Page 12

Riot

I was fucked. I glanced at Violet, who looked as shocked as I did, and I knew I was totally fucked.

Like truly and totally fucked because I knew I’d be staying with her tonight and she’d expressly said she didn’t want to stay in an apartment with me.

I didn’t care if it meant I’d have to be flayed alive and die of gangrene.

There was no way I was not staying with her and Caleb.

Why? Because the kid put the idea in my head, and now I couldn’t let it go.

The only reason I was trying to keep my distance was because Violet didn’t want me here.

The need to protect them had been riding me hard since the attack at the motel.

I was also puzzled as fuck as to why there hadn’t been a better effort to kidnap Caleb and Violet.

So yeah. I had questions I couldn’t answer, a woman I wanted to be mine with every breath in my body, and an angry preteen who was more adult than some of the guys here. So, yeah. Fucked.

“I’m not sure that’s the best thing, Caleb.” Violet was practically wringing her hands. Why was she so agitated?

“Mom, stop.” Caleb wasn’t disrespectful.

In fact, he stood and wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her.

Violet clung to him the way I wanted her to cling to me.

But she didn’t know me. She was trusting me now, probably because she had no other options, but eventually she was going to need to pull back to think about what she wanted and what she and Caleb needed.

I stayed in the background while her son spoke to her.

I wanted to know his reasons too. I mean, beyond learning my story.

I knew that was what he was pushing toward.

The full story. My reasons. My fucking feelings about what I’d done.

He was probably going to use my captivity in this apartment as an opportunity to grill me.

“We need him, Mom.” He glanced at me, a guarded expression on his face. “At least for now. You said he’d been better to you in a few hours than Dad had been since you’d married him.”

“Yes, but --”

“You either trust him or you don’t.” Caleb still hugged Violet. “I can’t say I like him yet, but he protected us. He did what he had to do to keep us safe. Just like he promised. I trust him, Mom. I don’t know the other guys here, but I’d rather have Riot close in case Dad manages to get to us.”

Violet stood there for a long moment. When she finally pushed away from Caleb, she gave him an affectionate smile, cupping the side of his face with her hand. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing here, young man.”

“No clue what you’re talking about, Mom.” Yeah. Judging by the wide grin on his face, the little shit knew exactly what she meant and was enjoying the fact that he’d just won this battle.

“You’re managing me and cornering Riot at the same time.

” She turned her head to catch my gaze. There was no amusement, only a silent plea for me to make my story as kid-appropriate as I could.

If she knew what I’d done, she’d kick me out and keep me as far away from Caleb as she could.

“I’ll leave this up to you, Riot. Caleb’s a kid, but he’s not a child.

I know he can handle a lot. Just… I don’t know.

Don’t give him nightmares or anything maybe? ”

“It’s not that simple, Violet. Besides, Caleb is going to give me until tomorrow. Like he agreed to.” The imp just shrugged. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but this place is fuckin’ huge. You’ll never know I’m here.”

Violet moved away from her son and toward me in slow, deliberate steps. She reminded me of a curious kitten who knew this was a bad idea but couldn’t seem to stop herself.

When she stood in front of me, she stared at the middle of my chest. I had on a black T-shirt and my cut, but I got the feeling she was trying to see beneath all the layers.

Physically and metaphorically. She placed her hand lightly in the middle of my chest. I nearly closed my eyes and sighed in bliss.

That simple, gentle touch was the final nail in my coffin.

She might never accept me, but I was never leaving her side.

If that meant I had to watch while she found someone more appropriate to marry and help raise her son, someone acceptable to society, then I’d do it.

If that man hurt her like her husband had, I’d kill the motherfucker.

I was going to be this woman’s shadow for the rest of her life or until she told me to go to hell.

Even then, I’d probably stick around as long as I could.

“I’m scared, Riot.” Her voice was so soft I barely heard her.

“Not of you. I’m scared of what Doug might do.

I’m scared for Caleb. I’m scared of what happens next.

” Her eyes lifted to mine, those pale blue orbs seeing more than I wanted her to see.

“I’ve never been on my own. Not like this.

I’ve never had to make decisions like this, and I find I’m ill-equipped because I know the right thing to do is to shove you out the door and stick with my original demand that we not share an apartment.

” Her hand rubbed gently, up and down. I got the feeling she was comforting herself in some way.

Like maybe the fabric under her hand soothed her.

When she met my gaze again, I knew she was going to let me stay.

“But my instinct is telling me I need you here. You feel… I don’t know.

Safe? Having you stay here with us might not be the smart thing to do, but I think it’s the right thing.

” She cleared her throat and gave a subtle lift of her chin.

“So I’d appreciate it if you’d be so kind as to stay with us and watch over both of us while we’re here. ”

“You’re not alone now.” I covered her hand with my own. “Even if I’m not in this apartment, I’m never far away. I promise you that.”

She bit her lip, indecision written all over her face. Finally, she nodded. “All right. But I want you to promise me something.”

“Name it.” Hell, I’d promise -- and deliver -- the moon if she asked it!

“Don’t lie to me. Ever. Even if you think the truth will hurt me or make me pull away from you. I’ve had enough lies, deceit, and pain to last a lifetime.”

The weight of her request hit me hard. I’d never planned to lie to her, but I hadn’t planned on telling her everything either. Some truths were better left buried. But looking into those eyes, I knew I couldn’t give her anything less than complete honesty.

“I promise.” The words felt like a vow, heavy and binding.

“Good.” She stepped back, taking her hand away from where I had it trapped against my chest. I felt the loss like a physical blow, wanting to cling when it wasn’t appropriate.

“I think all the bedrooms have bedding and such, but I’m sure you know how to help yourself if you need to.

” Her smile was genuine, and there was a measure of relief that she wasn’t frightened and actually welcomed my presence.

As she walked away from me, my gaze might have lingered places it shouldn’t, but what struck me most about this woman was her absolute courage.

She was obviously beaten down, but she’d only surrendered ground to gain the battle in the end.

I had a long way to go with her, but she was giving me a chance to prove my worth.

Once she saw I was useful, maybe she’d start seeing me as someone she could be with.

Or I could be kidding myself. Either way I was getting ready to have to explain myself to the pissed-off preteen from before, because Caleb clearing his throat was what pulled me out of my thoughts. And my gaze away from Violet’s ass.

“Sorry,” I muttered, shoving my hands in my pockets.

Then I pulled them out and put my shoulders back.

I might be a criminal, but I was still a man, Goddamnit.

There was just something about having a woman’s kid catch you staring at her ass to make you feel like a naughty child.

“I’m not gonna, you know… I’ll keep my hands to myself. ”

“I never said anything.” Caleb might not even be a teenager yet, but he already had an intimidating stare I had no problem interpreting.

“You didn’t have to. I’m a convicted felon looking at your mom. But I don’t hurt innocents, and your mom and you, and the old ladies, are the only innocent people in this whole fucking place. And a couple of the women ain’t as innocent as either of you.”

Caleb snorted. “You’re weird. You know that?”

“Kid, you have no idea.” I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling uncomfortable but not wanting to leave the kid before he was ready. I’d been through this a lot in prison. Caleb was sizing me up. I wanted him to see exactly who I was. “You want to do a round with me? Make sure the place is secure?”

Caleb narrowed his eyes at me. “What do you mean? I thought you said the place was safe.”

“It is. But I thought you might like to see for yourself.”

He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it, shook his head, and tried again. “No. I wouldn’t know what I was looking at.” I could tell it took the kid a lot to admit that.

“Maybe not the technical stuff. I don’t either. But you could see that the windows were all shut, how they open, where the fire escape is. That kind of thing. I’m the first line of defense for your mom. You’re the last. So while I’m at the front, you’ll be getting her away from the danger.”

The young man stood up straighter, and I could see I’d said the exact right thing. “I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you’re right. That’s exactly what I’d do.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding.

Maybe I had a chance to at least befriend the kid.

If I could win him over, maybe he’d let me stay in his and Violet’s lives.

And yeah. I sounded pathetic, but this woman and her kid were rapidly becoming an obsession.

I just wanted to be in her fucking presence, for Christ’s sake!

I showed him the layout of the loft apartment, letting him examine the windows and showing him the fire escape. The kid wasn’t very chatty, but he did ask a few questions, none of which were personal.

The only sections of the apartment that weren’t completely enclosed were the bedrooms. There was still an industrial feel about them, with high ceilings and tall windows along the outer walls.

Each room had its own bathroom and took up half the available space on the top floor of the warehouse.

So, yeah, the rooms were fucking big. I could tell Caleb didn’t want to be impressed, but he liked the place.

Then he did an odd thing. Caleb stuck his hand out for me to shake. “Thanks for helping me and Mom, Riot. I can’t protect her on my own and I can’t keep my dad away from her. Thanks for offering a safe place to stay, and for supporting my mom in court.”

I cocked my head at him. “I thought I was there to support you?”

He shrugged. “I might have suggested it would be easier for me to testify if there was someone big and scary to have my back, so Dad didn’t intimidate me.”

“OK. So… I was there for you?”

“I never said I needed it. And I never said why it would be easier.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. “I feel a headache coming on.”

“Yeah. Mom has that expression sometimes. Usually when she realizes I’ve manipulated her into doing something she never intended to do.

So, for the record, yeah. I was scared shitless.

Not to testify, though. I’m scared of what he’ll do now that Mom left and I told the judge I wanted nothing to do with him.

He’s not coming after me. He’s coming after Mom. ”

“I figured.”

“I wanted to make sure she had someone with her. She’s more afraid of Dad than I am. I think he’s done more to her than she’s already told me. She admitted the other night wasn’t the first time he’d hit her, but I know it’s worse than she let on.”

“What do you want me to do, Caleb?”

“I want you to stick as close to Mom as you can, especially when we go out of this compound.”

“You trust me over your father?”

Caleb stuck his chin up. “You gonna hit my mom?”

“Hell no!”

He shrugged. “Exactly.”

“Christ.” How many more ways could I be fucked today? “Kid, I’m not sure I’m the man you want in this situation.”

“You like my mom?”

I was starting to panic. I felt like I was a kid being grilled by my girlfriend’s dad and she wasn’t even my girl. Yet. “I’m so not qualified for this mission,” I muttered. “Caleb, I don’t know your mom.”

“You know enough. Stay close to her until this is all finished. Then I can take over again.”

I took a breath, my head spinning. There was one question I wasn’t sure the kid had considered though. “Caleb, what happens when I don’t want to leave her after this is over?” I spoke softly in as calm a voice as I could manage, but I wanted to get my point across.

Caleb didn’t flinch. He met my gaze with the promise of death in his eyes. “You will if she wants you to.”

Very slowly, I nodded. “Yeah. I think I would. One way or another.” I had no doubt that if I refused to leave, Caleb would “help” me. Probably in the form of an unfortunate accident.

“We understand each other.” Caleb nodded once, then turned to go to his room. “We can talk tomorrow. And don’t bullshit me either.”

“No bullshit. Got it.” This whole situation would be funny if I weren’t so fucked. Did I mention I was fucked?