Chapter 38
Eagles divebombed in Ronnie’s stomach as she sat in the chair where Demon wanted her. She couldn’t remember a time when someone had said ‘we need to talk’ or any similar phrase, when it had been good news.
“What’s up?” she said, doing her best not to let her nerves show.
“I’d like to say nothing bad, but there’s been too much about the last week or two that hasn’t been good so let’s skip that part and I’ll let you decide how good or bad it is.”
She nodded, half convinced he was going to tell her this was all over.
Not just the people after her but whatever it was she had going with him.
It hadn’t been very long, and she knew it was likely too fast, but he had already worked his way into her heart.
Still, she could admit, if only to herself, that if he was going to walk away, it would be better if he did it now, rather than after she was entirely head over heals for him and it broke her in half rather than chipping off a smaller piece of her heart.
“First, your dad has been taken in, and it look like he’s rolling over.
They’ll get everything they can from him, and if they have any brains at all, they’ll get it all on record as soon as they can, because once it becomes known that he turned state’s evidence, he may not live for long.
” He stopped talking and watched her for several seconds. “There’s more.”
Ronnie stared back at him. She didn’t know what she was supposed to feel, but it probably wasn’t the numbness that seemed to descend over her. She didn’t know what the more could be, but she needed to know.
“Okay, what else?”
“Your mom didn’t walk away from you. She didn’t leave you and your brother behind, or at least not willingly.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned at him, Where had her mother gone?
Demon took a deep breath and held it for a moment. He reached across the space between them and took her hands in his. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort her or something else.
“You know we have evidence he was into human trafficking, right?”
A ball of dread felt heavy in her belly, she nodded slowly as she started to understand.
“He gave her to them, didn’t he? He sold her out of the country to get her out of his way?” Her eyes filled with tears.
Demon’s face was sympathetic as he nodded.
Her mind flashed on interactions with her father over the years since her mother’s disappearance.
Echoes of her father’s voice and different comments he’d made echoed through her mind.
How had she missed it? How had neither she nor Gavin picked up on the clues?
Now that she looked back, she could see several clues.
She might not have ever suspected her father, she knew he wasn’t a good man, but she hadn’t realized he was that bad.
She stared down at her hands. “Is she still alive? Is there any chance we can get her back?”
“I’m sorry, firecracker. She’s gone. It took Gizmo a little while to track her down, but she’s been gone for a long time.”
“How?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but at the same time, she had to know.
Her chest ached. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hit something.
No. Someone. It was probably a good thing her father was in police custody.
If she could get to him right now, there was no telling what she might do to him.
“The man who bought her was not a kind man. He was into some sick shit. I don’t want to go into details, you don’t need to know them. Hell, I wish I didn’t know them, but he killed her.”
Ronnie let her head fall until her chin hit her chest. She didn’t bother trying to hold back her tears and instead ignored them as they streamed down her cheeks.
“Does Gavin know?”
“He knows. I don’t know if he’s gotten the details, but he knows she’s gone.”
She nodded and kept her head down, letting the tears continue down her face as she tried to process what he’d just told her.
All these years she’d held on to a secret hope that Mom would come back.
That she would appear one day, apologize and tell them something to explain why she’d disappeared and had been gone so long.
It seemed Ronnie had gotten her wish or at least part of it.
Knowing the mother who had seemed to love her, to care for her children more than for herself, hadn’t abandoned them meant something.
It meant the world, even knowing she was gone, and Ronnie would never see her again.
She let the tears flow and let herself feel the ache, the emptiness in her chest where that hope had been.
She’d always known it was unlikely, still, the certainty hurt, and was at the same time, freeing.
Eventually, she didn’t know if two minutes or ten had passed, and she didn’t care, she took a deep breath, wiped her face, and looked up at Demon.
“What else?” she asked.
He frowned as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.
“Before you told me that my father is in custody, you said first. That implies there is more than one thing. What’s the rest of it?”
He watched her for a few more seconds, then continued.
“Second, Switchblade, the man in charge, has rescinded the capture order for you.” Before she had a chance to say anything, not that she knew what to say, he held a hand up to keep her from responding.
“That doesn’t mean you’re safe, not quite yet.
We need to give it a couple of days for word to make it around that he’s calling off the order and changing it to leave you alone or suffer his wrath.
That should be enough to guarantee no one bothers you.
After those orders have made their way down the line, he too will be taken in.
We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.
I’d feel better if you stay under cover until then. ”
She frowned. “Under cover?” She didn’t like the way that sounded. She wasn’t hiding who she was, she’d only been laying low for the last day or so, and even that had rankled a bit.
“It may take a few days.”
“A few days that I can’t work.” If she didn’t work, she couldn’t pay her rent. She didn’t know what she’d do if she lost her house. She’d been lucky to find it, especially for what she was paying. She knew people in one bedroom apartments who paid more in rent than she did.
“I’ll cover your rent.”
Ronnie shook her head. She couldn’t let him do that.
“Look. The way I see it, it’s partially my fault or at least Jim Bob’s and since he’s my blood, I feel responsible.
Plus, it’s either here or there for me, and as much as I like having you in here, the walls are pretty thin.
While I don’t mind my brothers hearing you scream when I blow your mind, I don’t think you’ll like it much. ”
Her face heated again. She wasn’t sure it was at the thought of what he did to her body and how it made her feel or if it was thinking of someone overhearing her come. She looked away, then back at him.
“Okay, but only for a month. I’ll get back to work as soon as I can so you don’t have to worry what will happen to me.” She might have only known him a few days, but she already knew he was a good man. That he cared about those around him.
Demon scowled. “Firecracker, are you trying to get rid of me?”
Ronnie frowned at him. “No. I thought when all this drama was over, then you’d go back to your life, and I’d go back to mine.”
“And if I wanted to stay around longer? How would you feel about that?”
She blinked several times then watched him for a moment. Was he screwing with her? Did she dare ask?
“How long? Are you talking a couple weeks? A month?”
“I was kind of hoping for forever.”
Ronnie’s mouth fell open. She stared at him for several seconds, waiting for him to start laughing and tell her was kidding. But he didn’t. Demon watched her, waiting for her to say something.
“Really?” Her heart felt like it skipped a beat.
One corner of his lips quirked up. “I know it hasn’t been all that long, firecracker, but I fell hard and fast.” He shook his head.
“I can imagine what you’ll look like round with my baby.
What that kid will look like running around at the house.
I want that. I want that with you.” He took a breath and watched her a moment later. “Did I scare you off?”
Ronnie’s heart raced. She stared at him a moment trying to make her brain work and to find the words she was looking for.
“But… are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have said anything if I wasn’t sure. I love you, Ronnie. I’m not saying it will always be easy, but I’m willing to put in the work if you are.”
Demon watched her for a few seconds before speaking. “What does that mean for us, firecracker?” Demon’s voice was soft as he seemed to ignore the part that didn’t matter to him.
She looked up and found him watching her, his gaze intense as he waited to for her answer. “I want you, Demon. I want you forever. If you’ll do the work for us, I’ll do the work for us.”
A wide grin spread across his face.
“So, about those kids…” He stood and tugged her to her feet.
Once she was in his arms, he pressed a searing kiss to her mouth, quickly overwhelming her senses and short circuiting her brain.
She was okay with that. She looked forward to his kisses for a long time to come.
And she didn’t think there was anything she’d rather do or anyone on earth she’d rather spend the rest of her life with.