Taking her to my mountains meant letting her see a part of me that I had spent most of my adult life trying to cover up. Taking her with me, back into the past, meant there was no more hiding behind the gloss and shine of all the things in my life I used as camouflage. It also meant I was going to have to be as real with her as she had been with me from the very start, and that thought scared me to death. The last time I’d been honest about who I was, where I came from, I was packing my bags and headed off to boot camp a million and one years ago. That much reality at one time was going to be difficult to wade my way through, but the idea of stripping off the façade, of walking through the smoke screen and coming out on the other side as someone of substance, as a man of actual value and worth, instead of one that was nothing more than a disguise, was acutely stirring.
When I got to her mother’s house, Avett threw open the door before I even lifted my hand to knock. I fell back a step as she hurled herself at me and I caught her with a soft “Oomph” as her tiny body slammed full force into mine. Her arms twined around my neck and her legs wrapped around my waist as I put a hand under her rear end to hold her up as her mouth slanted skillfully across my parted lips. I wrapped my free arm around her back and pulled her closer to me, enjoying the way her tongue tasted like something citrusy and tart and the way she moaned into my mouth as I deepened the kiss and used my teeth on her bottom lip. More than any of that, I got lost in how good it felt to have her excited to see me, the rush of having someone actually give a damn that I was gone all day. I couldn’t recall Lottie ever offering me more than a strained grin when I came home from a difficult day in court.
Avett pulled back and put one of her hands on my cheek as I slowly let her slide down my body. Her eyes sparkled with mischief when her middle dragged across the obvious arousal now tenting the front of my pants. “How was court?”
I rubbed my thumb across the plump and damp curve of her lower lip and looked past her into the house to make sure I wasn’t going to have to dodge one of Brite’s flying fists for groping his daughter in broad daylight. “Court was court. How was your day with your folks?”
She shrugged and stepped away from me, eyeing the bulge in my pants with a sexy little leer.
“It was fine. I talked to my mom and worked some things out, so that was good. She reminded me that everyone has a story … not only me.” She looked down at the ground and then back up at me with what I was pretty sure was pride shining out of her colorful eyes. “I told my parents everything that happened with Autumn and everything that happened afterwards. My dad didn’t look at all surprised and my mom cried. It was a good talk.” Her gaze skipped away from mine and landed on the front of my pants. “Do you need a few minutes before we go inside?” She was laughing at me and while that normally made me feel furious and affronted, coming from her, all I wanted to do was smile at her and indulge her.
“I do need a few minutes, but not for that. I want to talk to you about something.” Her eyes widened and her brow wrinkled in an adorable fashion. I reached out to smooth the lines with my finger. “The police determined your house was burned down on purpose, Avett.”
She gasped a little and lifted a hand up to cover her mouth. “Really?”
I nodded and brushed my thumb over her winged eyebrow. “Yeah, and they think the guys that came looking for you when Jared ran off with that last stash are behind it. They’re looking for the drugs and if they can’t get their hands on the goods, then they’re going to come after you.”
She scowled and crossed her arms across her chest in a defiant manner. “I never saw the drugs. I knew he was using, but I didn’t know how deep in Jared was. I would never agree to participate in something like that.”
“I know that, but the guys with the missing drugs don’t. Jared is all about Jared, so there is a high possibility he is telling the guys in charge that you took the product and stashed it somewhere. He’s buying time while he’s locked up, and his story is still that you were behind the robbery. He’s put you directly in the line of fire.”
Her mouth moved, but no sound came out as cold, stark fear moved into her eyes. “What if they come after my parents? What if they come after you?”
Her voice was barely a squeak and I couldn’t resist reaching out and pulling her into my chest. I rested my cheek on the top of her head and told her, “They want the dope and they will go about the most efficient means of getting it. I’m going to tell your dad what’s going on so he can keep an eye out, but I think you’re the one that needs to be protected. Not everyone else. We should take the weekend and go out of town. We can take a few days off so you don’t have to worry about what’s next. What’s next can wait until we get back, and hopefully by then the police will have a better handle on things. We’ll take the bike and go for a ride. I promise to take you someplace safe.”
She looked a little shell-shocked but nodded at me as she bit down on her lower lip. “What happens after the weekend, Quaid? The threat isn’t going to go away and it’s going to affect the people that matter the most to me.”
“Let’s get through the weekend and the trial, then we’ll figure something out. Once Jared realizes he’s facing serious time behind bars, and that his lawyer has a bigger agenda than defending him, the kid might change his tune and we can leverage that to get to his supplier.” I didn’t have a better answer for her than that, and I wasn’t going to placate her with easy words and assurances, because I wanted her to stay alert and ready. The threat to her was very real and it made me want to wrap her up in padding and bubble wrap and put her on the highest shelf so no one could ever get to her.