“Tiny found him for me,” she said, holding up the ragged rabbit like it was made of gold.“He wasn’t even mad at me.”
I looked up at Tiny, who stood watching us with an expression I couldn’t quite read -- relief mixed with something deeper, something that made my chest tighten.“Thank you,” I mouthed over the girls’ heads.
He nodded, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth.I wanted to say more, to throw my arms around him like I had yesterday, but Knight approached with a grim expression that made my blood run cold again.
“We found something,” Knight said quietly to Tiny, holding out a tablet.“Front corner of the building.The facial recognition software notified me of the hit a minute after I got the bomb threat, so I didn’t pay attention to it until I knew we had everyone safe.”He looked frustrated.Likely with himself.
“And thank God you did, Knight,” I interjected.“The time it took you to answer an alert might have made a difference in the outcome of this if this thing is real.”
“As it turns out, it wasn’t a bomb.”Knight scrubbed the back of his neck in agitation.“I’m pretty sure he was gauging our response.What we prioritize and which way we moved everyone.Maybe even confirming how many people we had in this building.”He shared a look with Tiny.“Putting Haven this close to the compound was the best thing we could have done for this place.The closer Haven is, the faster our guys can get here in an emergency.”
On impulse, I looked over at the expanse of warehouses about the length of a football field away from us.Standing at the gate were several men from the compound.I recognized all of them, and that’s when I realized they’d likely been doing small errands and showing up for short amounts of time every couple of days to get us all used to seeing them.So we’d know they were safe.
Christ, I felt like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole and into an alternate universe where men weren’t abusive assholes and actually protected people precious to them.
Riot and Violet exchanged quick looks.“We need to move the other residents immediately,” Violet said.“I’ll call our sister shelter in Memphis.They should be able to take Rita and her mother tonight.Andrea’s sister is supposed to meet her at the airport in a couple of hours, so she’ll be safe.”
Riot nodded.“Got it covered.”
I ducked my head, shame washing over me in a hot wave.“This is my fault.I brought this down on everyone.”
“No.”Tiny’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.“This is on him.No one else.This is exactly why Ms.Thompson sent you to us.Most of the time, intimidation works great.Occasionally someone like Andy comes along and we have to get a bit more… firm than we’d like, but we’re not squeamish about it either.”
Tiny moved closer, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.“Can I talk to you for a minute?”he asked quietly.“Just over here.”
I nodded, glancing at the girls.“Stay with Violet,” I told them.“I’ll be right back.”
Tiny guided me a few steps away, just far enough that we couldn’t be overheard.He surprised me by dropping to one knee so our gazes were closer to eyelevel, his massive frame folding down to meet mine.The gesture struck me as deeply intimate, a man of his size making himself smaller, more accessible.
“Listen,” he said, his voice low and urgent.“Haven isn’t safe anymore.Not until we get permanent eyes on this guy.”
I nodded, blinking back tears.“I know.”
“Come to the compound,” he said.“To Kiss of Death.We have space.There’s several three-bedroom apartments for you to choose from.Violet and Hannah can let you pick one you like.You’d be inside a locked compound in the middle of hard men who will defend you to the death.You’ll be safer there than you could possibly be anywhere else.”I stared at him, caught off guard by the directness of the offer.“Honestly, it’s not just about safety,” he continued, his eyes never leaving mine.“It’s about giving us time.Real time together.To figure out what this is between us without looking over our shoulders every minute.”
My heart pounded as relief washed over me at the possibility of true safety, but I hesitated, the old fears rising up.“The girls… surrounded by so many men they don’t know…”
“Mom?”Zelda’s voice came from behind me.I turned to find her standing a few feet away, her expression uncharacteristically vulnerable.She must have followed us, listening to our conversation.
“Zelda, honey, I told you to stay with Violet --”
“I don’t want to sleep here anymore, Mom.”Her voice was small but firm.“Neither does Kira.We want to be near Tiny.”
I stared at my daughter in disbelief.Zelda, my fierce protector, my suspicious, wary child who trusted no one, was asking to go with Tiny.The significance of it staggered me.
“You do?”
She nodded, her eyes flicking to Tiny before settling back on me.“He keeps his promises.”She stated it as if it were the simplest, most obvious truth in the world.She shrugged.“Also, Kira said Mr.Hoppers likes him, so…”
A surprised laugh escaped me, sounding almost like a sob.“Well, if Mr.Hoppers approves…”
I turned back to Tiny, who was watching Zelda with a mixture of surprise and something that looked suspiciously like pride.“You’re sure about this?”I asked him quietly.“About us?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he said simply.
I took a deep breath, feeling something shift inside me, my fear dissolving like mist.“OK,” I whispered.“We’ll come.”
His face broke into a smile that transformed his entire countenance, making him look younger, lighter.He rose to his feet and turned to Zelda.“Thank you for your trust,” he said with utter sincerity.“I won’t let you down.”
