Where the fuck are you?
Abullet hits me in the chest as soon as I walk through the door.
I follow the orange tipped foam bullet as it rolls along the marble tiling of the foyer, where it eventually stops at Tommy’s feet.
“Oh, shit. Did he get you?” Kaz jumps up from behind the couch in the living room and climbs over the back.
He’s wearing a black tactical vest lined with more foam bullets over an all black outfit, cargo pants and boots.
“He did.” I drop my purse onto the console table, then reach for my coat.
Tommy runs up to me and wraps his arms around my waist, squeezing me tightly. When looks up at me, he’s grinning like a loon.
“I see you’ve been having fun with Kaz.” I translate my signs, so Kaz knows what we’re saying.
Tommy nods then signs back.
“He says I’m a natural shot.” I look to Kaz with the translation.
“He is.” Kaz nods and rustles Tommy’s hair.
“He’s six,” I remind him.
“I know. That’s why he gets foam bullets instead of the real thing.” His own weapon of choice, a double barrel shot gun that shoots extra thick bullets, dangles from his left hand.
“Where’s Melody? Maybe I should put her in charge of you as well as Tommy when I’m gone.”
As I ask the question, Melody’s head pops out from beneath the tablecloth covering the center table of the foyer. She’s wearing one of Tommy’s toy football helmets and has her own toy gun as she crawls out.
“Sorry. Tommy had a lot of energy after school, and it’s still raining so he couldn’t go outside.” Melody removes the helmet and smooths down her hair. “It was Kaz’s idea.”
I can feel Kaz’s gaze traveling down my body. It leaves a heated trail in its wake.
Tommy tugs on my arm to get my attention.
“What’s he saying? Is he ratting me out?” Kaz questions with feigned concern.
“No, he’s ratting Mikhail out.” When I look up from Tommy, Kaz’s expression has hardened.
“There was a small issue at the school. Mikhail handled it.” Kaz puts his toy gun on the table and taps Tommy’s shoulder.
When Tommy gives him attention, Kaz finger spells for Tommy to go upstairs. It’s slow, and he confuses theaand thes, but Tommy nods. He hugs me again and takes off running up the stairs.
Melody collects Kaz’s shot gun and the bullet that hit me from the floor and follows Tommy.
“You know how to finger spell?” I ask, staring at his hands.
“Did you think I’d spend the rest of my life waiting for you to translate everything the kid says? There are some things guys like to talk about without a woman getting in the middle.”
I’m shocked into silence. He’s thought about the future with Tommy and me in his life? And not just considered it but has made a plan so Tommy will have two parents that he can go to when and if he needs us.
“So what happened exactly?” I follow Kaz as he walks down the hall to his office.
“It was handled, and Tommy was safe.”
“Tommy saw Mikhail confront Dante?” My insides heat at the imagery blooming in my mind. “Did he try to force his way into the school? Did the school let him inside? What happened, Kaz?”
He shuts the office door as soon as I’m inside with him, and steps in front of me, blocking me from going further into the room. He cups my face with his hands, and his touch has an immediate calming effect.
