Page 8 of Kilo's Edge

“Good,” she said with a beaming smile. “I got to talk to him for an hour last night.”

“That’s good.” Deployment was so damn hard on the families. Wives and husbands were left behind, often raising children alone, and missing their partners. It wasn’t much easier on the service member. They had to shove the worry down so they could focus on their job. Otherwise they could get themselves, or someone else, killed. But that wasn’t easy to do when you knew your families were at home, trying to make it all work alone.

When Sandy sucked in a little breath, I followed her stare. Shawn was standing outside the building he worked in, watching us.

I met his gaze and dropped my arm around Sandy’s shoulders. His face dipped into a scowl, but he turned around and went back inside. I hadn’t told Jess, but I suspected he was continuing to take up their parking spaces so Sandy would beforced to park further away. That way he could waylay her on her way back to her car.

Douche.

Sandy sighed and her shoulders relaxed as soon as Shawn walked away. She didn’t seem to mind that I had my arm around her. I’d never once hit on her. I didn’t take other men’s women. This was merely making a point to the dickhead to stay away from her. Sandy knew I was safe. Hell, Matt had called me a few months ago to thank me for watching out for his wife while he was gone.

I didn’t know him well, but he came into the store occasionally and when he was home he was always picking up his wife from work, so we’d talked. He was a good kid. So was Sandy. I couldn’t imagine how frustrating it was for him to be halfway around the world and not be able to help your woman when she needed it.

Which was why Overdrive and I had sort of taken to watching out for Jess, Sandy, and Laura while they were at the dance studio. The women mostly dealt with moms, their kids, and the occasional dance dad who brought their little princesses in, so their clientele wasn’t an issue. It was the men working in this complex that needed to learn some fucking manners.

Jess was right. My mamahadtaught me right. She was a single mom after my dad passed away and she made sure I knew how to treat a lady. Sure, I was in an MC, so I wasn’t exactly a fucking angel, but that didn’t mean I was like Shawn the Douche.

“Thanks again, Kilo.” Sandy smiled as I dropped my arm and she unlocked her car. “He just won’t take the hint.”

“If you need anything, you call me, or Overdrive,” I told her. We’d made sure all three ladies working at Tappin’ Toes had our cell numbers in case there was ever any trouble. “I’m more than happy to make sure hegetsthe hint.”

She grinned at me. “I bet. Thanks. I have to go pick up Charlotte from the sitter.”

“Drive safe. Monsoon’s rolling in,” I told her. Thunder clapped a few seconds later, as if to punctuate my statement.

She waved, and I waited, hands shoved in my pockets until her car turned out onto the main road. Turning, I headed back inside. No one was around, so I was going to close early. Nothing worse than getting caught in a monsoon on a motorcycle. I was going to have to race the storm home.

CHAPTER 4

Camila

Glass breaking jerked me awake. My heart was trying to climb out of my chest via my throat as my body went into panic mode. I wanted so badly to lay there in the dark, straining to listen for any footsteps. But I couldn’t. My mom and sister were counting on me.

I’d never been this girl. As a kid I was outgoing and confident. It was still there, I was just suppressing it half the time, and the other half, during situations like this, past traumas kept her contained.

Forcing myself to get out of bed, I walked down the hall. I was still listening hard for who might have broken our downstairs window. I clasped my hands together to keep them from shaking.

Mom met me in the hallway. Her eyes were wide and she looked terrified. I knew if I looked into a mirror my expression would match hers.

“What’s going on?” Carmen asked from her doorway. She was clutching the wood as hard as she could.

“I’ll go check,” I said, keeping my voice soothing.

“Mija-”

“Stay with Carmen, Mama,” I told her. There was no way I’d ever let either of them go check on what was waiting downstairs. That was my job. Walking to the lower level of our new house was like going toward a firing squad. I could hardly contain my shaking, but I had to make sure no one was in our home. Grabbing the broom from the closet next to the stairs, I held it aloft as I walked.

By the time I got to the dining room I was close to throwing up because of the anxiety and fear. It was only a small relief to see the tree branch that the storm had tossed through our window. My nervous system was still up in arms, warning me that there was danger.

I surveyed the damage, then put the broom back and went upstairs. We’d have to clean up in the morning. I wasn’t going to do it while the storm was still raging outside.

I found my family in my Mom’s bed, clinging to one another. A wave of anger and sadness washed over me. We shouldn’t have to live like this. None of this was our fault, yet we were paying the price. Climbing in with them, I smiled when Carmen held the covers up so I could get underneath.

“It was a tree branch,” I told them, snuggling close. “I’ll take care of it in the morning.” My hand stroked over Carmen’s hair and I met my mother’s gaze over her head. There was guilt and sadness in her eyes. This wasn’t her fault any more than it was mine. I reached out and squeezed her hand. Maybe one day we wouldn’t react to every loud noise this way.

Hesitating,I stared at the security door before I took a deep breath and opened it. I hadn’t made it more than a few steps inside when I stopped in shock.

“Well hey there, neighbor,” Kilo said, a blindingly bright smile forming on his face.

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