Page 76 of Running from Drac

“Not yet. But I’m planning to start one with my dad and some friends.”

His jaw clenches. “Are you guys busy right now?”

I glance at Rich, and we both shake our heads.

“Come in and have a beer. My girl’s out of town, so it’s just me and Iris.”

“I’m game if you are,” I say.

Rich shrugs. “I got nothing else going on.”

Cipher opens the gate and Iris is instantly at my side, grabbing my hand with a surprising amount of strength for someone so small.

“Come on, I’ll show you my toys!”

I shoot Rich a look and he chuckles. “You’ll live. She’s just a kid.”

Inside, the place smells like home. There’s a crisp apple scent in the air, one that invades my nostrils and makes my stomach growl hungrily. This place is way too nice to be the home of a biker. All over the walls are framed family pictures. There’s a big worn couch in the center of the living room, and a bunch of toys piled in the corner. Iris drags me straight there, where a cluster of dolls, plushies, and action figures lie in organized chaos.

She plucks up a doll and proudly holds it out. “This is Sophia. Do you like her name?”

“I do.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Eddie, and this is my friend Rich.”

She barely glances Rich’s way, a look of fear shines in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, he’s a nice guy.”

She peers around me, so he waves at her, which only terrifies her more.

“He’s scary looking,” she whispers. But before I can defend him, she starts up a different conversation. “Eddie is a funny name.”

“Yeah, I know, but you and Sophia both have beautiful names.”

Iris proudly holds up her doll for another inspection. “I know. I was named after a flower. And Sophia was named after one of my favorite cartoons,Sophia the First.Have you seen it?”

I shake my head. “We’ll have to watch it sometime.”

She nods. “Oh, Eddie, I forgot to show you something important.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

She holds up the doll’s tiny plastic arm. Drawn on it with a purple marker is what looks like a flower and a tiny heart. “Sophia got a tattoo! Just like me!” She yanks up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a temporary tattoo on her own upper arm—the glittery butterfly that’s starting to peel at the edges.

“You got a tattoo, huh?”

She nods proudly. “It’s fake. But I’m gonna get a real one, one day, just like my mommy.” Her smile fades a little, like the mention of her mom dents her joy. “My mommy had lots of them. Pretty ones, too. I’ve seen pictures of them. She was pretty wasn’t she, daddy?”

“Your momma was very beautiful, Iris. Just like you. Now go back into the living room and watch your cartoons. Daddy has business to take care of.”

“Okay, Daddy,” she says, racing from the room to sit in front of the television.

Cipher watches her from the kitchen. There’s a flicker of loss and longing in his eye before he grabs a couple beers from the fridge and sets them on the island. “Here you go.”

He rakes a hand through his short hair and settles into one of the chairs. The guy looks worn out, like someone who’s walked through fire and still feels the pain.