Nate. It had to be. He’d found us. He’d given my kid a message. And now, he was here. Backing away from the banging, I reached for Trent who was watching me like I’d grown another head.
“Wasp?” Trent asked.
I shushed him.
“Yeah, buddy, it’s me. Is your mom in there?”
It sounded like Wasp, but it wasn’t him. It was Nate. He was trying to trick us into letting him in. Shaking my head, I held a trembling finger to my lips to silence Trent. I had to get us out of the apartment before Nate found his way in. Hurrying to the window I searched for something that could help us. There had to be a fire escape somewhere.
My vision swam.
Everything was so blurry I couldn’t focus.
“Mom, Wasp’s knocking,” Trent said, his expression torn as he looked from me to the door. “Why won’t you let him in?”
Trent was terrified. I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do. “It’s not him. It’s—”
“Dove.”
The nickname stopped me in my tracks and stuck my tongue to the roof of my mouth. Wondering if I’d misheard, I held my breath and waited.
“Carly, dove, please.”
Nobody would call me that, but Wasp. Nobody else under the age of eighty would even think it. Fear ebbed away, clearing my vision and calming my racing heart. The door came back into focus. My lungs cleared, making it possible to breathe again.
He called me dove.
“Wasp?” I asked hesitantly.
“Oh, thank God,” he said in a rush of breath. “Let me in. I’m guessing you already know, but that problem you were worried about… We need to talk.”
So relieved tears stung my eyes, I vaulted to the door, grabbed the handle and cracked it open to confirm. Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and his biker vest, Wasp stood in the hallway, his chest rising and falling like he’d just sprinted up the stairs. Our gazes met, and relief flooded his eyes. “Hey.” His eyes softened. “You okay?”
He was really here. A strangled sob escaped from my throat as I nodded and closed the door long enough to unlatch the chain before ripping it open. I fell into his arms as hot tears raced down my cheeks. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing at all and stepped into the apartment. I barely registered that there was another biker with him. The second biker closed and locked the door.
“Hey T-man, you okay, buddy?” Wasp asked.
“I wanted to call you,” Trent said, bounding off the couch and wrapping himself around Wasp’s legs. “Mom wouldn’t let me.”
“That’s okay. I’m here now. Everything’s gonna be okay.” Wasp was looking around the apartment, seeing the Army men, taking in our fear, getting the full picture of our level of crazy. I wanted to hop down and hide it from him, but I didn’t have the strength. He thought he wanted us? Now he knew what he was getting into.
“T-man, this is my brother, Stocks. He’s been keeping an eye on you two for me.
“Are you a soldier, too?” Trent asked.
Stocks nodded. “I was.” He nodded at the television. “You know, Spiderman’s my favorite superhero.”
“Me, too,” Trent said.
“Why don’t you two watch the movie while I go talk to Carly for a few minutes?” Wasp asked.
“You won’t leave, will you?” Trent asked, fear once again widening his eyes.
“No buddy. Not without you guys. If I go, you and your mom are coming with me.”
“Promise?”
“A man keeps his word, Trent. You know that.”
