I took a minute to freshen up before checking on Nova again, then I made my way to the kitchen.
CHAPTER FOUR
Shutter
I GLANCED UP at Catalina as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.
“She wants you to take Nova?” Shadow asked, taking my focus from Cat.
“Yeah.”
“That’s so very Les Misérables,” Posey said.
I frowned. “Huh?”
“Valjean vows to watch over Fantine’s daughter, Cosette,” Catalina informed me.
“I don’t know what any of that means,” I admitted.
“It’s only the best musical on the planet,” Catalina said. “Or one of them, anyway. Certainly one of my favorites.”
“Yeah?” I asked. “You’ve seen it live?”
“I have.” She smiled like the memory of her experience was washing over her again. “A few times. But it’s been out of circulation for a while.”
“There’s the movie,” Posey said.
“Yes. I own it, even though it’s not as good as the live musical,” Catalina said, meeting my eyes. “I’ll let you borrow it.”
“Not one for musicals, sweetheart, but thanks.”
Her mouth slid up into a smile, but her eyes didn’t match the mirth, and I suddenly felt like I’d just failed a huge test with her. My stomach dropped. Fucking hell, I couldn’t seem to find the way in with her and it pissed me off. No woman had made me work this hard.
Hell, no woman had ever made me work, period.
Before I could go back to the paperwork, however, Nova let out a blood curdling scream and Catalina went running that way. I followed.
* * *
Catalina
I rushed into the bedroom and scooped Nova up, holding her close. “It’s okay, honey. I’m here.”
“There was a bad man,” she hiccupped out.
I looked up at Shutter and he scowled. Stepping into the room, he sat on the other side of me and stroked Nova’s cheek. “What man, Nova?”
She buried her face into my neck and shook her head.
“No one can hurt you, baby,” I crooned. “Can you tell Uncle Shutter who the man was?”
She shook her head again.
“Do you think you can tell him what he looked like?” I prodded.
“He had owie on his face,” she whispered.
“What kind of owie, baby?” I asked.
She ran her finger from her ear, across her cheek and down to her chin. “It was red.”
“That’s good, baby girl,” Silas said. “What else?”
“He had a drawing on his hand.”
“A drawing?” I asked. “Do you think you can draw it for Uncle Shutter?”
She shrugged, keeping her face buried against me. “Mama made me hide in the closet.”
I turned tear-filled eyes to Silas and mouthed, “She saw her mother get murdered?”
“I bet that was really scary,” I said, giving her a gentle squeeze.
“Can I have some water?”
“Yeah, baby, of course,” I said. “Do you want to stay with Shutter, and I’ll get you some?”
She nodded, twisting her body so she could reach for him and he pulled her gently onto his lap. I headed to the kitchen, tears streaming down my face because I couldn’t seem to control them. This is probably why I slammed into my brother who was walking out of the room as I was walking into it.
“Holy shit, Cat, you okay?”
I shook my head, and he wrapped his arms around me. “What happened?”
“I think Nova saw Darlene get stabbed.”
“Fuck,” he breathed out.
I gripped his shirt and started to sob as he held me close.
“Shit,” Silas hissed from behind us.
“Sorry,” I said, wiping my tears and pulling away from my brother. “I need to get Nova some water.”
“She’s asleep,” Silas countered, taking my hand, and giving it a squeeze. “Excuse us.”
He pulled me down the hall and into the den currently being used as an overflow room. Closing the door behind us, Silas reached for me, but I stepped away, so he crossed his arms. “Talk to me, baby.”
“I don’t really know what to say.” I bit my lip. “She watched her mama get murdered, Silas. How is she going to deal with that?”
I could no longer hold onto my composure, and Silas could apparently no longer tolerate our distance. He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me, his hand going to my neck.
“We’re gonna find whoever did this, honey. Swear to Christ. We’re gonna deal with them,” he whispered.
I nodded into his chest. “That poor little girl,” I said with a sniff.
“Yeah,” he agreed, squeezing the back of my neck.
“She cannot be left with strangers,” I whispered. “We have to make sure she stays with us, okay?”
He cupped my face and lifted my chin. “She’s not gonna go with strangers.”
“Promise?”
Silas smiled gently. “Promise.”
I nodded, then suddenly his lips were on mine, and I was clinging to him as though he were a lifeline. It took me several seconds to come to my senses and break the kiss.
“Why the hell did you do that?” I snapped, wiping my mouth.
* * *
Shutter
Catalina stormed out of the room, leaving me with two things… a raging hard-on… and hope. She’d kissed me back and I knew it was all passion. Something that, at least for a second or two, she couldn’t hide.
I smiled slowly, and after taking a few minutes to think about baseball stats, I headed back down to the living room. Passing Nova’s room, I peeked in and made sure she was sleeping, then joined Cat and her family.
Cat glared at me and I couldn’t stop a smile. That woman was just as affected by me as I was her and I filed that little fact away for future use.
“I’ve sent Rabbit as much information as I could,” Shadow said, pulling my focus from his sister. “I scanned everything you brought over and sent him the description Nova gave you. But this flash drive is encrypted, so we’ll need to wait until Rabbit’s back to figure out what’s on it.”
I nodded. “Thanks, brother.”
Rabbit was a gifted hacker, but currently out of town on some super-secret mission. As far as anyone knew, he was dealing with something to do with his foster sister, Anjanette. I had a feeling it was something more, however, because no one was saying shit.
At least he was available if we needed him.
“Mama!” Nova cried, and Catalina jabbed a finger at me.
“Stay,” she ordered, and left the kitchen.
I chuckled, but stayed put, and she walked back in a few minutes later with Nova on her hip. “Someone’s thirsty,” Catalina said, smoothing back Nova’s hair.
Posey grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the fridge door, and Catalina helped Nova sip from the glass.
“You ready to go back to sleep?” Catalina asked.
“Can I sweep with you?” she asked.
“How about I come and lie down with you until you’re asleep?”
Nova nodded and Cat set the glass down, carrying her back to bed.
I waited about five minutes until I could no longer stay away, heading down the hall to check on them. Catalina was once again sacked out, this time, Nova was facing her with her tiny arm over Cat’s.
Jesus, it was beautiful.
I closed the door quietly and made my way back to the kitchen.
* * *
“Wakey, wakey, little fishy.”
I forced gritty eyes open just as a beefy hand landed on my mouth.
“I’m gonna have some fun with you.”
I swung at my attacker, but he was twice my size and had me pinned to the mattress.
“It’ll go easier if you don’t fight it.”
I sat up with a growl, dragging my hands down my face. Jesus, fuck, I needed to get these goddamn nightmares i
n check. I got up and sucked down a glass of water, then settled back in and hoped sleep would come quickly.
It didn’t.
* * *
Catalina
My screaming bladder awakened me and for a second, I was confused as to where I was, mostly because I was sweating like a pig, my room was like a sauna. I usually slept with a window open during the winter, letting the natural coolness of the air regulate the room temperature, but my brother had every window and door wired with alarms, so they had to stay closed while the system was armed. Sitting up, I realized I was alone in bed, so I slid off the mattress, and pulled open the door, listening for life.
“You want more?” Silas asked.
“Yes, pwease.”
“Are you sure?” he asked in a sing-song voice.
I heard Nova giggle and smiled. She sounded good. Since I had a second to freshen up, I snuck into the bathroom, finding an unopen toothbrush in the bottom drawer.
I was still in my brother’s clothes, so my first order of business was going to be coffee, then my second would be clean clothes.
After pulling my hair up into a scrunchy, I made my way into the kitchen and found Nova sitting on a stool while Silas stood at the stove and flipped pancakes.
“Cat!” Nova said excitedly as I slid past Silas and gave her a hug. “Uncle Shutter made Mickey Mouse pancakes.”
“Did he? Wow, you’re a lucky girl.” I kissed her temple, then stepped to the coffee maker.
“You want pancakes?” Silas asked.
“Sure. Thanks.” I poured a cup of coffee then opened the fridge to grab the cream.
“You want Mickey?”
I chuckled. “Round is just fine, thanks.”
“How many?”
“Two would be great.” I poured coffee, added sweetener, then sat at the island next to Nova. “Are Posey and Nolan gone?”
Silas nodded. “Left about an hour ago.”
“When did you get here?”
“I never left,” he said, flipping pancakes onto a plate and sliding it toward me. “Slept on the sofa.”
“Am I going to school today?” Nova asked.
“Do you want to go to school today?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Okay, honey, I think it’ll be okay for you to stay home.”
“I’ll cancel my shoots,” Silas said.
“You don’t have to,” I countered. “I have the day off, so I can take her to my place and get her settled.” I smiled at Nova. “We can go to the store and pick a few things out for your bedroom, does that sound like fun?”
“Yes, pwease. Can I get a princess bed?”
“I don’t think a princess bed will fit in my car, baby.”
“I’ll look for one,” Silas said. “You get bedding and whatever else you need. I’ll take care of furniture.”
I nodded.
“Am I going to live with you?” Nova asked me.
I sighed. “I don’t know, baby, but we’re going to do everything we can to try and figure it out. You are going to stay with me for right now, though, is that okay?”
She looked at Silas. “But I want to live with Uncle Shutter.”
He leaned across the island, getting eye-to-eye with her. “I don’t have anywhere for you to stay, baby girl. I live at the club. So I can’t live with you right now.”
“You can live with Cat.”
I was so shocked, I gasped, taking a sip of coffee down my windpipe and choking.
Shutter chuckled as I continued to cough, and I glared at him. “Out of the mouths of babes…”
I scowled at him.
“He can’t live with me, honey,” I stuttered out once I caught my breath.
“But I’ll be there every night before you go to sleep,” Shutter promised.
“Excuse us for a second, sweetie,” I said to Nova before grabbing Silas’s arm and dragging him into the hallway. “You cannot make promises like that.”
“Well, since it’s true, I can.”
“You cannot be at my place every day, Silas,” I countered.
“Why not?”
“What if I have a date?”
He crossed his arms. “We are not talkin’ about that bullshit right now.”
“Language,” I warned, leaning back to look into the kitchen to check on Nova. She was happily eating away. I focused back on Silas. “I think it’s good for you to come over on a temporary basis to help Nova transition, but you can’t expect to do it forever.”
He grinned. “You keep tellin’ yourself that,” he retorted, and skirted around me. “You want more pancakes, baby girl?” he asked Nova.
I let out a frustrated groan.
“Cat, your pancakes are getting cold,” he called out.
Your pancakes are getting cold, I sassed silently to myself, scrunching up my nose as I did. Straightening my shoulders, I took a deep breath and composed myself as best I could, heading back into the kitchen to finish my breakfast.
CHAPTER FIVE
Catalina
SIX HOURS LATER, Nova and I were back at my place, bags and bags of clothes and necessities piled high in my living room,
Silas had texted a couple of pictures of bed options for her earlier and she’d picked a pretty white one with a princess canopy. He said a couple of the guys would be over at six to put it together.
It was now five-forty-five.
“Is Uncle Shutter gonna eat with us?” Nova asked, looking up from the coloring book she’d been attacking for the last twenty minutes.
“I don’t think so, baby. He’s working.” I leaned over the island and smiled. “Do you want chicken nuggets or a corn dog?”
“Nuggets, pwease.”
I nodded and preheated the oven, pulling out a baking sheet and arranging nuggets over it just as my doorbell rang. Nova slid off her stool and made a run for the door, but I grabbed her gently before she reached it. “New rule. I get the door first, okay?”
I peeked through the peephole and pulled open the door.
“Uncle Shutter!” Nova squealed, throwing herself at him.
He caught her, managing to hold onto the bag he’d brought with him. “Hey, baby girl.”
“We bought kitty sheets,” she squealed.
“Cool,” he said, setting her on her feet.
“Wanna see?”
“Sure, baby girl,” he said.
“They’re in the dryer, honey,” I reminded her as I closed and locked the front door. “We’ll show Uncle Shutter when they’re done.”
“Okay,” she said.
“How about we put in a movie while I finish making your nuggets?” I asked.
“Fwozen?”
“Yeah, sweetness, sure. Go find it in the stack Auntie Willow brought over.”
She nodded and rushed to the bag full of DVD’s donated by the club women. Silas held up the bag he brought. “Fat Phat.”
“Oh, my god, yes.” Fat Phat was the best Thai in the area, and I was starving. “I wasn’t really feeling the nuggets I’m making Nova.”
He grinned and we headed to my kitchen, setting the food on the counter.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, sliding the baking sheet into the oven. “I thought you had a couple of sessions.”
“I rescheduled,” he said.
“I found it,” Nova said, bringing the DVD to Silas.
“I’ll get it goin’ for her,” Silas offered, effectively ignoring my question.
“Thanks.”
I grabbed plates and silverware, then Silas and I moved around each other with ease, getting dinner ready as a team. I tried not to notice him fitting perfectly in my space. I tried not to notice how much I liked him fitting perfectly in my space.
I failed on both accounts.
The timer dinged and I pulled the nuggets out of the oven, scooping them onto a plate. “These need to cool down,” I said, nodding to Silas’s plate. “But you eat. I’ll wait and eat with Nova.”
“I’m good,”
he countered, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Bed should be here in an hour.”
I checked my watch. “I’m wondering if I should put her to bed in my room first.”
“I’m sleeping in there.”
“What?” I squeaked. “You are not.”
“Can’t blame a guy for tryin’.”
I blushed. “Yes, yes, I can.”
He grinned. “It won’t take long to put the bed together, so she’s probably fine. Besides, tomorrow’s Saturday, she can sleep in.”
“She can’t. I have to work because I took today off.”
He shrugged. “I’ll be here.”
“You’re not sleeping in my bed, Silas.”
“I’ll take the sofa, baby. It’s all good.”
I crossed my arms. “You cannot steamroll me into letting you stay.”
“I’m not steamrolling you.”
“Oh, yeah?” I challenged. “What would you call it?”
“Making it so you can’t say no,” he retorted, his mouth twitching.
I rolled my eyes. “Exactly. Nova, honey, dinner’s ready. Pause the movie and wash your hands, please.”
“I’ll respect your boundaries, Cat,” Silas promised, as Nova walked out of the room.
Nova came back to the island where Silas helped her onto a stool, and I set a glass of milk in front of her and she wrinkled her nose. “I’m lactose intolerant.”
“Oh, oh, crap. Honey, I’m so sorry,” I said, removing the milk.
“Mama buys almond,” she said, and she immediately paused her chewing, her little eyes filling with tears as her lips quivered.
I looked up at Silas, trying to keep my own tears at bay.
He stroked my cheek. “You’re doin’ great.” Stepping away from me, he sat beside Nova and handed her a napkin. “We’ll write down all your favorite foods and I’ll buy ’em for you, okay?”
“Can I have Fruit Loops?” she asked, sniffing.
“Yeah, baby girl, I’ll buy you Fruit Loops.”
“But you can’t have that every day,” I said. “One day healthy, the next day Fruit Loops.”
Nova smiled and shrugged, focusing back on her nuggets as I set a glass of water in front of her.
Revealing the Biker's Destiny (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 9) Page 4