Page 41 of Bought
Super bath lasted well past nine. I’m back, sitting in the recliner with Ryan on my chest. Cass is taking a mid-morning nap in the bedroom.
I’m usually relaxed, with Ryan’s calming weight anchoring me to the chair. Today, I feel like elastic bands are running through my body where there should be bones, pulling me tight.
Two things weigh on my mind as I hold him, making it hard to relax while I gently trace circles over the center of his warm back as he sleeps. The Morettis are at the top of my thoughts.
I need to get back into his place. There’s no other option. Sure, I’ve heard all the stories about Bachman tech and how secure it is, but ever since the Morettis destroyed their Village, those stories have stopped circulating.
Instead, rumors spread that the Morrettis are gaining more power each day.
I imagine myself suctioned to his window or climbing a rope with a grappling hook, dressed in a tight black bodysuit like a cat burglar. Or, wearing a tan trench coat, cracking the security code on the pad by the door of his secret apartment.
The one I had to go through three other locked doors to reach. Doors that Mr. Mack Daddy had to press his thumb to the pad to open. Sigh. I guess they still have some good tech for the lone soldiers they’ve left behind.
If they are going to rebuild, maybe information on that would satisfy the Morettis, if I can’t get in there and find out what they really want. Maybe he could share some juicy plans with me.
I guess I could just say I lost an earring over there. “I could ask Mack to let me in,” I whisper to myself.
A soft puff of whispered breath escapes from his plump cheeks. “Mac and cheese?”
I gaze down at Ryan’s adorable little face as he smiles peacefully in his sleep. “Shh. Shh. We’ll have pasta for tea.” He snuggles further into me.
I could try to see him again, if he hadn’t sent me home. That’s the second thought clouding my mind and fogging my thoughts.
Was Lucian truly exhausted and getting ready for an early morning? Or was he just bored with me?
Someone is knocking on our door.
Morettis don’t knock for Bambi. They message on an encrypted app. So, whoever is behind that door isn’t here for her.
Cass and I have never had anyone visit us here. When the Morettis come for me, there won’t be a heads-up text.
My chest tightens. “Ryan.” I hold my nephew more securely in my arms.
There it is again. This time, three sharp knocks, each separated by a pause as long as my labored breath.
Ryan stirs. He blinks a few times, long dark lashes brushing his cheeks. “Is the mac and cheese ready?” He looks up at me with blue eyes the same color as mine.
Cass calls sleepily from the bedroom, “Erin? Was that the door? Or did I dream it?”
Scooping Ryan in my arms so I can stand, I carry him to the bedroom, settling him in the bed beside Cass. “Here. Snuggle with mama a bit.”
“Erin?” Cass looks up at me, barely awake.
“Nothing to worry over. Stay here.” I pull the door shut behind me, until I hear the click.
The back of the front door looks ominous as I walk through the living room, its black paint chipped and scratched over time. My bare feet sink into the carpet as I move slowly and carefully, my breath gone, my skin clammy.
“Who—who’s there?” I stare at the silver deadbolt, glad I locked it last night when I got home.
“Girl! It’s Bambi! I forgot my keys,” she shouts. “Would you let me in already?”
“Thank God." Relief washes over me as I reach for the lock. Wait—what if she’s here with Valentino? And I don’t have anything to tell him?
“We thought you’d gone to work,” I say, gripping the metal between my thumb and forefinger. “Are you alone?”
“Heaven’s sake, Erin! Is this still my place or not?” She bangs on the door. “Let me in!”
“Sorry, sorry.” I flip the lock and swing the door open, half expecting Valentino with a loaded gun by his sister’s side. It’s just Bambi. Hand to my heart, I exhale. “It’s you.”
