Page 20 of The Love Obsession (Bloody Desires #11)

KEATON

I snatched the gun from him and went directly over to the corner of the trailer, where one of the floor panels was loose.

I wiggled the panel until it came out and shoved the gun into a box I’d attached to the trailer.

Usually, I kept things in there that I never wanted Mom to find—like the checks I kept to pay the rent—but this was the perfect place to hide the gun.

I had a lot of questions, like why the fuck did he have a gun in the same trailer where my sister lived, but I shoved them all down for later.

The argument we were having wasn’t done and this weapon issue added another point that I’d fight with him about.

I’d made it my mission to never have a gun around Ginny.

With a glare at him, I shoved open the door and raced out of the trailer toward Ginny, who’d crowded one of the cops against his patrol car while she demanded he use the lights and sirens.

It’d be a disaster if they did. The last thing I wanted was to wake up people in the park to this—cops near their homes.

The quicker I got the cops to leave, the better.

Maybe no one would know they’d been here.

“The lights don’t work?” Ginny pouted up at one of the cops. They were different from the guys who were at the hospital, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

The dude in front of her had a shaved head like he’d just gotten out of the army or some shit and a mean scowl, and I didn’t want Ginny too close to him, so I stalked over and pulled her back gently. I pushed her behind me.

“What do you want?”

The other cop came around the car, his thumbs jammed into his utility belt. He walked as though he was in a cowboy movie. He was blond but wasn’t the dude from the hospital. There was an unpleasant look to him and his expression had my spine stiffening.

The first cop—I recognized him as an officer called Horner because he’d visited this park more than once—squared his shoulders. “You’re Keaton Burnett?”

He fucking knew my name.

“Yeah.” Every time Ginny tried to glance around my solid build, I pushed her back.

Zayn came out of the trailer and closed the door, which I was glad about because I didn’t want Bernadette out here.

She’d never been a fan of cops, and if she felt like Ginny was threatened, she’d attack.

Cops didn’t hesitate and they’d shoot her dead.

It was hard enough trying to tell Ginny that Mom was gone; I didn’t want to see her sweet dog hurt, too.

Zayn stepped up to my side, helping me create a wall for Ginny, and even though I was mad as fuck at him and my head hurt, I gave him a small smile of thanks.

“Can we help you?” he asked.

The cowboy cop finally got around to his partner’s side and made a point of sizing us up, his blue eyes cold and judging.

He was Horner’s partner, Gross, and I’d always thought it sounded about right, too.

He was fucking gross. He liked to think he was the sheriff around these parts, but he was just another asshole.

Horner crossed his arms. “We’re here to check up on you. According to our coworkers, your mom died in a car accident with drugs in her system.”

I cringed as soon as he said it. I turned toward Ginny, but it was too late. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, tripping over something behind her. She fell onto her ass as her bottom lip started to wobble.

“Mommy?” Her big brown eyes watered, and my heart shattered right there. “Mommy’s gone to heaven?”

I fell to my knees in front of her, reality once again crushing me until all the hurt bled into me in one wave of pain.

None of the grief compared to the awfulness in Ginny’s eyes—the sadness and betrayal.

She was five, she didn’t understand fully, but she was also a lot smarter than me at times.

She had to be. We lived in a bad part of town and she’d always had to act older than she was.

“Virginia.” My voice broke as I reached for her, and she launched herself at me, colliding with my chest and sobbing. I held her tight.

Behind me, I heard Zayn talking to the police, but I ignored them. The only thing that mattered right now was Ginny. My little girl.

Bernadette started barking, her woofs so loud that they rattled the windows of the trailer.

Then, the door clanged and trembled as she scratched at the wood angrily.

She’d heard Ginny crying and now Bernadette wanted out to check on her.

I didn’t blame the pit bull. At this rate, everyone would be awake soon and it didn’t look good for us.

Not only was Bernadette going to piss them off, but the cops were here, too, and it was because of Mom.

Maybe Zayn was right. Maybe it was time to leave. Living with Zayn, though? I barely knew the guy. How could I trust him with Ginny?

I lifted Ginny and pressed her farther against my chest where she was already burrowing. When I turned toward the cops again, Zayn was in a heated discussion with them.

“If he knew anything more, he’d tell you.” Zayn kept his words polite and direct, but the darkness returned to his tone. Deep. Hungry for blood. I still couldn’t understand why I was picking up the vibe from him. “Now, you know the way out.”

Horner shuffled in closer to Zayn, eyes narrowed and arms still crossed, making his biceps look bigger. “You think we don’t know there’s drugs in this park? We have a right to investigate.”

“Then, by all means, do it.” Zayn didn’t back down, and there was something hot about watching him meet Horner’s gaze without fear.

I supposed he had cash for a lawyer if he needed it.

“But leave us out of it. You have no reasonable cause to be here in front of Keaton’s trailer asking questions.

He told the police last night everything he knew.

Now you’re bordering on harassment. He lost his mother. Have some empathy.”

I had no fucking idea what empathy was, but it sounded really good curled on his tongue. He was so damned smart, and I’d never really found that a turn-on until now. I supposed empathy was like sympathy. I knew what that meant, at least.

Ginny let out another small sob, and I shushed her, rubbing a soothing hand over her back. I should’ve told her as soon as we got back to the trailer, but I hadn’t expected cops to stop by and ask more questions. Or announce that our mom was dead like they were talking about the weather.

Gross flexed his fingers in his belt as though he was tempted to curl them into fists but held back. He stepped forward, his boots crunching the gravel underneath them. “Listen, slick, we’ve got a job to do and you’re standing in the way of saving lives.”

“You don’t care about our lives,” I snapped over Ginny’s shoulder. “You care about promotions or looking good in the news. Guess what, dude? You’re not gettin’ nothin’ here, all right? Not a fuckin’ thing. So how about you pack up your rodeo and fuck off?”

To my left, I noticed the curtain on one of my neighbor’s windows open, and Mrs. Butler peered out from behind it, curious. She wasn’t the only one, either. A door opened somewhere in the next row and “shut up” was shouted a little farther down.

Damn it. This wasn’t good.

Horner crowded closer, his face near mine. The only thing that stopped him from getting any nearer was Ginny plastered to my chest. He pointed at me, and Zayn shot toward us, wedging his way between me and Horner, becoming a shield.

“Back off, Officer,” Zayn ordered, his Daddy voice coming out to play. My body reacted on an impulse and a shiver raked down my spine. I loved that tone coming from him. “Because I will call my lawyer. He’s on retainer.”

Horner frowned, giving Zayn a once-over. “Who are you and why are you involved?”

“I’m Keaton’s significant other?—”

Fuck . I winced because Mrs. Butler had opened her window to listen and she definitely heard that part.

The gossip would be all over the park by afternoon, and then I’d have even more trouble coming my way, including eviction.

The owner didn’t mess around with “the rules,” and we’d broken more than one today, including having the cops show up because of us.

“—and I have a damned good attorney.”

Ginny sniffled and turned her head to look at Zayn. She wiped at her teary eyes and hiccupped, while Bernadette grew more agitated in the trailer, her whines and barks increasing in volume. The door shook violently under her persistent clawing.

Horner put a few feet of distance between himself and Zayn. “We’ll be back.”

“You won’t unless you have a good reason.” Zayn waggled his fingers at them in a mocking wave that made my mouth twitch into a smile. “Bye, officers.”

He stayed in front of me as a wall until the cops got back into their patrol car and left. I wasn’t able to breathe again until I saw the tail end of their trunk disappear, and air rushed out of my nose.

Zayn swung around toward us and laid his hand on Ginny’s back, rubbing a comforting circle as the sobs began again, racking her small body as she buried her face against my shoulder.

He didn’t say anything, but there wasn’t much that could be said to fix what the cops had ruined.

Ginny had learned about her mommy’s death in the worst way possible. I felt like a monster.

“I’m sorry, Gins,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. My stomach cramped as panic assaulted me. “I was going to tell you. The policeman was right. Mommy had an accident and she went to heaven.”

She sobbed harder, fisting my shirt. “I . . . I hope she’s not . . . not with Grandma. Mommy always said . . . said she was a bitch.”

I chuckled because she wasn’t wrong. Mom had named Bernadette after our grandma, claiming they were both bitches.

Ginny still didn’t fully understand the reference, except that it wasn’t a good thing, and I hoped it was a while before she did.

I needed her to live a childhood, but it was clear we were going to get kicked out of the park.

I wasn’t sure what to do. Not unless.. ..

I stared at Zayn. “Okay.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Okay what, boy?”

I sucked in a deep breath, expanding my lungs until they hurt. “We’ll get out of this park.” I had no idea what that meant. Were we actually living with Zayn? And what happened if we didn’t work out as a couple?

His gaze stayed glued on mine, his hand continuing the circular patterns on Ginny’s back in comfort. “My house is on the bigger side. Ginny can have her own room.”

Ginny’s head popped up and she shot a look at Zayn. She rubbed the tears from her red eyes. “Mine? I don’t have to share?”

Zayn brushed her curly bangs off her forehead, and it was a gentle gesture, one that had my chest squeezing with warmth I didn’t want to think about.

He smiled at her, his face softening until there wasn’t an ounce of hardness on it.

“Yes, sweetheart, all yours. We’ll need to go into town today and buy you a few things, but we can do that, can’t we? ”

She nodded so eagerly she nearly fell right out of my arms. I tightened my grip on her. “Can we get Bernadette a bed in my room, too? She can sleep at the end of my bed.”

Zayn laughed and the rich sound soaked into my skin, turning to bubbly liquid in my veins. I was feeling something. I didn’t like it. Or at least, I didn’t think I did. “We sure can. And we’ll get both of you toys.”

Ginny gasped. “I’ve never had many toys.”

I took a deep breath and shifted her to my hip. “Gins, we don’t want to ask for too much. I don’t know how long we’ll be staying.”

Zayn cupped my face. He stroked his thumb over my cheekbone, and while I should’ve shoved his hand away, especially while we were outside for everyone to see, I couldn’t. “Let me look after you and Ginny, boy.”

Ginny nodded in agreement so fast she rocked me like a sailboat, and it was almost unnoticeable that she’d just been crying. How long would it take before she remembered Mom was gone and the tears came again? Whenever that was, I’d be ready. “He’s your significant other, Bubba.”

I didn’t think she knew what that meant. It was another thing I’d have to explain, though I suspected she wouldn’t care much, either. The few times we’d caught up with some friends who’d left the park—Shep and his boyfriend, Jonah—Ginny hadn’t blinked twice at them holding hands or kissing.

Zayn’s thumb was gentle against my cheek. He kissed me on the lips and it was too brief for my liking. “Pack up what you need, and then we’ll leave. You won’t come back, I promise.”

The shitty thing was that we didn’t have a lot to take with us, but I nodded and walked to the trailer with Ginny on my hip.

As soon as I opened the door, Bernadette barreled out, barking wildly and running in a circle like she was trying to find the bad guy.

Ginny kicked her feet, and I let her down so she could calm the pit bull while I went inside.

I managed to find a few things that were irreplaceable, including my dad’s cowboy hat, important paperwork, and the few clothes me and Ginny had.

Finally, I shoved Zayn’s gun in my bag and made a mental note to talk to him about it.

I wanted him to keep it as far away from Ginny as possible.

When I had everything, I stared around the trailer one more time. A wave of grief swept over me.

This was the end.

The last time I saw Mom was yesterday, and when we left this place, I was leaving a piece of me behind with her.

Moose.

Keaton and Bubba lived.

But I wasn’t done with the park. Not yet.

I had to get answers, and if that meant coming back during the night and cornering Manky or one of his shithead friends, I would.

There was no end to this until I got resolution.

Mom had taught me that word. She’d always told me that we never let things go until we got it.

I didn’t care who I had to hurt, but I wouldn’t rest until I had my revenge. Come tonight, I’d leave Zayn’s house while he and Ginny were comfortably in bed and return here.

Mind made up, I left the trailer for the final time.