Road to Absolution Read Online Free PDF

the kitchen counter.
    “Yeah, they’ve
classed up the joint.” An older woman with a lot of makeup and teased
bleach-blonde hair grinned. “I’m Susie. Prez’s old lady.”
    I shook her hand
and smiled. “I’m Cassidy. It’s nice to meet you.”
    “You too, hon.”
    “What can we do
to help?” Dani asked.
    “Nothing. Pig’s
on the spit and we got more food comin’, so we’re good for now,” Susie said.
“I’ll let you know when we’re ready to eat. You can help then.”
    “Sounds good.”
Dani handed me a glass of wine and led me back into a large common room quickly
filling with people. The space was chock full of sofas, overstuffed chairs, a
pool table, large flat-screen television, several smaller tables that older
kids gathered around for board games, and three outdoor picnic tables.
    “There you are.
I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for you,” Booker said, and leaned down to kiss
Dani.
    She giggled,
breaking the kiss and slipping her hand into his back pocket. “Liar. You knew
exactly where I was the entire time. You remember Cassidy, right?”
    Austin “Booker”
Carver took his eyes off his wife for a few seconds to smile and give me a chin
lift. “Hey, Cassidy.”
    “Hi, Booker.
Good to see you again.”
    We stood and
chatted for a little while, pausing to greet Payton and Hawk who arrived half
an hour later. Lily was excited to get back and see her friends, so we took her
back and she fell right in with Maverick. I had a moment of intense pain when I
watched them, heads together, as Maverick showed her how to use one of the
video game controllers. This was about the same time I met Carver and,
cockroach aside, he was just as patient with me as Mav was with Lily.
    I laid my hand
on my stomach and took a few calming breaths, before putting a bright, if not
somewhat forced, smile on my face and followed Payton back out to the common
room. I wondered if I’d ever stop loving him.
    When nature
called, I headed to the bathroom and once I was done, I washed my hands and
pulled open the door. I nearly ran into a couple making out heavily in the
hallway, and couldn’t stop a tiny gasp as I steadied myself. “Sorry. Excuse
me.”
    “No problem,
babe,” a deep voice said, but when the man turned to look at me, all time stood
still.
    I swallowed as I
looked into the face of one Carter Michael Quinn. His hand up some woman’s
shirt, hers was down his pants, but they righted themselves as I gawked at
them.
    His face still
just as gorgeous as I remembered, but his hair was quite a bit longer, some of
it falling over his forehead as he shook his head. He wore dark jeans that sat
low on his hips, motorcycle boots with buckles on the side, and a tight
long-sleeved, black tee, with a leather vest over the top. The back of the vest
proudly displayed the Dogs of Fire logo. He was just as tall as he’d
always been, but he was now much, much wider. He’d obviously spent a great deal
of the last few years working out, and his arms were bigger than my head, so it
was apparently working.
    He jumped away
from the woman as though he’d just been caught cheating and his face contorted
into rage. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he bellowed.
    I was so shocked
by the force with which he was speaking to me, I burst into tears. He had never
raised his voice at me, not even when he was mad, and to have him yell at me so
angrily was a total shock to the system.
    “I…I…have to
go,” I hiccupped, and turned to make a run for it. I didn’t even get one step
away before I was dragged to face him again.
    “I asked you a
fuckin’ question, Cassidy. What the fuck are you doing here?”
    “Ace, baby.” The
woman we’d both seemed to have forgotten about pushed away from the wall.
    “Take a hike,
Lisa,” Carter said, his eyes never leaving me.
    “But…”
    “Babe, fuck
off.”
    I drew in a deep
breath and bit my lip. He had never spoken to anyone like that before, and to
see her expression go from