Page 71 of The C*ck Down the Block

“Beatrix! Beatrix Moore. Where’s Chris? Who are you to him?” one reporter yelled, thrusting a microphone over the fence in my direction.

“Is your mother the infamous Sunshine Babcock?” another shouted.

At the mention of my mother, a cold, leaden feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, as if I’d swallowed every terrible thing that had happened in the last decade. The words cut through me, making everything else fade into background noise. For a split second, swallowing, breathing, even making my heart beat seemed an insurmountable task.

Ignoring them, I reached for Luke, whose feathers were all ruffled, and scooped him up, tucking him under my arm for comfort as much as for his own safety. His heart was pounding like a miniature drum against my side, mirroring my own chaotic emotions.

With Luke safely in my arms, I turned to the reporters, my eyes blazing. “If you have any decency, you’ll get off my property now,” I said, my voice quivering but clear. “You’re trespassing, and you’re scaring my animals.”

I didn’t wait to see if they complied, but I did hear one of them say something about me being the indecent one. I stormed back inside, locking the door behind me, a new level of violation settling over me. My space, my sanctuary, had been invaded, and the weight of it all crashed down as I set Luke down in his indoor pen.

The tablet buzzed on the counter and this time it was Chris. My fingers trembled as I reached for it, but before answering, I cast a quick glance at Luke. For a moment, I saw a reflection of myself in his eyes—confused, scared, but also fiercely protective of the little world we had built.

“It’s time to fight back,” I whispered to him before taking the call.

“Trix? Are you okay? Jules called and said she saw you get home, and those assholes swamped your car.” I heard honking and the sounds of traffic in his background. “I’m sending my dad over to get you and take you to our house. I’ll be home in fifteen minutes.”

“I got fired.” That was the only thing that was even a little bit coherent in my mind right now.

“Fuck. I’m so sorry, babe. I swear we’ll figure this all out. I’ve got Maguire trying to do damage control and Johnston is sending Marie your way.” He swore and honked his horn again. “Where the fuck is my security detail?”

Out the side window, I saw Mr. Kingman step out the front door of the house, and a mob of reporters rushed toward him. He didn’t even say a word but held up one hand and the group as a whole practically stopped dead in their tracks. “I see your dad. I don’t think he’s going to even make it to my front door.”

“Look in the back yard.”

Three Kingman boys, Flynn, Gryffen, and Isak, were bent over and scurrying toward the gate between our two yards like they were ninjas or Navy SEALs.

“Ah, I see. Your dad is the distraction, and the boys are the covert rescue mission. Okay, but I’m taking Luke with me.”

“Whatever you need to feel safe and comfy, babe. Better pack some clothes too. I don’t know how long this media blitz is going to last.”

I did not like the sound of that. What had become of my life? I hurried upstairs, shoved some comfy clothes into a bag, grabbed my toothbrush and my Kindle, because lord knows I was going to need some escapist comfort if I had to be holed up at the Kingmans’ avoiding reporters for the rest of my life. How long could this last?

“Trixie,” one of the boys called from downstairs. “We’re here to rescue you.”

I hollered down to them. “Thanks. I’ll be down in a minute. Raid the fridge for bunkering snacks.”

I heard another of them say “Yes,” declaring a victory. If I knew one thing, it was how hungry teenage and college boys could be.

I don’t know how he did it, but Mr. Kingman had those reporters wrapped around his little finger. Either that or they were scared to death he was going to make them run laps or something. The boys and I snuck back over to their yard, stopping only to make sure the hens’ food and water supplies were topped up. Isak volunteered to come over and check on them later if I needed him to.

When I got through the sliding glass door on the back porch, Jules met me with a big bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’d hate to lose a sister before I even officially got one.”

Aww. I hugged her right back. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere.”

She and I made Luke a makeshift bed in the kitchen, but before we were even done, Chris barreled into the house. He scooped me up and kissed me so thoroughly that for a full minute I forgot about the shitshow we were embroiled in.

He pressed his forehead to mine and we both found a safe space to just breathe for a second.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi.” Two minutes ago, the world was a frantic mess. But with him right here with me now, I knew we’d be okay.

Not in the next ten minutes, but we’d make it through this nightmare, together.

“Tell me what happened at work.”

This man. Our asses were all over the internet, and he was checking in with my actual life. I gave him one more quick kiss just because I needed to.

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