Redemption (The Protectors 8)

The one I’d heard in high school, boot camp and even from the occasional member of my own team in the army.

The same one Levi’s father had just flung at me.

I’d learned to let that word and all the others I’d heard over the years wash right off my back. But just the thought that Levi might secretly share his father’s views had me feeling sick.

“Where are we going, Phoenix?” I heard Levi ask when I headed in the opposite direction of St. Anthony’s.

“My place,” was all I said.

Levi didn’t argue and he wisely remained silent as I made my way onto the highway. It took a mere fifteen minutes to reach my house. I saw Levi’s eyes go wide as he took in the view. “You live here?” he asked.

I nodded. My house was in Alki Point, which was on a small peninsula just south of downtown Seattle. While my house wasn’t huge, it had a stunning view of the Olympic Mountain range as well as the city of Seattle itself. I also had several hundred feet of private beach.

I got out of the SUV and grabbed the diaper bag as Levi got Henry’s car seat out. Once inside the house, I disarmed the security system and then led Levi to the carpeted living room. I figured it was wide open enough for Henry to crawl around a bit while Levi and I talked.

“Do you want something to drink?”

Levi shook his head. “Can you…can you put some water in this?” he asked. “The formula is already in it…you just need to add water to the middle line.”

I nodded and took the bottle he handed me. By the time I returned to the living room, Levi was sitting on the floor with Henry. He was helping the baby to stand and was making funny faces, which had Henry wide-eyed and showing off a toothy grin. But when the little boy saw the bottle in my hand, he began cooing in excitement.

“Look what Phoenix brought you,” Levi said, a big smile on his face. He helped Henry sit down and then began clapping which had the baby clapping his hands together.

“Thank you,” Levi said to me as he took the bottle and then turned Henry so he was sitting on Levi’s lap and pressed up against his chest. The baby eagerly began sucking on the nipple. I marveled at the unabashed look of love in Levi’s eyes as he looked down at Henry. I sat down in a chair in the corner of the living room so I could watch the pair. Within minutes, Henry’s noisy sucking slowed and I could see his eyes drifting closed.

It wasn’t until his eyes slid completely shut that Levi carefully removed the bottle and then looked up at me. “Phoenix-”’

I could hear the apology in his voice, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear it. Probably because I knew he didn’t really owe me one. I was still pissed about his father’s behavior, but I needed to give Levi the benefit of the doubt.

“Is he yours?” I asked as I nodded at Henry.

Levi shook his head. “He’s my brother’s.”

“And his mother?”

“Her name is Dina. She started dating Ricky after he…after he got out of prison.”

“Your brother was in prison?” I asked, feigning surprise.

Levi nodded. “He killed his girlfriend four years ago. He got out of prison a year and half ago and met Dina. She found out she was pregnant right after he died.”

“So, your brother only served a few years for the murder?”

“My dad gave him an alibi, so the prosecutor decided to offer Ricky a plea deal. Ricky figured doing a few years was better than risking life.”

“Your dad gave him an alibi?”

Levi fell silent and let his eyes drop back down to Henry who was snuggled up against his chest. The sight of them made my heart constrict with painful memories.

“Ricky wasn’t a good person. I know he did it. I was home the night it happened. Ricky and I shared a room…he wasn’t home that night like my dad said he was.”

I wanted to ask Levi why he hadn’t said anything, but I already had a pretty good idea. From his father’s reaction this morning after Levi had called him out about putting Henry in danger, the man hadn’t given a shit that Levi was right or that he’d been holding a baby in his arms…he’d been ready to do battle and my guess was that Levi would have come out the loser.

“Dina came to our apartment a few months after Ricky died and told my dad she was pregnant and needed money for the pregnancy. My dad told her to get an abortion, but she said it was too late. I guess…I guess she didn’t realize she was pregnant right away. She and Ricky both had a drug problem,” Levi murmured. “My father told her he wasn’t supporting her or the kid and told her to leave. I went after her and gave her all the money I’d been saving up.”