That wouldn't fly with me. A grown man could have his own conversations. At least he was, if he was even remotely respectable.
Chad had been nothing but a snake in disguise.
“I’ll do that,” August said, and with that I turned my attention to the princess that clung to my woman’s legs shyly.
“I heard you like unicorns,” I said. “There’s a brand new seat in my car waiting for you, and it just might have unicorns on it.”
“Uni?” she asked, peeking up at me from around Calla’s leg.
“Should we go see?” I asked with a smile, holding out a hand and letting her come to me. When she put her hand in mine shyly, I lifted her into my arms and plopped her onto my shoulders. She squealed with laughter, clinging to my shoulders tightly as I strode to the front of the garage and got her hooked into her car seat. I could vaguely sense Calla and her father following with Axel, but my focus was entirely on the little girl stroking the unicorn fabric happily. It was worth every penny I’d spent to have it custom made.
“Pretty uni,” she said.
“Only the best for the prettiest girl in the world.” She giggled when I booped her nose just like Calla did, and I turned to find Calla watching our interaction with interest. Noticing every little detail that I knew and exploited.
“Is that a Maserati Levante?” August asked, stepping forward to let his hands hover over the hood. He didn’t touch her, and I knew as a car man that it was for fear of leaving greasy prints on the paint. The Maserati just wasn’t the kind of car that could pull off that kind of look.
“Sure is,” I said as I closed Ines’s door and took Axel’s hand to help him around to the other side. “When you come over, you can take it for a drive. I’ve got a 1970 Chevelle in my garage I’m working on fixing up. I imagine you’d enjoy getting your hands on her. She’s a real beauty,” I said, and he laughed at me.
“You shitting me?”
“Nope. I’m restoring the entire thing. It was in rough shape when I got my hands on it, but she’s starting to shine now.”
He laughed again, turning to clap a hand on Calla’s shoulder so hard her body shook under the force of it. He’d always treated her like one of the boys at the shop and didn’t seem to care that he stained her shirt with his greasy hands. “Well, Calla Lily,” he said, the affectionate term making my heart tighten in sadness for my girl. Her mom’s favorite flower had become her namesake after she died. “You’re fucked. See you soon.”
His laughter echoed through the garage as he abandoned his daughter to my mercy.
I grinned at her as she climbed in the passenger seat. “Why can’t I drive?” she asked with her arms folded across her chest once I’d taken my spot behind the wheel.
“I’ll let you drive once I’m sure you can handle a stick.” Calla gasped. She would be so much fun to torment, and I’d waited long enough to do it. I smirked at her glaring face. “Don’t forget, you owe me a kiss, Sunshine.”
Twelve
Calla
When Ryker pulled up to the house and the gate opened, I did everything I could not to scare the kids. I didn’t scream or make a fuss when it closed behind us, and I thought I deserved a damn medal for that alone.
I didn’t voice my horror when he turned onto a split in the driveway that took us into the woods. Was there anything the man did that wasn’t creepy as fuck?
It led us around the side of the warehouse, and when we came up to the side, the building was bigger than I’d ever expected in my first glimpse inside. And I’d thought the renovated interior had been like something out of a magazine. Pushing a button on the rearview mirror, an enormous wall of steel and glass panels slid open on a track and folded in on themselves to reveal a four-car garage that was so pristine it would make my father weep if he ever saw it.
I couldn’t let him come here.
Ever.
My sensible mom-sedan looked ridiculous parked next to the Chevelle he’d mentioned, and even I felt like I might purr at the sight of it. It desperately needed a paint job, but I could see the signs of just how much work Ryker had put into restoring it already.
I wanted to hate it, but I had to admit he’d done a stunning job.
Dad made most of his money on custom builds at his shop, so I was no stranger to muscle cars and the signs of a good restoration. The fucker just had to be good at the one thing that would earn him bonus points with my Dad.
Ryker hopped out, going to the back seat and pulling Axel free before I’d even snapped myself out of my stupor. There had to be a way to get us out of Ryker’s sight, and then we could go to Jason without putting him in danger. As a Detective, he had more clout than most of the other people I might consider turning to, and the pseudo-father relationship he’d formed with the kids since Chad’s death ensured he’d help us. I had no idea what Ryker was capable of, and until I did, I had to proceed with caution.
I’d never be able to live with myself if someone died because of me, but if he touched me I’d probably cut his balls off. I doubted he’d have much use for me after that. I supposed that was probably a light at the end of the tunnel.
I jumped out of the car, pulling Ines out of her seat before Ryker could get to her too. “Surprise!” she squealed, holding out her arms for the brute of a man who just swept my daughter out of my arms and carted her to the door that must have led into the main house. The door that Ryker strode through led into a hallway, and when I turned to close it behind me I watched the garage doors slide closed with mounting horror for only a moment before I turned to follow where my kids joyfully went off with a stranger.
I hadn’t prepared them for strangers who clung to me, only for strangers when I wasn’t around.