Page 20 of Centering Kaos

Rabbit waved me off. “It was a long time ago. Now I have brothers to watch my back and protect my family when I can’t.”

The door closed. Metal scraped against metal, and then it swung open and Elenore stood in the doorway. Like her sister, she was a brown-haired, hazel-eyed beauty. Wearing sneakers, leggings, and a tank top, her hair up in a ponytail, she was built like a ballet dancer, tall and lithe. Rabbit’s gaze raked over her body and his jaw dropped.

She eyed him skeptically before facing me. “Tina and Dylan are almost done packing and will be out in a minute. Dylan doesn’t know what an abusive piece of shit his dad is, so please watch what you say in front of him.”

Now it was my turn to gape as I wondered how she could possibly believe that bullshit. Dylan was smart and observant. Matt had left bruises on Tina twice. Regardless of whatever lies Dylan had been told to cover up the truth, that kid knew damn well where his mom got those bruises. I’d bet my left nut on it. Still, I wasn’t there to make waves or point out the obvious, so I snapped my mouth shut and agreed. “Yes ma’am.”

Tap spun around and snapped a few pictures of the door locks before joining us in the living room. “Where do you want me to set up?” he asked Elenore.

“Kitchen.” She gestured toward a doorway before eyeing me and Rabbit. “You two can have a seat in here and wait.”

Although her grey leather sectional looked cozy, I wasn’t a have-a-seat-and-wait type of guy. Besides, I had different orders and was anxious to follow them. “You sure they won’t need help with their luggage?” I asked.

Elenore frowned. “Maybe. One sec.” She hurried down the hall and disappeared from sight.

“Nice place,” Rabbit said. Settling on the chaise portion of the sectional, he kicked up his feet to get comfortable. I shook my head, hoping the grease from his jeans didn’t stain the leather. Someone had left an open magazine on the seat cushion. He picked it up and angled the page toward me. “Water Soluble CBD Creates a Clear Solution,” he said, reading the article title out loud. “Think she reads this shit for fun?”

Tap had already disappeared through the kitchen doorway, leaving me alone to deal with Rabbit. I shrugged, because I didn’t care what Elenore was into. I was itching to get out of the condo before Matt showed up, saw me, and all hell broke loose. As much as I’d like to flatten the bastard, I didn’t want to think about how that would affect Dylan.

Elenore appeared in the hallway with a suitcase in hand and a bag slung over her shoulder. I hurried over to lighten her load. As I took the bags, Tina emerged. I’d been expecting tears and hysterics about having to leave the comfort of her sister’s condo, but when her gaze met mine, resolve and determination stared back at me. She was okay. I didn’t realize how worried I’d been, but the wave of relief that washed over me confirmed that my emotions had gotten all wrapped up in this woman’s plight.

“It’s good to see you again,” I blurted out. There should be nothing good about it. I was only there because Matt had threatened her safety, which made my statement sound really fucking thoughtless. “Not under the circumstances, of course, but I’m glad you’re okay.”

She dropped her gaze. “Thank you for coming for us.”

“I told you, we help people. Whatever you need.”

Dylan emerged with a backpack over his shoulder, rolling a suitcase behind him. His gaze landed on me and a grin lit up his face before he caught himself and schooled his expression. Giving me a very cool, very masculine lift of his chin, he greeted me with a simple, “S’up Kaos?”

The kid could try to hide it as much as he wanted, but he was happy to see me. He appeared almost relieved. Fighting back my own smile, I returned his chin lift. “S’up Dylan?” Turning my attention back to Tina, I said, “Let’s get you guys out of here.”

Tina frowned at Rabbit, who was watching our exchange from the comfort of the sectional. He set the magazine down and stood, offering her a smile.

“This is Rabbit,” I said, ushering her and Dylan forward. “Tap’s in the kitchen. They’re going to help your sister out with security and make sure she’s safe.”

Tina tensed. “You want me to leave my sister alone with two strange men?”

When she put it like that, her hesitancy made sense. “Rabbit’s the only strange one. Tap’s perfectly normal,” I said, trying to add a little levity to the situation.

Rabbit took a mock swing at me, but I easily pivoted out of his range.

“I’ll be fine,” Elenore said, giving her sister a wave with something that looked like a Taser in her hand. I was certain she hadn’t been carrying that thing when she let us in, which meant Tap had equipped her as soon as she’d walked into the kitchen.

Tap came up behind Elenore and introduced himself to Tina and Dylan. “Tina, before you leave, I need to fill you in on what to expect. Would it be all right if Kaos and Dylan take the bags to the car while we chat?”

Dylan slid closer to his mom, glaring daggers at Tap and Rabbit. Regardless of how happy he’d been to see me, he wasn’t about to leave his mom and aunt alone with strangers. Despite the fact I had no claims on the kid, a bizarre sort of pride swelled in my chest. He had a lot more going for him than people realized.

Tina turned toward me and raised her eyebrows, silently deferring to me.

“Tap and Rabbit are good, and they know what they’re doing,” I said. “You can trust them.”

“I’ll help load up the car,” Rabbit offered, grabbing a couple of bags. To Dylan, he added, “I know Tap looks tough, but he’s a fu… a frickin’ nerd. He’s about to talk their ears off about locks, video cameras, and alarm systems. I’ve heard it all before and it’s boring as hell. Trust me, man, you don’t want to have to sit through his spiel. Besides, if he gets out of line, your aunt can tag him with the Taser he just loaned her. I think I’d like to see that.”

Tap frowned at Rabbit.

Dylan didn’t look convinced, but Tina pushed him toward us. “We’ll be fine. Help the guys.”

Dylan stopped long enough to point a finger at Tap. “You better be nice to Mom and Aunt El.”

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