Page 33 of The Loves We Lost

“Niro,” Miles cautions.

I’m not stupid. I know the explanation was a loosely veiled comment to me.

Avery touches the scar where it passes over his cheek. “I would have stayed with you too. Because I’m brave. We had to be brave today when we ran from the bad men didn’t we, Momma?”

Miles’s head spins, and he looks straight at me.

I try to ignore the blistering heat of his glare. “We did, sweetheart. You were very brave.”

Niro pinches Avery’s chin lightly, but his eyes are somber. “Then you are a good and brave person, and we can be friends.”

I look at Miles, whose eyes are filled with fury.

Two members of the club walk into the kitchen. One with long hair, braided like a Viking, steps towards Avery. “Do we have a new prospect?” he says with a grin.

Niro nods. “She’s brave enough to be one.”

“What’s a props-pect?” my daughter asks.

“Someone who wants to be a member of our club,” the man replies.

“Clutch, this is my ex, Viola, and our ... Avery. This is Avery.”

Clutch smiles. “Welcome. Your car survived. It’s drivable. But there is damage. Rear lights are blown out, as is the rear window. It’ll need a new side panel.”

“I’ll pay for it,” Miles says.

I want to fight him and tell him I’ll do it, but my budget will only go so far. “When will it be ready?”

Clutch continues wiping his hands on the rag he’s carrying. “Three days. I gotta order the lights.”

Another man walks in, tall and imposing. “Wanna tell me why I got a call to get my ass back here when I was busy fu—falling asleep.” I’m glad he noticed Avery before he finished his sentence. Yet another reason Avery doesn’t belong here. The language, the misogyny. All of it.

“Molotovs,” Miles says. “While Viola and Avery were between the two-gate system, King.”

“Shit,” King curses quietly. “Vex on it?”

Niro tips his head in the direction of a small pantry off the kitchen. “Yeah. He’s working on tracking them down.”

King turns without acknowledging me or Avery. When he opens the door, I get a glimpse of a complex technical setup. Screens and machines and laptops.

Niro waves a container at Avery. “Chocolate chips or no chocolate chips?”

My daughter takes a millisecond to decide. “No chocolate chips in cupcakes. But I like raisins in oatmeal cookies because they help me poop.”

Niro laughs. “I like you, Avery.”

“I like you too, Mr. Niro.”

I watch Miles, and the flicker of a smile touches his lips at the interaction. This is his daughter he’s meeting for the first time, but he’s letting her get comfortable with the people around him, and I appreciate it.

An excruciatingly awkward hour later, replenished with two cupcakes, hot chocolate, and a glass of milk, Avery is sleepy. She’s sitting next to Miles and slumps her head against his arm. It’s a good time for us to leave, because even though it’s nearly midnight, the clubhouse is still filling up with people.

“I think we should probably get you to bed, sweetie,” I say. “If someone could point me in the direction of a hotel?”

Catalina looks at Niro, who shakes his head.

Clutch looks confused and turns to Miles. “She not staying with you?”