Page 17 of Danger Close

I was lost in the feeling of him, and me; two parents, going to have dinner with our daughter. It was so bucolic, until an insipid thought crossed my mind.

Was this where Trinity rode her motorcycle?

I saw a million ways that she could die on the side of the road—none of which would be her fault. She could skid on ice, the wind could blow too harshly, or a million other things that would leave her in a ditch. Or she could be strewn across the asphalt, and might die before anyone came down the road, saw her, and called for an ambulance.

Trinity, my little girl, my baby with the sweet green and brown eyes, could be snuffed out in an instant.

My fingers trembled as my nostrils flared. Did Trinity even wear a helmet?

Without my daughter, I had nothing. Without my daughter, Iwasnothing.

“Stop it.” Cobra’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, as his hand clamped down on my bouncing knee. I had not noticed that I was even doing that. “What’s in your head, Princess?”

I clamped my mouth shut.

“Come on, I canfeelyour mood from here. I don’t like it. What’s eating you?”

That was enough to break the dam, and the words spilled out of me.

“If Trinity insists on riding that silly bike of hers…” Worry, masked as frustration, spilled from my mouth. “She could end up in a ditch, or in the river. No one would see her. Even if they saw her, there’s probably no cell service out here. She couldn’t call for help, even if she was able to!”

Each word got harsher, and meaner. What a ridiculous God could give you the gift of a child, only to place them in danger at every turn!

Cobra squeezed my leg again. He turned his eyes from the road, just for a moment, flashing me the most dashing half-smile that I had ever seen.

He calmly said, “Trinity will be fine. She’s good on her bike. We ride together all the time, and she’s a defensive rider. She’s smart as a whip. I’d put my money on her over any other schmuck on the road.”

“I know that!” How dare he talk to me about the competence of my child? “Of course, I know she’s smart. She’s my daughter. I do not care about some… some… randomasshole!”

I gasped, trying to regain my breath.

“You ride with her? Are you fucking insane? Do you know how dangerous those things are?”

He laughed out loud. “I never thought I’d hear you say that word. You never used to swear.”

“I’ve changed.” That was the truth. I was nothing like the girl I had once been.

Chapter 8

I Had Some Time

Cobra

“Daddy!” Daria Savchenko greeted, her phone smashed to her ear as she paced up and down the porch of the McClanahan’s farmhouse.

Trinity’s team sergeant had bought this house in retirement to fix it up, and now it was the center of gravity for the Lucky 13 team. Mack McClanahan, and his wife, Charlotte, were the de facto parents to the ragtag group of misfits my daughter was a part of. A group that had taken me in.

“How are you doing, Daria?” I called over the roof of my parked Audi. “Isn’t it too cold to be outside right now?”

“My Ukrainian blood is impervious to cold.” She winked at me, her smile dazzling. Or, at least, it would be if she wasn’t my kid’s age. “I am still waiting for you to tell me about the squid!”

Christ, that story was going to follow me around forever.

“Maybe another day,” I chuckled, looking back to see Teresa slowly uncurling out of the low-riding car.

“You promise, Daddy?” Daria waggled her brows, and I felt my ears heat with embarrassment. Her gaze followed mine, towards the car, and she added, “Who is this? I don’t remember sending you a plus one!” She jutted out her bottom lip in a flirtatious pout. “I was supposed to be your date.”

Teri closed the door with a small slam, her face expressionless, a sign that she waspissed.