Left (Left 1)

“Why are you so damn i

rresistible?” I whisper.

“Just lucky like that, I guess,” he drawls.

I roll my eyes and peck his lips. “Did the lawyer call you back yet?”

“No, he’s gathering information at the moment. Said he’ll get back to me when he has more and a tentative game plan.”

I bite my bottom lip. They wouldn’t give custody to a mother who’s a proven flight risk, would they?

“Any news on what caused the fire?” Houston asks.

“Not yet, why?”

He shakes his head. “Hous, don’t lie to me.”

“He threatened you.”

“Who? Tony?” I wrinkle my nose. Saying his name leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

“Yes. Then your house burned down less than six hours later.”

“I don’t think he’s capable of this?” I grow uncertain as I remember his anger.

“If he was it’ll be the last fucking thing he ever does in his lifetime.”

“Houston.”

His eyes are blue flames alight with anger. “Don’t ask me to not protect you.”

His voice is quiet and full of bass. It's a deadly combination that hints of violence.

“I won’t," he says.

“Thank you.”

I know after all that happened with Rain, he strives to have control. I won’t begrudge him his coping mechanism. “I will ask you to be careful, because Phoenix, Echo, Deja and I are all counting on you. If you’re gone, we’re alone.”

He presses a kiss to my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

***

Anthony’s landed a job doing graphics for video games, and Rain is the doting stay at home mother she couldn’t be to her firstborn. It makes absolutely no sense. Their house is disgustingly cute, and apparently, their neighbors adore them. Houston’s lawyer has done his job. The feelers he sent out have come back and brought an unsettling update.

“Why can’t they have people chained up in their basement who escape and make this a moot point?” I ask.

“That was dark, and I kind of liked it,” Houston says as he stirs the pot of homemade marina we’ve made to go with the lasagna about to go into the oven.

“I’m serious.”

“I know. We’ve filled for Child Abandonment. We would’ve done it sooner, but we had no clue where she was. Given her very public exit, I think we have a good shot at winning.”

“What’ll happen if the judge rules for Child Abandonment?”

“She could be faced with criminal charges, varying in severity. More importantly, her parental rights can be terminated. That’s our goal. Brian is getting me into contact with a family lawyer he trusts. He laid the ground work encase she moved fast. We want to hit her first.” His voice is calm and steady, but I know he’s frightened. We haven’t heard anything else from Anthony or Rain, but they’re always on the mind, a storm cloud waiting to blow in.

“The insurance approved everything. I still can’t believe a faulty outlet set the whole place up.”