Page 62

“And he deals drugs through his motorcycle club.”

God, I hoped my eyes didn’t just roll. I was pretty sure they did because I knew that was a lie, too. I’d only been to the club once, and I’d done the vibe check. Brett had left his old club with a drug culture. He’d brought Lili to the Heller’s clubhouse. He wouldn’t have done that if there were drugs.

Her shoulders stiffened. “If you see bikers here at the school, call the police. They’ll be wearing the Heller Raiders patch on their cuts—their vests.”

“I understand.”

“I hope you do. I’m going to do what’s best for my daughter. Don’t encourage her when it comes to her dad. If I have my way, she’s never going to see him again. I’m not going to let him use her to hurt me.”

The first flares of anxiety were hitting my bloodstream. Not only had I pushed Brett away, but now, I was going to lose Lili, too. And Lili was going to lose her dad. My chest hurt with the harsh pounding of my heart.

“I’d like to have the letter,” she said and held out her hand.

My reaction was instant. Lili would be devastated. Those were her feelings about her father. I couldn’t be sure Natalie wouldn’t use those words against her and against Brett.

“I, ah, I’m not sure what happened to it.” I glanced around and under my desk, knowing it was tucked away in my drawer. “I feel terrible, but I think the custodian disposed of it. The paper was crumpled a bit.” I furrowed my brows and sifted through the papers on my desk. “If it had fallen on the floor, it would’ve been tossed in the trash.”

I stopped searching and met her gaze with a compassionate one of my own. “I’m sorry I upset Lili,” I said. “And I apologize if my interference made the situation worse.” I wasn’t going to apologize for the letter. After writing that letter, Lili hadn’t felt like her world had crumbled around her. She’d smiled and laughed. She’d been a bright and mischievous little girl again—until today.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ve made mistakes in the past, but Henri and I are going to do whatever is necessary to protect Lili.”

And so was I.

I waited until she’d left the room, and then I sat behind my desk at my computer. With trembling fingers, I typed out the details of the meeting, listing the accusations made. Once I’d finished, I sent the document to the school printer, ensuring there would be a print log. I’d learned a lot going through my situation with Jeff. When possible, get receipts.

Then I remembered back to my initial meeting with Brett, and I typed up a short memo about our interaction and conversation. A janitor mopped the hallway as I hurried to the staff room, collected the printed documents, and slid them into a manila envelope. Then I headed to the office.

I wanted to protect Lili and Brett, but I needed to protect myself as well. If anything else happened, I wanted Nicole to believe I was concerned. And I was, just not for the reason she’d suspect.

Inside the main office, Nicole sat with the school librarian. As soon as I entered the room, they stopped talking. “I just spoke with Lili’s mom,” I said. “I wanted to make you aware Mr. Steele came in a couple of weeks ago.”

“I remember,” Nicole said. “The biker with the tattoos at Donuts with Dad.”

“Yes. But he came to my classroom to talk about Lili. I gave him an update on her progress, and I’ve emailed him through my school account.”

“You can’t do that now.”

“I know,” I interrupted. “I just wanted you to know that there has been communication.”

“Thanks, and please keep me informed.”

“I will. And you’ll do the same?”

Nicole smiled and replied with a nod. I didn’t get a good feeling, but then I never did with Nicole. I definitely wasn’t one of her favorites because I didn’t sit around the office and spill the tea.

I returned to my classroom, grabbed the letter from my drawer, and slipped it into the folder with the printed recounts of my conversations with Brett and Natalie. I shouldn’t get involved. Courts and lawyers were equipped for these scenarios.

But I’d never forgive myself if Brett lost Lili because I didn’t speak up. I had a lot to lose—my heart, my job, myself. But Brett had so much more at risk. He still had Lili.

Steele

Kodiak dealt the next hand. He’d been quiet tonight, but he was here, sitting across from Bullet and Vega. That had to be a good sign. I couldn’t remember the last time it was just the four of us, sitting around, shit-talking life in general.

“Stormy has an app on her phone that sends notifications to mine.” Bullet smirked and tipped his beer bottle to his lips. “Trying to get her pregnant has become a full-time job with her period cycle as the project manager. My dick is on the clock.”

Vega chuckled. “Same line of work you’ve always been in.”

“Nah.” I set my empty beer bottle on the table and picked up my cards. “This is a career change for him. Executive level.”