“Hey, pipsqueak, how you doin’?”
“I’m not a pipsqueak!” Ryan grumbles. “Where’s Dom and Thomas!?!?!”
“You’ll see them in a bit and Nic is making you some chocolate chip cookies.”
“Yessss!” Ryan answers, the excitement clear on his face.
Until this moment, I had thought of Ryan and I as a team against the world. I didn’t do it consciously, but I did it just the same. Right now, it’s almost painful to see him happy with someone else. I hate myself for that feeling and it probably says I’m a horrible person—but the feeling is there just the same.
“You don’t want to do that, Rory,” Dragon says, his deep voice gentle but serious. He puts his hand on mine. I look at my hand, clutching the knife so tight my fingers are bone-white. Dragon’s much darker hand over mine and it’s beautiful in the way it looks, the roughness of it and the ink covering it. I slowly drag my eyes away from it and back to his face.
“I don’t?”
“You don’t know me, but I promise you right now that you’re safe and that Ryan is safe.”
I clear my throat. I want to believe him and something about him makes me feel like I should, but…
“Noah, didn’t trust his own men. If he did, he would have never taken Ryan to Montana on his own,” I tell him.
“I’m not one of his men,” Dragon argues.
“You’re not?”
“I’m family,” he says.
I frown.
“Yeah, Rory! Dragon’s family! He’ll take us back home. Won’t you, Dragon?”
“Well, I’ll take you to my place, but then I’ll make sure you get to Uncle Crusher and your Dad. How’s that?”
“I’ll get to see my Dad?” Ryan cries, his whole body vibrating with happiness. Even then, I don’t let go of the knife. Dragon has let go of my hand, however.
“You will,” Dragon answers, but he turns to me. “Babe, you really think that’s going to do some damage?” he asks, his lips spreading into a slow smile that… to be honest, had I not sworn off men would warm me clean through.
I frown at him and grumble under my breath, but I do it dropping the knife loudly on the table.
“Ryan needs to eat.”
“Rory—” Ryan whines.
“Especially, before chocolate chip cookies,” I respond, narrowing my eyes at him.
Dragon surprisingly laughs.
“Then I guess you better eat, little buddy,” he says and he helps Ryan down into the seat beside me. I scoot over immediately. I’m shocked Dragon put him beside me, but I do feel safer with Ryan closer. Then, Dragon slides in on the opposite side. I’m not sure how the mountain of man fits in the small booth, but he does it smoothly. The waitress brings our food and the vegetable soup I wasn’t crazy about eating before, is something I really don’t want now.
“That all you eating, woman?”
“I’m not really hungry,” I mutter.
“Didn’t know you before, but seems to me those clothes you have on are hanging off of you.”
“I like my clothes loose,” I mutter.
“Right.”
“She’s been sick, Uncle Dragon,” Ryan supplies helpfully.
“Eat, Ryan,” I mutter, wanting to shut him up before he says more than I want to Dragon.
“She has?” Dragon questions and his eyes move over me and I get the feeling he doesn’t miss much.
“Yeah. The monster got mad cause I wouldn’t call him Daddy and he wanted to punish me. Rory wouldn’t let him, so he gave her my punishment.”
“Ryan, eat.” I tell him, to get him to shut up.
“Dad will be disappointed in me,” Ryan says and his lip trembles and it’s as if now that someone he trusts is close to take care of us, he lets the emotion he’s bottled up loose a little more. He flings himself in my arms and holds me tight, his body shaking as he cries.
“Ryan, honey,” I whisper, holding him tight, using my hand to slide back and forth on his back, wanting to comfort him. I close my eyes, hating the pain we’re both dealing with.
“I’m sorry, Rory,” he says, his voice muffled. “I’m sorry I got you hurt,” he cries.
“You didn’t get me hurt, Ryan. You’re not to blame for any of this,” I whisper, my eyes still shut tight. My own tears are falling now, although mine are silent compared to Ryan’s sobs.
“He hurt you because of me,” he whispers. “He made you bleed, Rory,” he mutters into my neck.
“But I’m okay now,” I tell him, trying to lock down the emotion. “I’m okay and you get to go home to your Daddy. It’s okay now, Ryan.”
I slowly open my eyes and I do it to see Dragon staring at me. His face is somewhat blurry through my tears, but his face is intense and heated.
“Were you bringing Ryan home?” Dragon asks, surprising me.
“I… uh well… not really,” I tell him. “I didn’t know Ryan had a home that I could trust. I was giving Mr. Dawson a chance and if I found I could trust him, I was going to take Ryan to him…” I mumble.