“Sir…” His voice is subdued, giving in to my presence.
“Have nothing to say for yourself, hmmm?”
He keeps his gaze downcast. “None that would make a difference.”
“If you ever hurt him, I will make you beg for your death. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Fuck off, Ten,”Leandro says in my ear.“You don’t get to dictate shit for me.”
“Be quiet,” I reply. “You’re lucky I don’t just shoot him and be done with it.”
“It’s fine, Sir,” Oliver says, and I can tell by his tone that he’s not talking to me. He takes his hand away from his face, wincing as he looks at his bloodied fingers, before wiping them on his pants. “I deserved it, probably worse.”
Leandro makes a displeased sound, but doesn’t respond. Oliver wipes at his bleeding nose a few times—fucker is lucky I didn’t break it.
The sound of footsteps hitting concrete has the three of us turning, saving Oliver from getting into more trouble.
The big man that comes out of the shadows would probably scare a normal person. After all, he has a good three or four inches on me and is widely built; a force to be reckoned with, I’m sure. But I didn’t survive this long by being easily intimidated. Besides, the tiny child in his arms ruins the big, bad image he has going on.
Lachlan looks between Oliver, Joel, and me, before zeroing his gaze on Oliver and his bloody nose. “Problem?”
“No. Just a misunderstanding,” Oliver replies smoothly. “Thanks for taking this risk, Lachlan.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t thank me for this shit. I’m not a monster.”
I snort, and Lachlan’s dark eyes meet mine. “I think we have very different definitions of that word. Now, hand me…my nephew.” The word is weird on my lips, but it's the best I have.
Lachlan makes his way over—like fuck am I taking another step. Joel moves to stand partially in front of me, which earns him a glare, but he ignores it.
Once Lachlan is closer, I can see how Cole has buried himself into the big man’s chest, as if trying to hide from the world. I’d think he was unconscious if it weren’t for the tiny whimpers escaping his throat.
I haven’t held anyone so small since Roman was the same age, but it’s all muscle memory when Lachlan transfers Cole into my arms. He lets out a startled cry and I shush him. “It’s okay, Cole. It’s Ten. You’re okay, I got you.”
He stares up at me with wide, frightened eyes. I’m not sure he’s really seeing me, especially in this shitty light, but I hold him close anyway.
“You’re okay,” I repeat. “I’m going to get you back to your daddies, okay?”
He whimpers. “Please…” he whispers.
“I promise.”
I don’t give Lachlan or Oliver another look, though I’m finely tuned to them, even as I trust Joel to watch our six while I hurry back to the car.
Cole clings to me, his tears soaking into my shirt, but I don’t give a shit. He can ruin every single shirt I own, so long as he’s here, safe.
I get into the backseat, holding him to me, finding myself unwilling to put him down, even if it would be safer. For a moment, as Joel backs out of the parking spot, I have a flashback to one of the many kidnapping attempts I saved Roman from as a child.
I hope this is the boy’s only experience with such a thing. I know how…haunted Roman is because of both his past and present. I am many things, but I don’t believe an innocent shouldeverbe pulled into this game.
That fucking nanny better hope Cole’s daddies find her first…
The drive home is long, and through it all, Cole stays with his head buried against my throat. He doesn’t relax, even though he’s probably exhausted. The only noises he makes are the small, occasional whimpers, and the cries he can’t hold back, and it’s…concerning.I hope Javi is ready for a new “test subject”.Because if his fathers don’t insist on getting him help, I will. It’s a mistake Cristian made with Roman, and I won’t allow it to happen again. Not in someone so young.
Joel helps me out of the car, so I don’t have to put Cole down. It’s late enough that there are minimal house staff around, and luckily, everyone in the Family is either in bed or otherwiseoccupied. I'd rather get this over with quickly than make it athing.
Knocking on the door to Keegan, Marcus, and Carter’s suite, I resist my usual urge to just walk in. For one, I can’t pick the lock with the kid in my arms, and for another, I doubt Marcus and Keegan would appreciate that.
