Page 62 of Demo

Anger replaced her fear in an instant. “You think I don’t know that?” she snapped. “I made a mistake, Demo. You don’t need to treat me like I’m a child?—”

He stopped her with a gentle kiss. Raising his head, Demo started to use his sleeves to gently wipe her face. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve just never been so goddamn scared in my life.”

She snorted. “You used to face down bombs for a living.”

Demo gripped her face between his hands, forcing her to look up at him. “Never been so goddamn scared in my life,” he repeated.

Paige turned her cheek into his right palm. “How did you know?”

“Mikey called me on your phone,” he told her. “Said there was a ‘scary man’ in your house.”

Paige glared at Clifton sitting docilely on the couch with Bulldog and Steel standing over him. “More like a fucking coward!” she sneered.

She made to step forward, but Demo kept her back. They still hadn’t checked Clifton for any more weapons he could have hidden on his person.

Finishing wiping her face, Demo moved her curls away from her eyes. “Why don’t you go check on the boys?” he asked her gently.

“Lucky’s with them,” she argued. “I want to watch you beat the crap out of Clifton the Coward.”

Clifton blanched at her words and looked ready to bolt. A quick and terrified look between Bulldog and Steel had him changing his mind. He slumped further into the couch cushions.

Demo raised an eyebrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bulldog and Steel exchange a look.

“Oh, please,” Paige pushed her way past Demo. “I might not be in your ‘inner circle’ but I’ve been around you guys enough to know you take security and family very seriously. You’re not going to let him just walk out of here without at least a few broken fingers. Not when he entered my house with a gun.”

Demo had no idea what to even say to her. Did he confirm her words? He wasn’t sure what the others told their women. “Umm…”

Just then Bear came down the stairs holding a bundled up Nelly Bean in his arms. Demo saw the second Paige’s priorities changed from bloodlust to maternal instinct. She rushed across the living room to meet Bear in the hallway. Demo couldn’t help the sigh of relief that came out of his mouth as his shoulders slumped. He hadno ideawhat he would have said to Paige if Bear hadn’t come down the stairs with her son.

Looking up, he caught Steel’s eye. Shifting uncomfortably, feeling like a little boy being caught cheating on a test by his teacher, Demo gave an awkward shrug. It wasn’t like he’dtoldPaige anything. He couldn’t help that she was so smart and observant.

As Paige took Nelly Bean from Bear’s big arms, Lucky came down with Mikey on his shoulders. The five-year-old was holding onto his uncle’s head tightly with his little hands but sitting up tall like a king. He even had his chest puffed out. Lucky had a good grip on the boy’s ankles over his shoulders.

“Hi, Mommy!” he shouted loudly. “I did good, right? I called Demo to save you from the scary man!”

Paige reached up to touch his back from his added height on Lucky’s shoulders. “Baby, you did really good. You were so smart to call Demo.”

“Uncle Lucky said I was brave too!”

Paige wasn’t the only adult who chuckled at the boy’s not-so-subtle attempt for additional praise. “You were extremely brave,” she told her son with true admiration. “I am very proud of you.”

The little boy beamed from atop his uncle’s shoulders. “Can I have a cookie?”

Demo had gone grocery shopping with Paige and the boys a couple of days ago. Paige had scowled at him for throwing in cookies, snacks, and some of the more expensive produce into the cart. He claimed he wasn’t buying them forherbut forhimwhen he was over at her house. He just happened to let the boys know that the food was in the kitchen and they were welcome to it any time their mom said it was okay. Paige was not the sort of mom to allow her pride to stand between her boys and a good meal.

“Yes, baby,” Paige said with a small laugh. “I think you’ve earned it.”

“Nelly Bean too!” Mikey shouted down to her as Lucky carried him into the kitchen. Both Mikey and Lucky had to duck down so he could squeeze under the door frame, making the little boy laugh. “He was really good, Mama! He didn’t cry or anything!”

“I think Nelly Bean fell back asleep,” Paige said as she followed Lucky through the kitchen door while holding her youngest. “Why don’t you save him a cookie for tomorrow after lunch?”

Demo heard Mikey’s voice but not his words. He tuned out the conversation from the kitchen as he rounded on Clifton.

The man was ten years his senior but looked twenty. There was a grayish pallor to his skin and Demo had to wonder when the last time the man showered. In all the pictures Demo had seen of the man, he was always polished and well kept. His white dress shirt had food stains down his front, his tie was loose and not professionally knotted, and his pants had drying wet marks around his ankles and calves, making Demo think he’d walked through high snow at some point in his loafers and suit.

Demo didn’t see a jacket or trench coat anywhere and wondered if the man left it in his cage.

“So how many fingers do you want to break?” Bulldog asked Demo. His voice was low so it didn’t carry into the kitchen, but there was no masking the amusement in it. Good, at least his SAA wasn’t pissed about Paige’s comments.

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