Page 11 of Dancin' with Demons

Renegade turns his head to the side enough that I know he sees her finally and then brings his eyes back to mine. “She’s yours?”

Nodding, I swallow the fear and worry threatening to bring on the tears. “Yes.”

“Her father?” His voice is so low and deadly that it scares the shit out of me.

“Renegade, I—”

“Who is her father, Raylynn?” Even though this situation sucks, I’m really glad he has the decency to keep his voice lower right now, so Savior doesn’t hear him.

“I don’t know,” I finally say as my voice breaks, and Renegade moves back enough to really look me in the face, pain the most prominent thing in his eyes. “One of the men from that club, I just don’t know which.”

Renegade’s hand gently slides across the side of my neck and squeezes a little. Not aggressively, but more in a comforting way. “Oh, little love, you should’ve come back the moment you knew about her so we could’ve taken care of both of you.”

“I’m sorry,” I finally say in a rush, “I didn—” Renegade quickly presses his lips to mine to shut me up but pulls back just as fast.

“Don’t ever apologize, Raylynn,” he says sternly before pushing off the wall and turning around to face my daughter. I don’t know why, but I stay right where I am and just watch as he slowly goes over and pushes the coffee table back before sinking to his knees next to the couch. “I’m Renegade, a friend of your mom. What’s your name?”

Savior brings her little hand out from under her blanket and holds it out to shake his. “Savior. I’m three, and Mommy says I’m awesome.”

Renegade and I both chuckle, and he gently takes her hand to shake it. “Savior, that’s a beautiful name, little one. Can I ask you a few questions, and you promise to tell me the truth? No fibs?”

Savior puffs out her little chest and nods once, really hard. “Mommy says never lie. Not ever.”

Renegade glances over his shoulder at me, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think there were tears in his eyes, but I can’t imagine someone like him crying, especially not in front of others. “Your mommy’s right. So, do we have a deal?” Savior gives him another sharp nod, her messy hair bouncing up and down as she does. “You and Mommy struggle with stuff, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Savior says, tilting her head to the side.

“Well, I mean, Mommy works a lot, doesn’t she? And it’s still hard to pay for stuff for you guys, right?”

Savior nods again, this time bringing her blanket to her chest and holding it tight. “Yeah, but it’s okay. As long as Mommy and me are together, everything is okay.”

Renegade hangs his head for a second, and I watch as his shoulders move as if he’s just let out a big sigh. “Well, how would you like it if you and Mommy came to stay at my house for a little while? It’s right on the beach and has a big yard, and we can watch lots of Disney movies.”

Savior’s eyes light up. “I’ve never seen a Disney movie!”

Renegade stands and holds his arms out to Savior, and I literally want to bawl my eyes out when she rushes to stand on the couch, blanket still clutched in her hand, and jumps up at him. Without missing a beat, Renegade catches her and brings her up so that he’s holding her against him with his forearm under her butt and his arm around her lower legs. Turning to me, he walks over and stops. My eyes immediately go to the floor.

His fingers press under my chin just enough that I have to move my head up and meet his gaze, but as soon as I do, a tear breaks free and runs down my cheek. Renegade wipes it away with his thumb as he softly cups the side of my face. “You have ten minutes to pack whatever you need right now. We’ll come back for anythin’ else later.”

“Renegade, we can’t just come stay with you,” I say, my voice weak and breaking.

“Raylynn,” he says in a low and stern tone, “this ain’t up for debate. Get yours and Savior’s things. We’re leavin’. Now.”

Chapter 5

Renegade

I’m not pissed at Raylynn, but I’m pissed.

Not only is she livin’ in pretty much fuckin’ poverty, but she’s got a daughter livin’ that life, too. Again, I’m not mad at her because it’s clear as day watchin’ her at work that she busts her ass and does the best she can. But life ain’t easy, and it hasn’t been for either of ‘em. If she’d have trusted me three years ago and stayed, nothin’ would have been like this. I’d have taken care of her and Savior, and they never would’ve wanted for anythin’.

“Mommy?” Savior’s little voice travels up from the back seat of the truck, and I glance in the rearview mirror. She’s so small that I can barely glimpse the top of her hair. “I’m hungry. Can we have breakfast soon?”

“Yeah, baby,” Raylynn says, turnin’ in her seat a little. “When we get to Renegade’s, I’ll make you somethin’, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Glancin’ at Raylynn, it’s obvious she’s upset, though I’m not exactly sure why. Should I have shown up at her apartment as angry as I did? Probably not. Am I sorry? Not in the least. “Hey, little one. How about we stop for breakfast?”

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