28. Daddy Bear
DADDY BEAR
KITTY
Sitting at the kitchen counter, I push my food around the plate, battling Diamond’s insistent reminders to eat it. “I have cream for you,” she announces into the silence then rushes out of the room. I love her, but I can’t force another morsel of the tasteless egg into my body.
Without warning, Monster appears next to me, bringing his face dangerously close to mine. His breath hot on my cheek, he muses, “Bruises are like blood tears spilling out of broken veins hidden beneath our skin.” His touch sends shivers down my spine as he brushes his finger along my jawbone.
“What the hell, dude?” I groan, dropping my fork with a clank.
“I’ll make every part of him bleed. You just say the word, and he’ll become a kaleidoscope of color on a cold corpse,” he declares, his stare cold, his words dripping with promise, his conviction unmistakable.
Intensity radiates from him like a fire in the night sky.
Knowing he’s willing to kill for me creates a perturbed satisfaction in my belly.
His eyes are an abyss of darkness. “I’m okay,” I say, a sense of ease coming over me. I nod to reassure him.
“A man shouldn’t put his hands on an innocent woman unless it’s to pleasure or comfort her.” He lazily drags his gaze over my body.
Smiling, I nudge his shoulder. “I like your way of thinking.”
Grinning wolfishly, he steals a piece of bacon off the plate and bites into it. “You know where to find me if you require any of those things.”
“I’m good. But thanks.”
He grunts in response and sidesteps Diamond as she saunters back into the kitchen holding a tube of cream. “Here, put this on your bruising. It’s like magic.” She beams, rubbing my arm. “I had to order more, and it just came in.” She busies herself getting ingredients from the pantry.
“Thanks. I’ll do it when I get back.”
“Where are you going?” She halts her movements and stares over at me, her eyes wide, mouth open.
“Out with Rogue.” Rogue got a location to meet Bear and asked me to go with her.
I pick up the glass of green smoothy shit Diamond spent half an hour concocting and knock it back, trying not to gag.
“Is that wise? After everything that happened last night?” She places a bag of flour down and brushes her hands over her apron.
She’s been mumbling under her breath about how many cupcakes she needs to make for the kids coming to tomorrow’s cookout.
I don’t know why she doesn’t just get them from the grocery store like everyone else and save herself the headache.
“I won’t be a prisoner or scared victim, Di.” Pushing away from the counter, I slide off my stool and dump the glass by the sink. “You should know me better than that. I’m a Cox.”
“Is Tim going with you?” she asks, ignoring everything I just said.
“Probably,” I lie, swiping my arm across my lips. No one is going but Rogue and me. Bear doesn’t trust the Kings not to kill him even with the pardon from Callan.
“Please be cautious,” she pleads.
I wave a hand over my shoulder and make it two steps into the hall when she calls, “You didn’t eat enough.”
Yeah, yeah.
I pull out my phone to text Rogue and almost drop it when I see the text waiting for me, my shoulders tensing.
Michael: I’m sorry I lost control. He was my little brother. My only brother. Surely you can understand that. Imagine losing Callan. Forgive me?
My heart stampedes in my chest. A trickle of fear races up my spine. Is this a threat or a sincere apology? He wouldn’t dare try to hurt Callan. Would he?
Me: Lose this number.
Michael: Tit for tat. I hurt you. You hurt me.
A picture message of his upper torso follows, the stitches in his shoulder red and angry. Good. Asshole. The marks he left on me will heal. The wound I inflicted on him will scar as a constant reminder he fucked with the wrong girl.
I block his number then flit my thumbs over the keyboard, typing a message to Rogue.
Me: I’m ready to go. Meet me in the garage.
Putting my SUV in park, I tap the GPS, making sure it didn’t have a stroke and lead us to our deaths.
“This doesn’t seem right.” I scrunch my nose, peering out at the abandoned-looking shack surrounded by trash and old rusting cars in the middle of butt-fuck-nowhere.
“I’ve seen this movie. We get raped by mutant inbred people. ” I shudder.
“He wouldn’t risk meeting somewhere he can be seen.” Rogue nibbles on her lip, staring at the unstable wooden structure. I hope she doesn’t want me to go in there.
“Why are you so nervous?” She often talks about this man being like a father to her, and there’s always love and tenderness in the stories she shares.
Rubbing her hands down her thighs, she shrugs. “I don’t know. What do you think he wants to talk about?”
“No doubt it’s about him boning your mom the entire time they’ve been traveling,” I offer with a wicked smile.
“Ew. Thanks for that.”
“You think you won’t still be fucking my brother like a bitch in heat in your fifties?” I scoff. I plan to still be fucking all the way to my deathbed. It’s the only thing that’s free and enjoyable in this fucked up world.
Silence fills the small space as she stares out the windshield. “What if it’s about the Devils or Harley?”
“You won’t know until you go find out, and I’m going to be right there with you.” I pat her knee and open my door, rounding to her side to help her out.
“This place is grim.” She winces, taking in the mud path scattered with cartons and crushed boxes. Light streaks through the branches of the trees, but it doesn’t seem to reach the hut.
“If we don’t get murdered by hill people, we might get eaten by rats.” I squeal, shaking my leg when one runs over my boot. Clinging to each other in disgust and fright, we screech in unison when a meaty hand lands on both our shoulders.
“You used to have better survival instincts,” a brute announces, his size casting a shadow over us. “Have those Kings made you soft?”
“Bear,” Rogue breathes out, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes.
Lifting her into his embrace, she practically disappears in his giant arms. He watches me over her shoulder with suspicious eyes.
I’m not the one luring women into derelict huts, asshole.
“Bear, I presume.” I nod, kicking the crap away from me. Releasing Rogue, he tilts his head, studying me. “I’m Kitty,” I add.
“I told you to come alone,” he says to Rogue without removing his eyes from mine.
“I know, but Kitty’s my person. I needed her.”
“She’s Jericho Cox’s daughter,” he grunts. There’s no menace in his tone, just stating matter of fact.
“I’m also a Virgo, a badass, and bored, to be frank.” I blow out a breath and worry I’m going to inhale something toxic. “Is there a reason you wanted to meet at the dump?”
“She has fire, like you.” Bear chuckles. “What happened?” He swipes a finger along the scruff on his face, referring to Michael’s imprints on my jaw.
“None of your fucking business, stranger,” I retort in full bitch mode, smiling sickly sweet.
“Fair enough.”
Looking around him, Rogue asks, “Where’s mom?”
“She’s a little walk down the way.” He nods in the direction of a cluster of trees.
“Are you staying here?” she asks, confusion and horror pinching her features.
“Fuck no. It’s just a place no one comes to anymore.”
“For good reason.” I gag when a rustling movement shifts more trash closer to the house.
“Come on,” he grunts.
Following him through a cut in the trees, we come out into a clearing in complete contrast to the dump we just left. Stretches of green fields filled with flowers expand along a dirt path overgrown with brush trodden down by people walking here. It’s pretty.
“So, when did you get back?” Rogue asks.
“A couple days ago,” he mumbles, his large strides eating up the trail. I pick up my pace, half-jogging to keep up. I didn’t sign up for cardio.
“Are you staying?” Her breathing is labored, and I’m glad to know I’m not the only one in need of a gym membership.
“We haven’t decided. It’s probably best if we don’t stick around one place for too long.”
“I’ve told you no one is looking for you.” Rogue exhales, looking over at me.
Shrugging, I throw my hands up. I don’t know what she wants me to do. He won’t believe anything I have to say.
“There’s your mom.” He motions to a picnic table with a lake as its backdrop and a motorcycle parked beside it.
A woman with brown hair pulled up into a bun sits, a cloud of smoke from her cigarette billowing around her like fog on the water. If it weren’t for the cancer stick, the image could be a postcard.
As we draw closer, the woman stands and smiles, her face an older version of Rogue’s, etched with lines of years lived and lessons learned. “Princess.” She opens her arms, and Rogue’s throat bobs as she walks into them.
Their embrace only lasts a second before Rogue pulls away, stuffing her hands into her jean pockets. “How are you, Mom?”
“Great.” Her mom looks up fondly at Bear, and he places a hand on her shoulder. Twigs cracking in the distance and the light buzzing of bugs around us makes my skin itch. If a real bear comes out of the trees, I’m taking the bike. Every person for themselves.
“Let’s sit,” I say, feeling like a third wheel on a date.
“I brought meatball subs if you’re hungry,” Rogue’s mom offers. Usually, I’d eat through the paper to get to a meatball sub, but Diamond’s green slop still sits heavy in my stomach.
“I don’t want food, Mom.” Rogue picks at a carving on the wood table with her nails. It’s someone’s initials and a heart.
“Who’s your friend?” She looks me over, her smile tight. In a striped long-sleeve top and black leather pants with my natural hair pinned back off my face, I look fucking great.
“Kitty. She’s Callan’s sister.”
“Oh right, of course. You’ve sent pictures but her hair was blue.”
Grinning, I hitch a shoulder. “Sometimes.”
“So, Mom, what is it you and Bear want to talk to me about?”
The woman’s face falls, and her hands collapse into her lap. “We thought you’d be alone.”