Page 45 of Broken Promises

A deep sigh left him as his gaze returned to mine, conflict written all over his face. “I want to trust you with her, but I need you to understand why I’m struggling.”

“I know why. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t care, Reid. I promise, I’ve got her and Zav,” I said sincerely, relief hitting me when he raised his knuckles to bump.

I tapped mine against his, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’m so mad at you, but it’s good to see you.”

“Missed you too. I take it you aren’t aware that Raven’s dad’s back?”

“Clint’s back?” he asked with slight panic.

“Yeah. I took her home after the shit with Devon and Michael, and her dad was there with his friends. They were saying some gross shit about Raven, so I dragged her ass back to my house.”

“Thank you. Tie her up in the basement if you have to. She’s slippery,” he joked, making me laugh.

“She is. Once they clear out and Stefano fucks off, I’ll get her home,” I confirmed, not wanting him to think I was holding her forever, even if that thought was appealing.

“Convince her to stay away from that house. We’ve been trying to get her to leave it for so long, but she won’t. She can’t heal from her brother’s murder until she stops eating breakfast in the kitchen that it happened in,” he answered quietly, tossing his cigarette butt in the ashtray on the step beside him. “None of us can move on until then.”

I’d heard a lot about Josh since meeting these guys, so I knew how much his death had affected them.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I nodded, nudging his shoulder. “I’ll see if I can get her to talk to you if you promise not to be a prick.”

“You’d do that?” he asked with surprise, staring at me in disbelief.

“Of course. I know how much she means to you guys. Don’t fuck it up though. I’m only going to do it once,” I warned, making him nod.

“I just need some time with her. I’ve talked to her once, I just need to try again so she’ll stop running from me.”

“If you make her cry, I’ll punch you in the mouth and then your balls,” I replied, his eyes narrowing.

“Why do you care so much about her all of a sudden?”

“I’ve always liked her, you know that,” I shrugged, getting to my feet. “Before you get angry about it, it’s not like she likes me back in the slightest. I think she’d rather kill me than let me touch her, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Facts,” he muttered, standing as well. “Just keep her safe for me.”

An idea popped into my head to soften Raven up a little, and I started walking towards my car. “Hey, I’ll be back later. I need to go and do something.”

“Like what?” he called back, making me grin.

“I need to prove I’m a good guy.”

Raven

The day went by fast, and I was dealing with a screaming toddler when Ander arrived. Kids were way too strong sometimes, and this little boy was lucky I had a good hold on him or he would’ve thrown himself backwards out of my arms.

I’d found him trying to eat one of the many shoes in this house, and he was upset that I’d taken it from him.

Jensen was home, trying to cook dinner before everyone else arrived, and I was a little surprised when Diesel let Ander in without complaint.

Ander ran an amused glance over me and the screaming kid, not asking before plucking him out of my arms with a grin. “Whoa there, kiddo. Where’d you learn dance moves like that?”

My arms ached from holding him, so I wasn’t mad that he’d taken over.

The kid, on the other hand, acted like he hadn’t even left my arms, continuing to scream and throw his body around like a demon.

“He’s very emotional,” Diesel sighed as he watched Ander try to calm the kid. “He flips out so easily.”

Ander silently carried him into the living room and placed him on the couch, letting him thrash about while he switched the TV off and turned the lights off.

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