There’s a firm knock on the door.
I don’t answer. Maybe whoever it is will just go away. I’m not exactly in the mood to deal with anyone.
Would the police even knock or just break down the door? Countless worries fleet through my mind.
“Harper, I’m coming in there.” Luca’s voice carries through the wood, and I hear the door and latch click.
Damn him for using the emergency key above the door.
He slips into the bathroom with Zeke curled up in his arms.
The grape popsicle coats to my little boy’s cheeks, lips, and shirt. It’s better than the smattering of speckled blood he wears on the sleeves of his pajama shirt.
“You were supposed to be in the shower,” Luca says, noticing that I’m standing by the sink.
“Are the police still here?” I glance past him, wanting to know if it’s safe.
If I’m safe.
Or if the men with badges and guns will drag me away in handcuffs.
“Ashton was speaking with them outside. You were supposed to be showering.” Luca stares at me, and when I don’t move, he steps past me and pulls back the shower curtain. He adjusts the temperature and then strips Zeke down, putting him in the shower to wash away the stains.
Zeke isn’t particularly fond of the shower, and he squirms and tries escaping, but Luca manages to get the boy clean while I stand there, observing.
“You’re next.” Luca glances back at me over his shoulder. “If I have to bathe you myself, I will.”
“Not until I know the police are gone,” I say.
His brow tightens as he looks back at me. “You’d rather them see you covered in blood?”
“I’d rather them not bust through the door while I’m naked.” I gape at him. “That would be embarrassing.”
Luca rolls his eyes, not the least bit amused by my antics. “Ashton is done speaking with the police, but I can’t promise they won’t come back.” He finishes with Zeke, wraps a fluffy towel around him and then leaves him seated on the closed toilet seat while he sneaks out of the bathroom to grab a fresh set of pajamas.
The chilly air seeps in from the hallway and Zeke stares up at me with swollen eyes from crying earlier. I kiss the top of his head, wishing I could tell him that everything will be fine.
I can’t even convince myself that it’s all right.
Luca slips back into the bathroom a moment later, carrying pajamas for Zeke. He gets my boy dressed and then covers Zeke’s eyes with a towel, pretending to play a game of hide and seek while he carries him out of the bathroom. “I’m putting him in our room tonight,” Luca says.
Wordlessly, I nod.
The window in Zeke’s room is broken, and after the break-in, I’m not comfortable leaving him alone.
“I’ll be right back,” Luca tells me and disappears from the bathroom.
Within a few short minutes, he returns with a change of clothes and two towels. “You left Zeke alone?” I’m not hearing any crying, but it’s only been a few seconds apart from my little one.
“Nova is watching him. It’s your turn to shower.” Luca hits the lock on the bathroom door and removes his shirt.
“What are you doing?” I ask, glancing at his chest.
“Distracting you.” Luca offers me a faint smile and then rests his hands on my hips. “Let me take your mind off it, please?”
I exhale.
Take my mind off the fact a man tried to abduct my son, threatened Nova and me at gunpoint. It’s hard to turn that off. My brain isn’t a television station that I can just flip the channel and watch something else, experience a different emotion.
