ied to regroup. I'm not in the habit of going soft over a pretty face, but there was something about her. Ma

ense. I tried to recall if anything like this had ever happened before and drew a blank. This was a first, and because

to get close to me. I can't stand to see any woman in her position, least of all one so young. Now my mind was replaying all the horror stories

from those of what to do about her safety going forward. I'd already had her looked at while she waited

nd ousted her old man from the town. Ideally, I didn't want to lose any more of the men

assholes were just glaringly obvious, and Sam's penchant for terrorizing the weak put him hig

as once again under control, and I no longer felt that pull towards her. I'll wait until

the room. I'll decide what was to be done with her later. Besides, after what she'd bee

t while myself never finding anything worth that kind of attention until now. Ge

over my shoulder at her, and I questioned how dad had let this shit go on for so long. He had to have known, and the man I ca

shit and left him, taking me with her halfway across the country. I hadn't exactly forgot

had taken a completely different path to the one it would've

the complete opposite of her first husband, the man who fathered

g tables at a hole in the wall in New York City, struggling to make ends meet for her and her son sin

son; it was he who had encouraged me to come here when I was so against it in the beginning. I didn't owe James anything, as

part of our lives after we left. I didn't know until he called that they had kept in touch. Tha

m when it was too late. She'd left because she believed he'd cheated on her. They weren't marr

t John. Although I was a grown man, I didn't understand that shit. This whole time I'd believed that he must've

oborated when confronted. My mother, almost more than anyone else in this world, knows how I hate to be deceived. The shit he revealed could've put a rift between us had

knew I had no interest in that shit. It's for what and who I am that he asked me to take the seat at the head of the table once

e security of my country. Recent events like the nine eleven attack and subsequent conflicts had lit a fire in me

been into strength training and any form of arm-to-arm combat, Krav Maga being my favorite. Mom fought real

hick of the action, which is what I wanted. After my time in the field, I was recruited once again for an arm of the government that's not