He stabbed his finger into Kevin’s chest. Right under the badge.
“Hey, don’t hurt my partner,” Brady shouted.
And before I could squeeze around the men to catch my son, the little rascal clapped the handcuff on Commissioner Dallas’s hand while the other end fell closed over the handle of the cart.
The commissioner roared. “How fucking dare you, you snot-nosed brat!”
I saw the palm raised, the arm descend. It was slow motion. I was powerless to stop it. Kevin didn’t move fast enough either.
The commissioner backhanded Brady.
“Brady!” I shrieked, leaping through a gap and folding him into my arms. The brave face was somber. Tears leaked from the corner of his eyes.
“That hurt,” he murmured, lip wobbling.
There was a crash as the cart hit the ground behind us.
“I know, baby, I know,” I said, fighting back my own tears. I scooted away, pulling him into my arms.
My sweet, crazy baby.
He was hurt. Because I hadn’t done my job and protected him.
Behind us, Kevin had the commissioner on the ground. His knee was on the man’s face, digging in hard. The deputy unclasped the cuff and put it around the commissioner’s other wrist. He wasn’t gentle. He made sure it was tight.
“—anything you say can andwillbe used against you,” Kevin snarled. “Do you understand your rights as I’ve told them to you?”
“Fuck you! And fuck that cunt and her kid!”
“Call 911,” Kevin instructed a store employee who’d appeared at the end of the aisle. He shot a look at me. “Then bring some ice.”
I cradled my little man in my arms, sitting cross legged on the floor of the supermarket. He stopped crying, fighting so hard to be brave. The fear ebbed, but pain laced my heart that my child had been caught in the middle.
But as the fear vanished, anger stole its place.
Glaring at the commissioner, I promised silently that this wasn’t over.
He didn’t notice.
For the last eight years, I lived in fear of the mob. Right now, I hated the intervention of the law. But I promised myself that soon, I was coming for the commissioner. Soon, he would pay.
Chapter 29 – Poppy
The phone call with my aunt and uncle that evening went about as well as I could expect. They expressed their concern. Their attempt at reasoning with me fell flat. I only saved myself by muttering about how Penelope would like me to be closer, given everything. That opened a can of worms, and while I didn’t say she was expecting, the implication was clear. Aunt Rosa hung up after that.
Any minute now my cousin would call and chew me out.
Shaking my head, I hurried back into the house. I shoved a hand through my hair, nails scoring the scalp. I tugged open the bedroom door on the other side of the hall, mentally checking my own frustration to prevent my little guy from noticing.
Only to find the room empty.
Panic bloomed in my chest. Another sweeping glance told me Brady wasn’t here, wasn’t hiding under the covers, or sneaking a book into the closet. I checked those places and more. My teeth bit into my lip to keep from screaming his name.
A giggle stopped me in my tracks.
Slowly, I turned to the open door, glaring down the hall.
Another giggle, this time with words murmured too low to hear, found me. I padded quickly after the sweet sound, raking my hair back and twisting it into a knot at the back of my head.
