Page 14 of Centering Kaos

“T—”

“No.” I stood, folding my arms and meeting her gaze. “You’ve done more than enough. We’ll be fine. I’ll figure this out.”

Elenore grabbed my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Be careful. Every time you underestimate him, you get hurt.”

I nodded. “I know. We shouldn’t even be here. He knows where you live, and—”

“No.” Now it was her turn to stare me down. “You have nowhere else to go. The bastard made sure of that. I’ve finally gotten you back, and he does not get to chase you away again. You’re not putting me in danger, I’m choosing to help out my sister and nephew. I will always be in your corner, and nothing he says or does will change that.”

My eyes burned as a sense of gratitude washed over me. Matt may have taken everything else from me over the years, but he couldn’t touch my sister’s devotion. “I love you,” I said. “And I’m so lucky you’re my sister.”

“Damn straight.” She grinned. “Besides, I’ve been killin’ it in my kickboxing classes. I wish that asshole would make an appearance.” Kicking the air in front of her, she spun around and threw a jab. “I’d like to show him what happens when he attacks a woman who’s ready for him.”

The sound of little footsteps interrupted her next spin kick. We turned to find Dylan wearing a sheepish expression as he slipped into the kitchen. His gaze met mine and he let out a dramatic sigh. “I’ve thought about my behavior, and I’m sorry.”

Onto his act, I nodded. “Noted. Thank you. I forgive you, but you’re still not playing video games tonight.”

“Oh, come on!” He threw back his head and proclaimed his frustration to the ceiling, humility façade gone. “I said I’m sorry. What more do you want from me?”

Elenore was trying not to laugh. I shot her a warning look before focusing on my son. “I’m glad you recognize what you’ve done and you’re sorry, but there are still consequences for your actions. Your consequence is that you’re not allowed to play video games today. Maybe you’ll think about that before you act up next time.”

“But I need to play NHL. I have to get really good at it, so I’ll know what I’m doing when Kaos teaches me to play for real.”

Elenore’s eyebrows rose in question as she looked at me. “Chaos? Why on earth would we want Dylan learning chaos? Don’t we have enough of that in our lives already?”

“Kaos is a big, tough biker who used to play hockey for the Sharks, Aunt El. He’s gonna teach me how to play,” Dylan said.

Something that could only be described as sheer panic flashed across Elenore’s face. “Abiker? You’re going to let a big, tough biker teach Dylan how to play hockey?”

I’d been so stressed, wondering what Matt’s reaction to the divorce papers would be, that I hadn’t given much consideration to Kaos’s offer. “I haven’t decided if it’s a good idea or not.”

“Oh, it’s a horrible idea,” Elenore said, sounding scandalized.

At the same time, Dylan threw up his hands in exasperation and said, “Oh, give me a break.”

My sister and I turned to stare at my little drama king.

“This is a good opportunity for me. If I work hard, I can make the NHL and buy you a house, Mom. A big one. And a car that doesn’t suck. Aunt El, you can live with us, too,” he said.

I pointed to him. “You. Back to your room. We’ll discuss this later.”

His shoulders dropped and he rolled his eyes, but he did turn and march back the way he’d come.

“He’s not wrong,” Elenore said. “Learning a sport from a pro is huge. But I think we should circle back to the whole biker thing. When did you start hanging out with bikers?”

My little sister’s eyes were far too judgy for comfort, making me want to clap back. “Well, I started thinking that the best way to get rid of my ex is to find someone who’s bigger and stronger to take him out, so I hit up a biker bar. Since I don’t have any money, they were willing to let me trade my body for their services. I let them run a train on me, and—”

“Stop.” Elenore’s hand went up to silence me as her eyes about bugged out of her head. “You did what?”

I rolled my eyes. “God, El, I’m not a slut, and I’m not stupid. I’ve learned my lesson and plan to stay as far from men as possible. He’s not a Hell’s Angels type biker. He’s a veteran. He was volunteering at Ladies First when I went in to sign the divorce decree. Dylan sat with him, and… I think they bonded somehow. He seemed nice. He told me he used to be a little brat, but hockey straightened him out. Thinks it’ll do the same for Dylan. I have so much going on right now, I haven’t had time to even consider the offer, but Dylan won’t shut up about him.”

“But why is his name Kaos?” Elenore enunciated each word. “That sounds like an earned name, making me wonder exactly how he acquired it. Is he destructive? Does he create disorder wherever he goes? More importantly, are you sure his offer was a suggestion? What if it was like one of those mobster situations… a deal you can’t refuse. Will his buddies Mayhem and Anarchy show up on our doorstep to make sure we don’t talk? Like ever again.”

“Mayhem is a cool nickname!” Dylan said from the doorway.

Trying not to roll my eyes, I pointed. “Room. Now.”

When I turned back to Elenore, she looked traumatized. No doubt she was imagining my little boy wearing leathers and chains and insisting people call him Mayhem. “You need to keep custody of Dylan,” she warned. “If Matt finds out he’s hanging out with some biker named Kaos, he’s gonna have a cow.”

---