Page 32 of Cruel Love

I breathe a laugh. Only Caleb Fawn would do that to chill at six in the morning.

“Box, you may have been gone for the last two years but so was I. It’s not about time spent with her. It’s what you do with it. Don’t forget which one of us banged her in the back of a jeep after three weeks in the desert.”

“Ahh,” he says, cracking a stiff smile. “Simpler times.”

He turns and walks off. After a few moments, I hear the security system chime on and the front door closes behind him.

I turn an ear to the ceiling again, hoping to hear the soft shuffle of Dani’s feet, but…

No. I shouldn’t. If I hear even the slightest sniff or sob, I won’t be able to…

I stand up, boots digging into the floor as I make my way toward the front door.

A light came to me. And with it, a new life.

Tomorrow, it may come to you.

Sofia was right in the end.

I just wish it lasted just a little bit longer.

Chapter 10

Caleb

I was never meant to be a mother.

There. I said it.

You’d think a girl like me would have all the courage in the world to say something like that. I’ve fought in wars. I’ve taken on men nearly three times my size. And won.

I am woman. Hear me roar.

I just never thought for a second that anyone would ever call me Mommy.

But it doesn’t matter. There’s no time to think about that right now. Fox is in trouble. His past has caught up to him and he needs my help. That’s more important. Also, my husband has officially been dragged into it, too. Cue my complete lack of surprise.

Eleven long guns. Twenty pistols of various sizes and shapes. Four hundred rounds. It’s not bad. Could be better. But not bad.

I glance around my shop’s back room from my spot on the floor. There was a time when Fawn’s Pawn was the best place to go to buy and trade under the table. Sure, it wasn’t always kosher in a legal sense, but it kept my water turned on. Can’t say I’m proud of it. Can’t say I regret it, though.

Clearly, that part of my life is over. I can’t be an illegal arms dealer with a baby balanced on my hip.

Or can I?

I push the question away. That’s not what’s important right now.

The back exit opens and closes. A pair of boots wander in from the hall, but I don’t tense up. I have an ear for movement and his walk hasn’t changed since the day I met him.

“Fox, I’m over here.”

He follows my voice and pauses in the doorway.

“Hey,” he greets.

His brow creases as he looks around, leaving more than a few lines between his eyes. He’s aged over the last few years. We all have, obviously, but you can really see the bullshit he’s been through behind his expression.

“You okay?” I ask as I lay a rifle down by my side.

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