Page 113 of Bad Men

Liana cast him a quick glance, but it said enough that the odds of her taking him up on the offer were slim.

“Stay for dinner.” Marie pulled away from Liana and faced Mia. “It’s been months since you’ve been home, and I won’t sleep if I don’t see for myself you’re okay.”

Mia glanced back to where me and Nero stood, expression pleading. “Can we?”

I was ready to tell her she could stay for as long as she wanted as long as it was our bed she returned to at night, but Nero stepped forward and planted a kiss to the top of her head.

“Take as long as you need.”

He started towards the door. My own feet pivoted to follow when Marie stopped us both.

“You too.” I wasn’t sure who was more taken aback by the request, me, Nero, or Luis, but we all faced the tiny woman. She gave the two criminals in her house a warm smile. “Please? If you are going to be in my daughter’s life, I would like to know you better.”

I couldn’t speak. Every rational thought I’d ever had drifted out of my head, leaving me absent of everything, except fear. We weren’t people you invited to eat at your table with your family. I couldn’t even remember the last time I sat at a table like a normal person with other people.

“Uh…” was the best I could manage.

Thankfully, Nero seemed to still have his senses. “We would be honored.”

“Excellent!” Marie turned to the woman still in her embrace. “Liana, please help Mia wash up. Then both of you come down and help me with supper.”

With that, she started for the kitchen. She patted Luis on the shoulder in passing before disappearing from sight.

Mia shot me and Nero a broad smile that elicited a tiny droplet of blood from around her stitches that she didn’t seem to notice. She rushed over and took both our hands in hers.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “This means so much to me.”

Nero leaned down and lightly kissed her. “We’d do anything for you.”

I just offered her a lopsided grin that was met with a squeeze of her fingers. She let us both go a second later and started towards the stairs. Liana was there before I could move to help her. Mia’s arm was draped over the other woman’s shoulders and together, they eased their way up.

Then, it was just the three of us.

Me.

Nero.

Luis.

The latter watched his daughter climb to the top and disappear from sight before lowering bloodshot and tired eyes down to us.

“Was it me?” it was the first words he’d spoken to us. “Did I do this?”

“You didn’t help,” I said, ignoring the vicious little voice urging me to dump the whole blame on him.

Luis, worn hands twisted together in strain, shuffled a step closer. “Was I the reason this happened to my Mia?”

“No,” Nero said softly. “Someone else will pay for this.”

“But it still wouldn’t have happened if she’d been here with us,” I interjected, refusing to forgive him for his mistakes.

Nero shot me a frown but didn’t correct me.

Maybe I was wrong. There was no telling how far Cortez was willing to go no matter where Mia was, but his chances of grabbing her would have been a lot less with us close by. I was sure about that.

Overhead, we heard the rattle and groan of pipes as the shower was flipped on.

Luis sighed and rubbed a course palm over his face. He ambled to the nearest cushion and dropped down on it. “I only wanted to protect my family. I would never—”

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