Page 118 of Reckless Vengeance

“If you don’t, I’ll be forced to bring the police into it. I don’t want to, but I will if you force my hand. Come on,” she sighed dramatically.

“What the fuck would that achieve? They won’t make me do anything.”

“You’re sixteen, they’ll make you, trust me,” she said smugly, her face falling when Josie spoke.

“He’s eighteen. The Chief will laugh at you. Feel free to call them though. I’d love to have you charged with child abandonment and neglect. Don’t worry, he was okay, I made sure of it.”

Skeeter’s phone dinged with a message, and he sighed as he read the message.

“As much as this is highly entertaining, I have somewhere to be. Want me to throw her out on the way?” he offered as he stood, Anika’s eyes running over him with both lust and disgust.

My man was hot as hell, but he was also a criminal. Someone like her wouldn’t appreciate him.

“It’s fine, Skeet,” Josie said dryly. “Thank you for coming to dinner last night.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” Skeeter said honestly, pushing his chair in and placing his cup on the counter before walking over and leaning down to kiss me. “I’ll see you later, baby girl.”

“Be careful. Check on D for me,” I ordered, and he nodded before patting Tyler’s shoulder and grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair.

He slid it on and grabbed his keys from his pocket on the way out, and the second the door closed, Anika let out an angry huff.

“You let my son near people like that? I thought you were dating this girl, Tyler. What⁠—”

“I am. So is Skeet. And Caden, Luke, and Jensen,” Tyler said flatly, helping me to my feet so he could stand in front of her. “Don’t pretend you care now.”

“He’s in a gang. What do you mean you’re all dating her? That’s not acceptable. Who is this girl? Where are her parents?”

“The Psychos have been friends of ours for years. Her dad’s a piece of shit, so I’m her daddy now,” he somehow said with a straight face, and I swatted him as Josie pointed at him.

“I don’t want to hear it, Ty.”

“Sorry, Mom,” he replied with a grin, and Anika glared at him.

“She’s not your mother, I am!”

“Are you?” Josie snapped, losing her temper. “Who fed him? Helped him with his homework? Gave him the sex talk? Handled his schooling? I fucking did.”

“You’re acting like you did something magical. It’s not hard, Josie.”

“No? Then why couldn’t you do it?” Josie asked flatly.

“Burn,” Jensen snickered, and Lukas swatted him.

Anika was fuming, her eyes narrowing on Josie.

“You always were a bitch. No wonder your husband left you.”

“Get out,” Tyler snapped, done with the conversation. “If you don't leave, I’ll throw you out myself.”

“You listen to me⁠—”

“No, Anika, you fucking listen to me,” Tyler growled, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the door. “No one wants you here. I don’t care if you’re alone, kind of how you didn’t give a shit about leaving me alone. I stopped waiting for you to return a long time ago.”

“Get your hands off me. I’ll cut you off from your credit cards!” she shrieked, only making him grin.

“I bought a bunch of investments. I don’t use your credit cards.”

“You can pay me back then!”