Tied Up, Tied Down(80)
“That wouldn’t happen. Not here.”
“Wrong. It happens all the time and you know it. So you’d better fix your security problems pronto, because after this incident today, I ain’t about to let you put my daughter in danger any more.”
Skylar bristled. “What are you getting at?”
“Just what I said. Fix the problems or I’ll yank Eliza out of here so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Don’t fuckin’ push me on this because I’d do it in a fuckin’ heartbeat. And yeah, if you wanna be technical, I’m exercisin’ my parental control and right to remove her from a potentially dangerous situation. I’ll make sure my kid don’t become another tragic statistic because you have too much pride to admit you are wrong.”
Footsteps splashed up next to them. “You two oughta take this inside.”
“We’re done.”
“Done? What the hell do you mean done?”
“Oh, honey, you have a gash on your jaw,” Annie said to Kade. “Why don’t you come in and I’ll take a look at it?”
“I’m fine. Probably had worse.” Kade rubbed the sore spot and his fingers came away bloody. Sucker did hurt. “I gotta take off pretty quick anyway.” He didn’t bother to hide the anger in his eyes. “Think about what I said. And don’t wait up for me tonight.”
“Where are you going?”
He said, “Out,” and walked away from her without looking back.
Out.
Damn him.
Why did he make her feel like she was in the wrong when he was the one who’d been involved in a fistfight, with her employee’s husband, in the parking lot of her business, in front of her employees? And then he had the balls to tell her how she’d been putting everyone—including their child—in danger?
He’d threatened to take Eliza away, just like she’d feared.
Why had she believed Kade would be different from any other man who’d been in her life? Charm her and then take what they wanted and leave her broken.
Kade isn’t like that.
Yes, he is.
Chase him down and hash it out.
No, let him cool off first.
Talk about a split personality.
“Sky, you should go back in. It’s five o’clock.”
“Did everyone see what happened?”
“Pretty much. Dee shooed the kids away, but Nadia watched the whole thing.”
“How is she?”
“Mad. Scared. Embarrassed.”
“I’ll talk to her and try to calm her down before she leaves.”
As she trudged inside, Skylar wondered who was going to calm her down.
Chapter Twenty-three
“What the hell happened to you?”“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Kade signaled the waitress and held up Cord’s bottle of Budweiser.
“Where’s Buck?” Cam asked with a snicker. “I gotta admit, it’s funny as shit he’s changed his name after all these years.”
“He’s sick as a dog. I wasn’t at the ranch today and he didn’t answer his cell, so I called Ma and she said he’s got a bad cold, chills, fever, the whole works. Been in bed since yesterday.”
“That sucks. But I’m glad he stayed away. I don’t need to drag that shit back to Iraq with me.”
Chet said, “When you leavin’ again?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
Blake whistled. “Damn short trip.”
“Yeah, but what can you do? Better’n nothin’, since Ma threatened to hop a flight to Baghdad if I didn’t get my ass home soon. Been damn near three years since I’ve been here.”
“A lotta shit’s happened since then.”
“No kiddin’. Good and bad. I almost made it for Carter’s weddin’.” He knocked back a swallow of beer. “Didn’t know about Dag until the day before his funeral. Same with Uncle Harland.”
“How much longer you think you’ll be over there?” Colby asked.
“At least six months. Then I hafta decide if I wanna re-up.”
“Why the fuck would you wanna re-up if you had the choice not to?”
“Jesus, Remy, way to be a prick,” Chet said. “Cam’s like platoon commander. A real war hero.”
“Hero. Right.” Cam concentrated on peeling the label off his beer bottle. “Eatin’ sand, gettin’ shot at, arrestin’ soldiers, filin’ a million fuckin’ reports, patrollin’ hopin’ I don’t get shot at some more, serious hero shit there.”
No one said anything while the waitress brought another round.
Kade took a long sip of beer. It loosened some of the tightness in his shoulders from his huge blowup with Skylar. His pride stung way worse than his jaw and his gut, not that he’d share that with anyone. “I take it Colt ain’t comin’?”