Page 19 of The Love Obsession (Bloody Desires #11)

ZAYN

“Move. Move. Fucking move.” My legs were pumping as hard as they could, but I wasn’t going to reach Keaton in time. Sweat slid in a line along my spine.

The massive man with a brick slammed it down, but Keaton’s fight instincts must’ve finally kicked in because he rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding death.

I didn’t bother slowing down, just let momentum carry me forward.

When I collided with the giant, we both tumbled over Keaton on the ground, who grunted, and then we landed and flattened a guy sitting on his ass. His joint went flying.

The big man lost his brick as I smashed my fist into his solid jaw, then did it again and again. I wasn’t about to stop because he’d clearly been ready to fucking kill my... whatever Keaton was right now.

My fucking boy.

The man in the robe whistled, clearly trying to get my attention and play referee, but I hammered my victim until my fists ached instead.

When his eyes were still too shiny and bright with consciousness, I jacked him in the Adam’s apple.

He was too big for me to fight fair, and I didn’t care if he choked to death anyway.

He grabbed his throat and rolled away coughing and hacking, and I got to my feet, glaring at the other men.

My gun was back in the trailer because I hadn’t wanted to walk around with it, but I was regretting that decision.

Or perhaps it was lucky? I wasn’t sure. I would’ve shot each and every one of them in broad daylight.

“Keaton, can you get up?” My shaky voice was embarrassing, but I didn’t let it distract me from keeping everyone in sight.

I wasn’t about to let these motherfuckers get the jump on us.

My heart hiccupped. What if I’d waited a minute longer to set out after Keaton?

Hell, even thirty seconds? He might be a fucking corpse.

Then who would take care of his little sister?

The dumbass on the ground, who’d been smoking the joint, groaned and sat up. “Man, you’re not getting any of our shit now.”

The robed menace shrieked at him and flapped around his arms. He kicked his buddy, sending him rolling around on the ground again.

“Shut up!” He pointed at me. “Take Moose and go. If I ever see him over here again, I’ll shoot that dog his sister loves and put her in a box and ship her to fucking Antarctica or some shit!

In pieces.” He kicked grass in our direction, then grabbed his lawn chair and flung it at us, but I smacked it down.

“Come on.” Keaton wobbled as he got to his feet and grabbed my elbow, staggering away. I had let him lead me but only had eyes for the druggie assholes who’d hurt him.

“What are their names?”

“Don’t worry about them,” he said, but there was a spaciness to his voice I didn’t love.

“Men like that aren’t stable. Did you hear what that fucker said?

We need to get your sister and leave. You can stay at my place.

And you need to get checked out.” I didn’t like the look of the goose egg forming on his temple or the way he blinked at the sky as if the sunshine was physically assaulting him—the same as that brick.

“No. No doctors.” He cut his hand through the air in front of himself. “I’ll be fine. Can’t afford that shit.”

I guided his arm over my shoulder, and he leaned heavily against me. He might not be willing to talk about taking help, but if I forced him to do it, he capitulated, and that had the gears in my head spinning faster than they probably should.

“Uh huh. Sure. But I have a pool. I have a big yard for her dog. Why don’t we get you all to my house?” My body began to ache now that my heart was living in my chest instead of my throat. What a way to start the day. Hadn’t these people heard of coffee?

“No. No, we have to stay here.” He pointed at the ground and staggered so much he nearly took both of us down. All my strength was necessary to right us.

“What? No! You would be dead if I wasn’t here. Do you understand? Worms would be eating you.” I cringed. Perhaps this wasn’t the best conversation, all things considered. I stopped so suddenly that he stumbled.

“Nah.” He grabbed me with both hands. “They wouldn’t have killed me.”

All I heard was white noise in my brain for a few seconds. “What? Why would you think that?” I was stunned and ready to lose my mind. I rubbed a hand over his chest. Was that a concussion talking?

“Because they don’t want to get kicked out of the park. Killing me would bring the cops. Against the rules.” He shrugged.

“Only if someone found your corpse in the park,” I said darkly. “Do you hear yourself? We’re leaving.”

“No.” He shook his head, and I realized he wasn’t leading me back to his trailer. He’d veered off into a row with trailers that looked nicer than his. I had an excellent memory, but it almost felt as if this place was a maze with all the trailers looking so much the same.

He stopped at a trailer that had some tiger lilies growing on either side of the stoop, walked up the steps, and then pounded on the door.

“Who lives here?” I asked. There was barely enough room for both of us on the stoop, but I wasn’t about to let go so he could take a header.

“Mrs. Carmine.”

Before I could make further inquiries, the door ripped open, and an adorable little girl, with brown curls and brown eyes so rich I could barely see her pupils, blinked up at me.

She grinned as a white pit bull the size of a small horse poked its head out and whuffed before licking Keaton’s hand, like it had to inspect us before we could meet with its owner.

“Let’s go, Ginny,” he said gruffly. “Get your bag.”

“Who is he?” She poked me in the stomach, and it actually hurt a bit.

“Zayn.” I offered my hand.

She shook with me so hard that she almost fell over, then rushed back into the trailer. An elderly woman came to the door, and there was such an awful expression of sympathy on her lined face that it left me breathless.

“I didn’t say anything, honey, but the news is flying around the park.” She pursed her lips and patted at her silver curls. “You’re keeping Ginny? If not ....” She glanced back, her face pale and eyes too wide. “She’s such a joy to me. I’d hate to see her go to strangers.”

Keaton flinched. “’Course I’m keeping her.”

Mrs. Carmine’s entire body sagged with relief, and she smiled up at him as she dragged an orange cardigan closer around her body. “You’ll have to stop fighting, then!” She touched her own head where the goose egg was already turning purple on his.

He grunted and frowned.

“Ginny! Slow down, sweetheart!” she said, stepping out of the way.

Ginny came tearing to the door at a dead run with a backpack bouncing along in her wake and almost knocked the old lady down. “Thank you for the fun time, Missy C. Bernadette says thank you, too. She’s polite!”

Mrs. Carmine giggled, a breathy, weathered sound.

Keaton got out his wallet, but she waved him off as Ginny squeezed past to run outside with her dog.

“Bye, sweetheart!” She patted Keaton on the shoulder and tears were falling down her face as she shut the door.

My heart ached. I wasn’t sure I could sit there while he told Ginny her mother was dead. She was so little. At least I’d had a few more years with my mother before the drugs got her.

“What do I do to keep Ginny?” he whispered, glancing at me as if I had all the answers.

I squeezed my arm around his waist. “Leave here and stay alive,” I muttered. “The rest is just paperwork.”

“I can’t take Ginny from everything she knows!” He spun, swayed, and then stomped away from me, leaving me rushing to follow.

Ginny wandered back from wherever she’d been to walk at his side. “You’re bleeding, Bubba!” She slapped his arm. “Are you okay?”

I grabbed her pink backpack to save it from the dirt on the ground, and she smiled in thanks as I slung it over my shoulder.

She bounced and the skirt of her neon purple sundress fluttered in the wind, dancing around her ankles. Her flip-flops smacked a bit with each step she took, but then I realized after a moment she was purposefully making that noise. Cute and absolutely maddeningly annoying all at once.

Keaton nodded, and she seemed to take that at face value. God, it must be nice to be young and still able to trust the world. Was there a way to keep from destroying that today?

When we got back to the trailer, she bolted inside with her massive dog following at her heels. She went directly to the dog’s food bowl. I couldn’t help but be curious as she went to a corner and began to drag a bag of food that probably weighed more than she did toward the bowl.

“I’ll—”

I didn’t get the word “help” out before she tipped the bag, sending dog food scattering, then dragged the bag upright again.

The dog happily chased the pebbles of food around, and Keaton said nothing, so I had to assume this wasn’t unusual.

Ginny rushed to the fridge and flung the door open, then pouted dramatically at Keaton.

“Bubba! Mommy didn’t get milk like she said.

Bubba! She said she would! Mommy!” Her volume had me blinking.

Ouch. She ran into the bedroom, and I danced around dog food to shut the fridge door.

I was leery of the dog, but it only huffed.

I patted one giant, furred shoulder. There was no freezer on the fridge, so I couldn’t get ice for Keaton’s head.

I was starting to get itchy in this place.

There was literally nothing we needed here.

Sighing, I went over to the foldout where he had dropped onto his ass the second he’d made it through the door. I set Ginny’s backpack beside him.

“Let me take you to the store.”

He crossed his arms and shook his head, and my frustration mounted, reaching the tipping point. He closed his eyes.

“Mommy!” Ginny tore through the living room to the bathroom and stood at the door, frowning. “Where is she?” She tilted her head. The question seemed to be an internal musing, but she spun on her heel and stared at us with her hands on her tiny hips.

“Let me take you to the grocery store. Or I could arrange groceries to be delivered?” I dragged my phone out of my pocket. “Get some ice sent, too.” I frowned at his bump.

He shook his head. “No one delivers here anymore. Someone got held up last month and then every place refused. Lots of people are mad about it, but no one cares what we think here.”

My gut sank, and I fell to a knee in front of him, resting my hand on his cheek.

“Let me take you to my place. These guys are gunning for you specifically. I can help you. If you won’t do it for you , do it for my peace of mind.

Or Ginny’s safety.” I glanced at her, and she was staring at us in interest.

That seemed to be the exact wrong thing to say. He scrunched up his face. “Leave.”

“Why?” I was genuinely baffled.

“We can handle this.” He thumped a fist to the mattress.

“How?” I held up my hands. “How on earth are you going to handle any of this?”

“I don’t know, okay?” he shouted. I hated the way his eyes went glassy with unshed tears.

Anger reared its ugly head. “If you won’t be reasonable, I guess I’ll have to leave you here with no food and a little girl you want to keep.

You also have no way to get to work, right?

No one to watch Ginny except an old woman who probably needs someone to watch her .

Makes total sense to tell me to go fuck myself.

” I hopped to my feet and paced away, knowing I should keep my cool, but why wouldn’t he just listen to me? Take the help? Let me fix this?

Let me slit those fucking jackals in two who’d probably given his mother drugs. They’d made his life harder.

Keaton stood and loomed over me, but I rolled my eyes and flicked his goose egg, and he hissed, slapping his hand over it. The dog whuffed at us as if we were bad pups.

“Oh! Cops!” Ginny said excitedly, then ran outside before either of us could stop her. “Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights, mister!”

“Shit, my gun.” Panic slammed into me in a way I’d never quite experienced as I grabbed it from where I’d stuffed it under a pillow earlier. This was the shittiest start to a day on record. “Is there any place to hide this?”

One of his eyebrows raised, then the other, and he nodded.