Page 13 of Forgotten Deeds

I sigh. “Just one ride.”

“Yay!” Iris exclaims.

“I’ll have to run to the car to grab some change,” I tell her.

“I have it covered, milady,” Darius says with another exaggerated bow, which makes Iris giggle. He squats down to her level; reaching behind her ear, he makes a dollar “appear.”

“How did you do that?” Iris examines the money before reaching behind her own ear. Her little face scrunches up adorably when she doesn’t find another dollar back there.

“Magic.” Darius smiles, handing her the dollar. He surprises me by taking the bag from my shoulder.

“Are you Mama’s boyfriend?” Iris asks Darius.

“No!” I answer quickly. Glancing over to Darius, he has an amused look on his face, like he knows something I don’t.

“How old are you?” Iris asks him. Since I want to know the answer, I don’t chastise her for asking.

“In dog years or people years?” Darius wonders.

She laughs, placing a hand on her head. “People years!”

He smiles. “In that case, I’m twenty-six.”

“Mama, how old are you?”

“Twenty-two,” I remind her.

“And I’m four, almost five,” she announces proudly.

“Four, almost five, but going on sixteen,” Darius comments, and I smile at his astute observation. Iris’ preschool teacher has already given me the information about having Iris tested for gifted when she enters kindergarten this fall. But my smile fades when I remember this is Diávolos I’m dealing with here—the same Diávolos who threatened me in the alley; who loves offal; and who may or may not be hooked up with the mob.

“Not sixteen! Four, almost five,” Iris says, exasperated, and I chuckle quietly.

We reach the carousel, and Iris proudly hands over her dollar to the attendant. Darius pays for the two of us, and we all climb onto the platform. Iris races to her horse. “This one!”

Darius beats me there, easily lifting Iris and placing her on a horse with a rainbow saddle. “Perfect choice for the rainbow goddess,” he announces, fastening her lap belt.

“I’m not really a goddess,” Iris corrects him.

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”

Double checking Iris’ belt, I climb onto the horse beside her, with Darius standing on the outside of Iris. “You not going to ride?” I ask him. As soon as the question’s out of my mouth, I can feel my cheeks heating.

“I’d definitely be up for a ride later,” he tells me with another wink. Could my cheeks get any redder?

“Mama said just one ride,” Iris reminds him.

“Disagree with that philosophy,” he tells me, a naughty glint in his eyes.

Thankfully, the carousel begins its rotation. Iris waves at me, and I blow her a kiss. Smiling, I glance over to Darius who’s looking like a man picturing a ride later. With me.

Yes, my cheeks can get redder.

The carousel thankfully stops spinning, but before I can even dismount, Darius has Iris off her horse. She takes his big hand with a smile, and alarm bells are blaring in my head. My daughter simply cannot get attached to this dangerous man.

“Come on, sweetie. Time to go,” I say, pulling her away from Darius.

“I’ll walk you ladies to your car,” he says.

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