face. He’d had at least one cookie, by evidence of the chocolate smeared from his chin to forehead, and his smile was huge as he reached for more. Parker scooped up the boy before they all got into trouble and headed for the kitchen table.
    Mia scowled, grabbing a wet cloth. “Clara. Do not feed your brother any more sugar.”
    “Sorry, Mama.” She set the cookies down and abandoned the adults and her brother in the kitchen.
    “Mama Mia, smells good in here.” He gave Mia a kiss on her cheek. “You’re too good to us.”
    “I know it.” With expert finesse, she wiped all of the smudges off Ace before the kid could think to scream, then she headed to what smelled like a giant vat of chili and a couple other pots. “Speaking of which, you want a beer?”
    “Sounds good.” He popped up and headed to the fridge to get it before Mia could move. “Where’s Winters?”
    “Out in the garage. You’re here earlier than I expected—” She stopped stirring whatever. “Nothing you do is ever accidental.”
    His muscles went tight as he thought about yesterday’s shit storm. “Nope.”
    She put her hands on her hips. The woman was petite, but she didn’t mess around. “And you’re not heading to the garage.”
    He shook his head. “Nope.”
    “Alright. Spit it out before the troops storm the spread.”
    Still holding Ace, Parker walked over to eye the food. “You know Matt Pindon?”
    “You’ve brought him around before. Isn’t he going to be here today?”
    “I doubt it.”
    “Why?”
    “I saw him wrap his hands around his woman’s throat.”
    Mia turned off the burner. “Sit down.”
    He smiled because when Mia got all bossy-therapist, good usually came of it. “Yes, ma’am.”
    She wiped her hands and sat across from him before taking Ace into her lap. “Start over. What are you talking about?”
    “I walked in on them fighting yesterday. No joke, he was choking her. I pulled them apart. She left with me but went back home to him.”
    “She went back to him?”
    He nodded. His fury at Lexi for pulling that stunt just killed him. He’d had every intention of bringing her and a sausage-and-banana-pepper pizza home with him . Then what, who knew. But damn it, he liked her being in his arms, amplifying how much he’d liked her from afar.
    “Is she safe?” Mia asked.
    “I don’t know.” The doubt made him sick. Not knowing the answer to a question wasn’t something Parker was familiar with. He always knew what he wanted to know or knew a way to determine it. He could assign a value to a situation, do a risk assessment. But this Lexi situation—he didn’t know what she thought or if she was safe. It made him feel as though he were bursting out of