While I’m lying around feeling sorry for my damned self, a shrill scream breaks the silence.
I bolt up, grab my pants and slide them on because that’s my daughter screaming her lungs out. It’s the kind of sound that could wake the dead.
Christina’s up before she’s even awake, grabbing the sheet around her.
“Slate…” Christina’s voice cracks as she stumbles, getting her feet caught in the sheet. Her voice is raw with fear.
“I’ve got her,” I say, already moving towards the door.
The door to her bedroom is half open. Another cry comes from inside, high and broken.
I push it open fast, scanning corners, walls, window. There is nothing but the morning light streaming in. There is no threat. Just Katie sitting up in bed, crying her eyes out. I move forward and rub her back. “Everything’s okay. It was just a bad dream, sweetie.”
Christina drops to her knees beside the bed, still holding the sheet with one hand as she reaches for our daughter with the other. Katie throws herself into her arms, sobbing.
“He came in,” she says between gasps. “The man came in again.”
My chest tightens.
I lean over and rest one hand on the mattress. “No one’s here, sweetheart.” My voice comes out rough but steady. “You’re safe. No one can get into your room. I promise.”
She shakes her head against her mother’s shoulder, inconsolable.
Christina’s voice is hoarse. I worry it’s because she cried herself to sleep last night. “It’s just a dream, baby. You’re safe here.”
Katie pulls back enough to look at me. Her small face is streaked with tears, eyes wild with fear. I know that look. I’ve seen it on grown men under fire.
“If he’s not here, where is he?” she whispers.
I glance towards the window, then back to her. “It doesn’t matter. He’s nowhere near here. This place is locked down tight. Nobody gets in unless we say so.”
She hesitates, clearly trying hard to believe my words. Her little hands dive under the blanket and she pulls out the stuffed dog I gave her.
I sit on the edge of the bed, keeping my voice low. “Do you want to see for yourself? I’ll show you exactly how we keep you safe.”
She takes a few shocked breaths and then gives me a small jerky nod.
“Alright,” I say. “We’ll go together. Just me and you. Okay?”
Christina looks up at me. Her eyes are full of gratitude. I nod once. “Let your mama help you get dressed and we’ll go together, just you and me. How does that sound?”
It doesn’t take us long to get ready for the day. When I come back, she runs to me. When I reach for Katie’s hand, her small fingers tremble as they slip into mine. Her skin’s soft, warm, and so damned fragile. This is the first time I’ve held my daughter’s hand while knowing she’s mine.
Katie’s hand stops trembling in mine as we get to the stairs. The clubhouse is quiet, still half asleep. The air smells of fresh coffee and whatever the club girls are cooking for breakfast. I can feel her eyes darting around, clearly looking for the fucker who chased them in LA.
“See?” I tell her quietly. “It’s just us.”
She stays close. Every instinct in me wants to pick her up, but I let her walk. She needs to be able to walk, look around, and see for herself that it’s safe.
We reach the heavy steel door that leads to the main hall. I flick the deadbolt open, then shut it again with a hard click. “This door’s reinforced,” I say. “Three-inch steel core. No one’s breaking through that.”
Her eyes widen and she asks, “Even bad guys?”
“Especially bad guys. This door was specifically designed to keep the bad guys out. They can’t break it down, burn it, or unlock it from the other side. This door has been here since before you were born and a bad guy has never gotten past it.”
We move down the stairs, and I push open the door that leads to the garage. “This is where the bikes sleep,” I tell her. “See that big door? It’s just like the one upstairs. It’s locked from the inside. Nobody can open it without a code.”
Her hand slides from mine, and she walks forward until she’s standing beside my Harley. Her tiny fingers come out to touch the chrome. “You ride this?”
