Page 115 of Beneficial Misfortune

My finger damn near caresses the trigger as I fight with myself on what I should do, what would be best for her.

Before I can decide, a small body slams into me, distracting me from my inner turmoil and indecisiveness, and I hesitate, unsure of what to do.

With my focus on the little beauty, the asshole takes his chance and quickly ducks out from the end of my gun before quickly jumping in the car and taking off.

I should shoot out his tires, run after him, and have Kat go back to Addison so that I can finish this now, and we can be done with it all. Yet, for whatever reason, I can’t make myself do it.

We can handle him later; I won’t rest until he’s answered for what he’s done to her, but right now, Kat needs me, and she needs me for more than just killing.

Flicking the safety back on my gun, I stash it away before wrapping her up in my arms as she continues to sob into my chest, her breathing harsh and staggered as she fights for each breath.

“It’s okay, Little Beauty. I’ve got you. Nothing’s ever going to hurt you again,” I tell her, rubbing a hand through her beautiful red hair as if she’s a cat. I’m not sure if I’m helping or not, but I swear her breathing seems a bit more even the longer I hold her.

My phone vibrates, and without letting go of her, I dig into my pocket for it. I’d missed the call earlier, and I can only assume it was Nate; no doubt he was probably not happy I’d missed it, but it couldn’t be helped.

“They're okay. We had an incident, but Kat and Addison are safe,” I tell him in lieu of greeting.

“We’ll be there in about ten. Desmond will probably be there any second,” Nate growls back at me, and I know he’s mad; I can’t blame him. I’d failed to keep Kat safe and, by extension, Addison as well. Trevor could have run off with her, and then we would have had a much different and much worse situation on our hands.

Nate hangs up without asking what happened, and I know when he gets here, he will demand every last detail, but for now, his main concern is getting here to them.

“Oh god, where’s Addison?” Kat hiccups, pulling back to look around before looking back at me.

“I left her with one of the employees,” I assure her, but that doesn’t seem to lessen her concern.

“Trevor was here! Carter said–”

“Hey, look at me, Kat. I need you to take a breath and listen. Carter is gone, and Trevor can’t get to Addison right now, okay?” I grip her chin lightly, unsure of what might be hurting her but needing her to really hear what I’m saying. “I won’t let them get to either of you.”

Her eyes look to mine as if searching for something, and whatever it is, she must find it because, after a moment, she takes a deep breath and gives me a small nod.

She doesn’t seem very sure, but that’s fine. I’ll show her, and one day, she won’t question it anymore.

“How about we go check on the little princess? She was worried about you.”

We were worried about you.

That’s the truth, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to say that bit out loud. It feels like so much more than just words, words that are true because I had been worried, more worried than I’d been about anything in a long time.

Kat nods before pulling back further, but she sways on her feet, and I have a feeling that the adrenaline that was fueling her fight with Carter is running out. I catch her before she can sway too much or fall, and without giving her a chance to fight me, I scoop her up into my arms bridal style and start back toward the building.

The second we make it back into the building, Addison’s voice rings out as she calls for Kat before she’s coming at us like a missile. The poor girl I’d left her with looks horrified as she chases after her, but I wave her away. She’d kept her here and safe while I went after Kat, and that was all I needed. Trying to keep Addison away from Kat would be a damn near impossible task, especially right now.

“Mommy, are you okay?” she asks as she comes to a grinding halt in front of the bench I’m setting Kat down on. Her eyes are wide as she looks at Kat’s face, and I realize seeing her in this condition is probably confusing, especially when she was fine a few minutes ago.

“I’m fine, dear. There was a little problem, but Uncle Vinny came and saved me.”

A loud squeal outside has us all looking toward the entrance. I’m familiar with the sound, but even if I weren’t, it only takes a moment before Desmond is running up the stairs to the door, yanking his helmet off as he goes. He pauses for a moment inside the door, but only for long enough for him to spot her. The second he sees her, he’s moving again, rushing toward her. I watch the array of emotions as they play over his face. He’d come in looking worried but also ready to fuck someone up should he need to, but now seeing her, some of his worry melts away,relief taking its place before he really gets a good look at her and notices her split lip and growing bruise. His jaw ticks, and I’ve known the kid long enough to know he’s pissed, but I can’t remember the last time he swallowed it down like he is for her. No, usually Desmond is a loose cannon; the girls love it, and it’s gotten him into more than a few sticky situations over the years.

Maybe he’s finally learning a little control.

His eyes flick to meet mine for a moment, and I know that control won’t last long. But that’s okay, it doesn’t have to. I’ve got one of the assholes and don’t plan to let the other one get very far.

Kat lets out a little squeak of surprise when he reaches her, not pausing for a moment, instead quickly scooping her up into his arms to hold her close.

“Careful, she’s weak. The adrenaline's wearing off,” I warn him, and he nods before sitting on the bench with her still on his lap. He holds her close, whispering words I can’t hear as he rubs soothing circles on her back, and I see her shoulders shake. I can’t see her face, but I’d bet she’s crying again. Shock can do that to you.

Addison sits close to them on the bench, and after a minute, Kat wipes her eyes before pressing her lips to Desmond’s cheek and then turning her attention to Addison. You’d never know everything she just went through as she smiles and talks to the little girl who stares up at her with so much admiration you’d think she really was her mother.

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