Of course, they all choose that moment to attack me, bringing me to my knees. I don’t care they’ve got me like this, fuck, they could beat me black and blue as long as they leave Blake and Oscar alone.The three oafs squash me, and I can feel hands on my face and a knee dangerously close to my balls.
“If you wanted a foursome, all you had to do was ask,” I quip, shoving one of them away from me enough to brace my hands on the floor. My muscles scream as I push up, effectively acting like the Hulk as I rise and they fall off me.
I grab one by his shirt and pull him toward me, my face millimeters from his and his feet an inch or two off the ground. “Get. Out.”
I kinda feel like Beast when he was holding Gaston over the edge of his castle in Beauty and the Beast.I shake my head.Focus, Theo.
This guy looks spooked enough to heed my words—his eyes go wide, and he starts nodding emphatically, but it’s the two assholes behind me that won’t let up. I roll my eyes toward the ceiling and blow out a breath, then toss the guy in my grasp onto the floor.
I’ve never killed someone before, but I’m not opposed to starting. These assholes have come into my home, threatened my family, so this is personal now.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see one of them heading for the bedrooms.
“Oh, fuck no, dickhead,” I roar. “Get the fuck back here.”
I don’t have time to get to him before he descends down the corridor and out of view, so I do the only thing I can think of—I reach for my prize bumblebee action figure, the one that cost more money than I make in a year since only a handful of them were sold. It’s made of a dense metal, so it’s gonna hurt like a bitch.
Tee hee.
“I’m sorry, baby. Daddy loves you,” I coo to the action figure before I close my eyes, say a silent prayer, and throw it at the cunt trying to get to my family.
Thump.
My eyes open to find the guy spread out on the floor, clutching his head. My chest heaves up and down from the physical exertion, and it’s not even the good kind. All I keep thinking in the back of my mind is,where are Blake and Oscar, and are they okay? They better fucking be.
A shadow runs past me, calling, “Let’s go.”
“Oh, thank Christ,” I shout, throwing my hands in the air. “Finally.”
The elevator dings, and the lights turn back on. I blink and glance around briefly before rushing to find Blake and Oscar. I don’t waste a single second as I fly down the hallway, closing the distance between me and my entire reason for existing.
“Blake? Oscar?” I call out frantically, scared that something happened to them. Blake’s head appears from behind our bedroom door, Oscar next to her, and I nearly collapse from relief. “It’s okay, they’re gone.”
The door fully opens, and both of them run out to me. Blake throws her arms around my neck, while Oscar wraps himself around my waist. My heart's doing double time in my chest, palpitations making it hard to breathe as I hug them. “Are you both okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Blake replies, pulling back. “What was all that about?”
Thankfully, she doesn’t appear too distressed, and neither does Oscar. Still, I can feel their hearts pumping as they stand close, and there’s a subtle shake in Blake’s hand as I grip it tight.
“Not a fucking clue,” I say, my hand gliding down the back of her head as I pull her into me. I need her close—I need them both close—so I know they’re safe.
Finally, I let them go. Reluctantly,might I add.
“Why don’t you go and get Oscar ready for bed? I’m gonna call the boys and have a look around, see if anything’s missing,” I tell her, trying to keep my anger in check.
“What if they come back?” she whispers, eyes darting to Oscar. “I don’t care what happens to me, but Oscar is here. I don’t want him going through that again.”
I slide my hand up her face gently. “It’s okay, firefly. I’ll reset the code so they can’t get back in. You’re safe now.”
“They got in with the codes before; they could do it again,” she points out. “How do we know we’ll be safe?” She nibbles on her bottom lip, her face a mask of worry.
“Fool me once,” I reply, bending down to her eye level. “I wouldneverwillingly let anything happen to you or Oscar, Blake. I can promise you on my life, this will never happen again.” I kiss her gently, and she leans into me, clutching at my arms. “Now, go check on Oscar,” I repeat. “I’ll clear up here and call the security firm.”
Blake nods slowly, concern still marring her face, but trusting me to keep my word. “O-okay, yeah, I’ll do that.”
She heaves out a heavy sigh, nuzzling her head into my hand. “Thank you.” She takes my hand from her cheek and gives a gentle kiss to my palm before squeezing it and wrapping her arm around Oscar.
“Come on, bud,” she says, guiding him away.
