Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Looks like you’ll have a lovely wolf for a lapdog once he’s grown,” Big Papa said. “Good luck keeping him off of you.”
I snorted and turned to find Ellen—cheeks pink—standing on the edge of the shadows, a clearly uncomfortable expression on her face.
I grinned, and the grin spread so wide that the men turned around and looked at her, causing her further embarrassment.
“You suck,” she growled under her breath, then turned on her heel and stomped inside.
The men turned and looked at me, Tommy’s eyes narrowed quite a bit more than the rest of them.
“Could we make a promise now that neither one of us does that when the sibling is around, please?” Tommy asked. “I’d hate to walk in on that.”
I grinned. “I don’t know,” I told him bluntly. “I’m not sure if I’d be able to keep that promise.”
Tommy made a gagging sound. “I gotta go back inside. I can’t sit here and look at you right now, knowing what you just did to my baby sister. It makes me want to beat you.”
I started laughing, and Tommy flipped me off.
“You’ll push him too hard one day, son,” Big Papa pointed out. “Then I’ll have to save your pretty face.”
I snorted. “I don’t have a pretty face.”
Big Papa snorted.
“My kid’s birthday is tomorrow. Are we still allowed to have a party for him at the clubhouse?”
The change of subject didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the men, and Big Papa rolled with it.
“Anything you want, man,” he said. “Were you able to get him that computer?”
I shook my head. “No. I was about two grand short.”
“What computer?”
I looked up to find Ellen standing in the opened door leading inside, a phone in her hand.
“Linc wants a computer that I can’t afford to get him for his birthday,” I told her. “Who’s on the phone?”
She held it out to me. “A lawyer I assume you contacted. He says he’s willing to take your case pro-bono. He said he’ll see you tomorrow afternoon around five o’clock if that’s convenient for you.”
My heart warmed and excitement poured through my veins.
I may not be hurting as bad as I used to, but I still wasn’t a millionaire. I was paying off my debts, slowly but surely. I’d contacted the lawyer once Margot was admitted to the drug rehab/psychiatric facility to find out what my options were. I’d bluntly told him that I couldn’t afford much on my end and that I couldn’t afford to fight Margot in a court battle.
Apparently, he’d taken pity on me.
“Thanks, baby.” I held out my hand for the phone. “Why’d he call you?”
I’d put her down as an alternate phone number when I’d called, and I was glad that I did.
“He says your phone’s going straight to voicemail,” she handed the phone to me. “Tell him you’ll meet.”
The eagerness for me to meet the lawyer wasn’t lost on me. She’d been pressuring me to do it for over a week now, and I was more than willing to give her that boon.
“Thanks, baby.” I took the phone and held it to my ear as I walked further into the yard, Achilles still planted in my arm like an infant.
“Hello?”
“Mr. James?” a woman’s voice questioned.
“That’s me,” I said.
“I’m calling to let you know that we’ve got you a meeting set up with Mr. Cantos tomorrow afternoon at five. Please don’t be late, though, because by that point he’s already had a long day at the office. He asks that you bring copies of your last six bank statements along with any other official documents you have pertaining to your son’s custody. He also wants any information you have on Ms. Tulane’s whereabouts over the last few years as well as her financial status and any other information that you think would be helpful to Mr. Cantos.”
I barely contained the snort. ‘Ms. Tulane’ aka Margot the bitch who didn’t care about anyone but herself, didn’t have financial status. She had no money whatsoever, and hit up anyone she could – in addition to me and her kid – for the money she needed. If she couldn’t get it the easy way, she’d get a job, but she only held it long enough to get her what she needed. In fact, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure where the hell she even got the money to support herself from.
And if I was being honest, I didn’t much care as long as it wasn’t from my pocket.
“10-4,” I replied. “And I won’t be late. My boss knows I need this.”
And he did. I’d been level with my boss. I’d told him all about my troubles with Margot. Told him all about Margot’s past antics and that with the way that things were escalating, I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to bring her shit to my door—work or home.