“What do you tell him when he asks that?” sheasked.
“I tell him she can’t come to the phone.” He dropped his head and looked down at his toes. “Am I in trouble for talking tohim?”
“Hey. No.” She grasped his chin and turned his face toward her. “You’re not in trouble, buddy. I’ll explain everything later, okay?” She kept her voice soft and steady. “I don’t want you to worry aboutanything.”
His gaze was too serious, too somber for a nine-year-old little boy. He shouldn’t have a care in theworld.
“Go back inside. I’ll be in there in a minute.” She kissed his forehead and turned him by his shoulders. “Go with Sprocket.” She watched as he walked back into the house, hanging on to her dog’sneck.
She leaned against the door jamb, facing Chris. “That answers yourquestion.”
“You need to warn him,” he said, pointing through the opendoorway.
She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Kaden wasn’t in sight and spoke in a low voice. “I know. I don’t know why Eddie’s calling here all of a sudden. That fuckwit hasn’t shown any interest in his kids since they were conceived. Why are you involved inthis?”
He shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans, pushing them a tad bit further down his lean hips. “I’ve been assigned to thiscase.”
She blinked. “What case? Assignedhow?”
“FBI,remember?”
“So?”
He looked off to the side and took another deep breath, letting it out through his nose. “I’m on a violent gang taskforce.”
Understanding dawned. “Eddie was a member of the SouthernAnarchists.”
“Yeah.”
She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I’ll disconnect the phonetomorrow.”
“We don’t actually want you to dothat.”
She dropped her hands and stared at him. “I don’t give a shit what you want. He’s not having any contact with thosekids.”
“Denise, this is one of the few links we have to the Anarchists. We need it. Just warn the kids not to give him any information when they talk tohim.”
Hard, dark memories threatened to push to the surface. “Let me say it again. I don’t give a flying fuck. And you’re sure as shit not using those kids as bait or as a way into a criminal gang. It’s going to be a moot point in a few months anyway when I move them out of thishouse.”
“Denise—”
“No. I’m not putting those kids in the middle of a war between the FBI and the Anarchists. I will do what I need to do to protect them. End ofstory.”
She stepped back into the house and closed the door firmly. She wanted to slam it, but didn’t want to upset the kids. How dare he? Who the hell did he think he was to show up after disappearing into thin air and ask her to use her cousins as a connection to a damngang?
Jesus. She needed to talk toSarah.
Chapter 2
The elevator dinged.Denise closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the astringent scent of disinfectant. She stepped out of the car and walked down the wide hall. Sprocket padded next to her, the black and red “service animal” vest snug around her chest. The hospital was one of the few places she woreit.
Stopping at the nurse’s station, Denise leaned against the tall counter. “Morning,Nadia.”
“Good morning, Denise. Hi, Sprocket.” She smiled, flashing a deep dimple in her left cheek. “Can she have abiscuit?”
Jeez, had she ever been that young and innocent? “Sure.”
Nadia popped the lid on the tin of dog treats the nurses had started keeping behind the desk when Denise became a regular visitor and held one out toSprocket.
