Page 38 of The Last Promise You Made

The coiled tightness that had taken over her body relaxed ever so slightly as she looked up at me with accusation written all along her face. “Who else has a key to your place?”

“Just my parents and my siblings.”

“Ryder?” my mama’s questioning voice shouted out.

I dropped Gia’s arm and hurried into the entry hall. I didn’t want Mama to wake Addy, if the little girl had slept at all.

My parents were standing with arms full of reusable grocery bags. I grabbed the ones from my mother, asking, “What the hell is all this?”

“Don’t swear at your mother,” Dad bit out. His dark hair was pressed down on the sides from where his cowboy hat had sat—an almost permanent look. His pale, blue-gray eyes were concerned as they met mine, worry lines creasing his brow on a face tanned and leathery from a lifetime spent outdoors. His worn flannel shirt and equally worn jeans were near matches to the ones I’d thrown on this morning—work clothes we spent the majority of our days in.

“Where’s my new grandbaby?” Mama demanded, searching the quiet of the great room as we walked toward the kitchen with the bags they’d brought.

“She was resting until you burst in here, screaming like a banshee,” I groused.

“Ryder,” my father warned again, but Mama chuckled.

“Leave him be, Brandon. It’s sweet to see him already so concerned about her.”

I was concerned. Concerned and terrified. Both were coiled up like a vicious snake nipping at my insides.

Chapter Twelve

Gia

EXCUSE THE MESS

Performed by Ella Langley

I pulled my shirt over my gun as I faced Ryder’s parents. The way they were giving him hell was one of the things I liked most about the older couple. They never let any of their kids get the best of them. They gave it back full and hard in a way that always made me smile. The ribbing was full of love but relentless at times.

My family teased each other, especially my brother and me, but my dad was a military man through and through. He’d earned his seriousness right along with the medals pinned to his uniform. But if both our families were stuck in the same room together, they’d probably get along just fine.

That idea made my heart pitter in a strange way and my stomach flop. There would be no reason for my parents to ever meet Ryder’s. Once I did my job, once Addy was safe and the Lovatos were brought down, I’d never see the Hatleys again.

Instead of easing the pressure in my chest, that seemed to add to it.

Eva started pulling things from the bags they’d brought. It felt like an entire grocery store’s worth of produce along with a few canned goods. It reminded me of our refrigerator growing up, which had always been stocked with healthy options. The refrigerator in the apartment I rented near NSA headquarters had old condiments and a six-pack of Coke.

“It’s nice to see you again, Gia. Even if the circumstances are…” Eva trailed off, gaze searching mine before looking away.

Brandon turned from putting some canned goods in the pantry to take me in for the first time since he’d arrived. His heavy brows furrowed together, doubts lingering in the air. I couldn’t exactly blame him—or any of them. I’d lied about who I was. But to be fair, I gave the same lie to my family, just like I’d told Ryder.

“It’s good to see you too,” I said around the lump that formed in my throat. “I’m looking forward to some more of that olallieberry pie.” I tilted my head toward Ryder. “I’m going to go check on Addy.”

I didn’t wait for his approval, taking off down the hall while trying to pull myself together. I heard their whispers behind me, knew they were talking about me, but it didn’t matter. I was here to do a job just like any other, and I would.

When I opened the door to Addy’s bedroom, the bed was empty. My heart skipped a beat, even as I knew she’d likely just hidden somewhere in the room. Ryder had given her such a pretty speech before about safety and staying in the bed, but I think even he’d realized the words wouldn’t matter to Addy. He’d have to earn her trust just as much as I would.

The toilet flushed, and she came out of the bathroom dressed in the other outfit she’d had tucked away in her backpack—black jeans and a red sweater. Her shoes were on again, her backpack was loaded once more, and I’d bet money the toiletry bag Ryder had set on the sink was inside it also. She was prepared to run—go bag at the ready.

Her black hair was brushed, hanging down around her shoulders, and she reminded me of that hooded pitohui bird again. Small and delicate. Underestimated by those who didn’t understand how deadly they could be. Was it wrong to hope she had the power, the venom, to bring down an entire cartel? Maybe. Maybe I should have her change her name, obtain some fake documents, and leave her with the Hatleys, buried in a sea of anonymity.

But I couldn’t do any of that until I found out what exactly she knew. If this were any other witness, I would have already gotten what I needed from them—through teasing, cajoling, or force. But how did I get the information from a traumatized child?

I pushed back the sudden bitterness I felt toward my job as I said gently, “I know you’re scared, but you’ll be safe here, especially if I can arrest the people responsible for what happened to your mom. The ones the two of you were running from. You can help me with that, you know.”

Her eyes went wide. “Me?”

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