Page 19 of Cash

My stomach gave an unhappy roil.

“Lolo,” Cara called. “You’re making your funny face again.”

That funny face was me trying not to puke.

To cover up my discomfort, I copied the nose scrunch she did and stuck out my tongue.

Shit, were parental types allowed to stick out their tongues at their charges? Wasn’t that akin to an adult flipping the bird?

“Are you telling me my face looks funny, Care Bear?”

Cara’s little mouth curved up. The sight made my heart skip a beat. Part of me—the part that still had a shred of humanity left, wanted to scoop her little body up, hug her tight, and tell her she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid eyes on. But the other part—the realist, wanted to run and hide her away so the world couldn’t steal her innocence.

Maybe I’d look into homeschooling.

Right, because high school dropouts should teach children how to read and write.

I vaguely wondered if I could find a program that specialized in covert ops, counterintelligence, and self-defense as a companion curriculum to reading and writing. It was never too young to learn how to properly ditch a tail and dish out some torture.

And that was why I had no business raising a kid.

I heard the side door open.

My cue to get off the phone before I was overheard.

“I have to let you go so Franny can get you into bed. Miss you, sweet girl.”

“Miss you, Lolo.”

I returned her smile and rushed to end the call as the footsteps stopped in front of the stairs leading off the porch.

Cash.

Thankfully, he was far enough away that I could lower my voice and he wouldn’t be able to hear what I was saying but he wouldn’t miss the phone in my hand.

“Miss you, too, sweet girl.”

Her little hand came up and she waved. A hand that was unblemished. Innocent. So fucking small it wouldn’t take much to crush it.

Fragile.

How the hell was I supposed to protect all the fragility and keep her goodness intact?

As soon as I ended the call, I felt Lore slip back in place.

Lolo was Cara’s and Cara’s alone. From the first time she’d been placed in my arms, I was a goner. Even when she was an infant, I couldn’t manage to protect myself against the pull of her innocence. She was a sweet baby with a head full of blonde fuzz who had turned into a watchful toddler, then curiosity had leached in and now she devoured the world around her.

The thud of Cash’s boots bounding down the stairs pulled me from my thoughts. His gaze was steady on me as he moved forward.

Eyes that saw too much. Stupid, beautiful eyes I wished I’d never looked into.

“What?” I snapped when he didn’t look away.

His lips twitched in that irritating way that normally led to a cocky grin. However, his mouth never curved up, but his brow did. He didn’t have to utter a word—that arch said it all. I’d fucked up and let him get the better of me. It would seem that Cara wasn’t the only one who rattled me and made my perfectly crafted persona slip.

Without a word he strode across the yard. It didn’t take long for him to disappear into a grove of trees.

I needed to get my shit together. I had to fortify my armor—hell, I had to find my armor. The man had a way of stripping it off with nothing more than a look—the arrogant smirk he often directed my way helped in his endeavors.