Page 34 of Double the Redemption

“I think he might be going through a growth spurt,” Wren added. “I noticed his pj pants look a little shorter than they did when he wore them last week. Not a lot, but just enough to notice.”

Naomi nodded. That would explain why he’d been a bit more tired than normal. “You’re probably right. The books I read said he’d probably go through one right about now. I’ll have to keep him a little quieter for a couple of days so he doesn’t overdo it.”

It was the perfect excuse to keep Asher to herself while she figured out what the hell to do.

“Yeah, we’ve read some of the baby books Royal, Harlow, and Esme have had lying around, and that was one of the things it said.” Wren shuddered. “And other information I’ll never be able to forget. And the pictures … No thank you.” Win shook her head.

Despite everything, she found herself smiling and joking. “Try having an eidetic memory and remembering every second of it all happening to you.”

The horror on the girls’ faces would have been hilarious in any other moment. “That’s horrible. How can you even function?” Wren questioned.

“You learn to compartmentalize. It’s a great birth control reminder if I ever think about having another one any time soon.” Not that that would ever happen either. Not with everything else going on.

“On that note, I’m leaving before you start telling us all about it like Royal and Esme do to scare the shit out of us,” Win declared, jumping to her feet. “I have some homework I should get to anyway. I’m behind on an essay due Monday.”

“Damn it, I forgot about that.” Wren groaned. “Yeah, me too.”

Naomi locked the door behind them before heading down the hall to check on Asher herself. He looked so peaceful in bed, his breathing steady and even, clutching the stuffed lion to his chest. The same lion Ronin had insisted he could borrow so he wouldn’t be scared at night like he used to be.

Her heart broke, and she tried to choke back the tears welling in her eyes. Asher was finally starting to settle in, starting to make friends and be a kid again. Now she might have to yank him away from it.

Life wasn’t fair, but she would do whatever she had to do to protect her son.

Hurrying into the bathroom, she found her tampon box and pulled out the burner phone Taz and Simba had left her. She stared at it, unsure. Should she bother them with this? Was it really that big a deal?

Maybe she could talk to Savage? Tell him her concerns? But what would Savage do? Would he ban Kayla? Make her even angrier and more likely to talk to whoever she could? Or would he kill her? No, she couldn’t live with that on her conscience. Except, what was she expecting the Devil’s Predators to do? How would they help her, other than moving her and Asher?

She sat on the floor, with her back pressed against the bathroom wall, her body shaking and her breathing quickening again.

No, she had to stay in control. A panic attack would only make things worse. She couldn’t risk Asher waking to find her like this. She didn’t want to frighten him.

Eyes closed, she tried to ground herself and slow her breathing, but nothing changed. She opened them and looked at the phone again.

It shook in her hands, but she forced herself to get out the message.

Naomi: I think I might be compromised. A woman here for a club party bumped into me and now hates me. What do I do? Do I run?

She regretted sending the message the moment the soft ding filled the air. No, it was the right thing. It had to be. She was a guest of the Dragons, but the Devil’s Predators were the ones who had to keep her safe. Had to keep her son safe.

Tears slid down her cheeks as she waited, unable to control her breathing. She didn’t even care that her shirt clung to her or that she smelled like rum. She needed them to answer, to reassure her they would get her out of here.

Finally, the phone dinged, and she looked at the message.

Taz: Remove the SIM and crush it. We’ll be there in twenty-four hours. Stay put.

That was it. She did what he asked, hurrying to her feet and running into the kitchen. Needing to be quiet so she didn’t wake Asher, she put the chip in a bag between some towels then pounded it with a rolling pin and a meat tenderizer. Finally finished, it was smashed enough to throw in the garbage.

Some of the stress seemed to lift from her chest, and she finally took a full breath. Slowly, she reached the point where she could think, and the bands in her chest relaxed. It also cleared her senses, and her nose wrinkled as the smell of the rum finally penetrated.

Gross. She needed a shower.

The heat of the shower was deliciously warm and did wonders to clear her mind. By the time she stepped out, she felt more like herself and sleepy enough to collapse into bed, pulling Asher into her and sinking into sleep.

14

NAOMI

She awoke with a start, her heart pounding and every sense on alert. Feeling around, she found Asher fast asleep, twisted sideways, arms flung over his head. Some of her panic eased, then footsteps thumping on the stairs drifted in through the cracked-open window.