“You want me to come with you?” I ask in surprise.
“I’m not leaving you alone here.” I nod in understanding.
He probably thinks I’m going to steal something, and I fight back the hurt. I can’t blame the man. I’m in this whole mess because I’m a thief.
I hate that Curt knows that about me now. I enjoyed being his angel a whole lot more.
Six
CURT
When I get to Boone’s, I take Demi by the hand and help her out of the car. She’s got on an oversized sweatshirt and leggings. Thankfully I remembered to order shoes so she doesn't have to be barefoot. I ordered what she might think is an unnecessary amount of clothes, but I wanted her to have everything. And okay, maybe I’m thinking ahead.
“You want me to come with you?” She looks uncertainly up at the house.
“Of course I do. Why else did you think I asked you to come with me?” I look down at her in confusion, and she shrugs.
“Maybe you didn’t trust me alone at your house.”
“Demi.” I touch the bottom of her chin so she’ll look at me. “I didn’t trust leaving you at home because I can’t keep you safe if I’m not by your side. I’m not worried about you taking something from me.”
“But I’m in this mess because I stole from the Shapovals.”
I shake my head at her. “You stole food because you were starving, and that’s not a crime. At least not to me. There’s more at play here, but we’ll talk about it later. Right now I need to make sure my brother is okay.”
“Are you sure you want him to meet me?” She looks down at her clothes, comfortable and soft like she is.
“I would never be ashamed for anyone I know to meet you, angel.” That makes her smile, and I remind myself to say more things that give her that look.
We walk into Boone’s house, and security is right at the door. I nod to Roger, their head of security, and the other men on the way inside.
Boone and his bride Phoebe are in the family room at the back of the house, and when I walk in, I find them cuddled up on the couch together. Phoebe is in Boone’s lap, and she looks tired and there’s a bruise on her cheek, but otherwise she seems okay.
“Are you all right?” I ask, because I’m still a little shaken from the call I got from Boone earlier.
“I’m fine.” Phoebe looks at her husband. “Don’t listen to Boone. He’s being extra protective right now.”
“You were nearly killed,” I say a little too loud, and Boone nods to agree with me.
“Great, now I’ve got bossy in stereo.” She shakes her head and then finally sees Demi move out from behind me. “Oh hi, I didn’t see you there.”
“Hi,” Demi says when I pull her around.
“This is Demi, Demi, this is my brother Boone, who you might remember, and his wife Phoebe.”
Boone’s eyes widen, and he softly places Phoebe on the couch beside him as he stands up. “It’s nice to meet you.” He holds his hand out to Demi and then looks at me again. “Can I speak to you in my office, Curt?”
Without waiting for me to agree, he walks past me and out of the family room.
“We'll be fine in here, Curt,” Phoebe says as she pats the seat next to her. “Come sit down, Demi, and we’ll gossip about them. I’m sure they’re going to the other room to do the same with us.”
Demi smiles as she lets go of my hand and walks away from me. I decide that this is probably the safest place for her at the moment, so I hurry to follow my brother and get this over with.
When I get to his office, he’s pacing, and as I close the door behind me, he stops and looks up.
“What the hell are you thinking? How old is that girl?” His eyes widen, and he puts his hands in front of him. “You know what, maybe it’s better I don’t know.”
I shake my head as I tuck my hands into my pockets, trying to go for relaxed instead of adding to his stress.
“She’s eighteen tomorrow.” He turns to me again, and his eyes narrow. “Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t touched her.”
“You were supposed to take care of her.”
“I did.”
“Not like that,” he snaps. “This is not what I need right now. I’m trying my best to keep from coming apart because I almost lost my wife. And now you come over with someone that’s tied to all that bullshit.”
“That’s enough,” I say firmly, and Boone blinks at me. It’s not often I’m serious with him, but I’m not about to have him drag Demi. “She was in the crossfire of that whole shitstorm, and now I’m just as worried about something happening to her.”