Free Soothing His Madness by Debra Kayn Page A

that bit of
information, and formulated her own conclusion. Slade had planned to abduct his
kids, and didn't share that information with her.
    Bruce appeared with
two plates filled with food. "Eat up if you ever think you'll be strong
enough to hold up a Harley. Can't join Bantorus, until you can ride on your
own."
    Both boys dug into
their food with gusto at the challenge. Taylor sagged against the chair. Males
of all ages came with a healthy appetite, but she wondered if Lee and Kurt's
hunger came from lack of food at their mother's apartment. Even wondering about
their wellbeing softened her attitude toward Slade.
    It wasn't as if she
disagreed with his idea to have Lee and Kurt home with him. She pushed a paper
napkin closer to Lee, and smiled at him when he mopped his face. Slade wasn't
dealing with club business, but children who required school, routine, and the
carefree experience of being children instead of mini adults caught in the
middle of their parents' battle.
    Lee raised his
head, put his burger down, and slid off his chair. Taylor snapped out of her
thoughts and gazed in the direction Lee ran, and her gaze collided with Slade.
He continued staring at her as he hugged his son to his chest and lifted him in
the air. Her sigh of relief came and went. She broke her gaze with him and
looked at Kurt.
    Kurt grinned. She shook
her head in defeat. Slade's oldest son was exactly like him. He acknowledged
his dad's arrival with the quiet acceptance in which Slade often handled
change. And, she had no clue what the boy was thinking, and he wasn't in any
hurry to share his thoughts with her.
    Slade corralled Lee
back to the table, leaned down and kissed Taylor's upturned and questioning
mouth, and whispered, "Later, baby girl."
    Raul came over to
the table, squatted beside Kurt, and laid a link to a chain beside his plate.
"Brand new. Do you remember how I showed you to take the pin out and align
the link?"
    "Yeah."
Kurt picked up the piece and shoved it in the front pocket of his jeans.
"Thanks, Uncle Raul. I can't wait to fix my dirt bike and get back to
riding."
    Everyone acted as
if it wasn't unusual to kidnap two boys and have Lee and Kurt at the bar in the
middle of the day. She scooted her chair out and stood.
    Slade blocked her
escape. "Hey, sit and relax."
    "I need to get
back to work." She sidestepped to walk around him.
    Ginger paused on
her way by. "Don't worry, I have you covered. Next Thursday, I have a
dentist appointment. We'll switch shifts. Go be with your family."
    She brought her
hand up to her forehead, trying to keep up with the changes. "Okay…thanks,
Ginger."
    Slade watched her
carefully. "See. Everything is covered. No worries."
    She pointed to the
hallway. "Can someone watch the boys, so I can talk to you in
private?"
    Slade frowned. "Can't
it wait?"
    "No, not
really." She walked off, hoping he'd follow her.
    What she had to say
to him wasn't something the kids should overhear and honestly, she wasn't sure
she could keep her voice down. Slade risked his freedom, the kids' security,
and their relationship by stealing the kids from the custodial parent. People
didn't do that sort of thing without getting in trouble.
    She paced in the
hallway, keeping an eye out for Slade. When she thought he wasn't going to come
and talk to her, he entered the hallway. She met him halfway. "What the
hell did you do?"
    "Got my
kids," he said.
    She held her arms
up in the air. "I can see that, but how?"
    A flicker of
something—guilt or reluctance to share that bit of information, perhaps?—flashed
over his face. He glanced behind him and lowered his voice. "The less you
know, the better off you'll be."
    "Don't give me
that shit. I live with you. I'm going to be taking care of those boys. Don't
put me in the middle and expect me to accept when someone comes and rips my new
family out of my arms." She yanked at her Tee, overworked and hot.
    Slade rocked
forward, his gaze heated. "Like the sound of that, baby