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Tommy nodded and walked me toward the stairs. “Take Rhett up, yeah? Get him tucked into bed. We’ll handle this.”
“I don’t—” My words trailed off as I glanced around the living room. The men looked calm, relaxed even, but each of them was carrying a weapon or five, some out in the open and others just bulge hidden inside their clothes.
“Go on up,” Michael’s dad repeated. “Get Rhett settled, yeah?”
I nodded and walked upstairs. Every shadow and shift of light in the hallway made me jump, and as I walked into the bedroom Rhett and I shared, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in there. Every piece of furniture seemed to loom at me from the dark. I quickly backed out of the room and went straight to Michael’s room. His light switch had a dimmer, and I turned it all the way down before tucking Rhett into the middle of the bed.
“Mama sleep,” he murmured. “Grandpa?”
“Mama will lay with you,” I replied. “Grandpa’s going to stay downstairs, though.”
I climbed into the bed and let the scent of Michael soothe me as I waited for Rhett to fall back asleep. The rumble of voices downstairs was pretty steady, but I couldn’t hear what any of them were saying until the minute Michael walked through the front door.
“Emilia!” he called, just once before he was quieted.
I slid out of bed and made my way downstairs. The whole situation from the moment I’d found Parker waiting for me inside Michael’s house seemed like it was happening to someone else. I felt almost separate from it, like I was watching through a window.
Will held Michael near the front door, murmuring something I couldn’t hear.
“Em,” Michael barked, pushing past his uncle easily as he rushed toward me. “Are you okay?”
His hands moved over me, much like Otto’s had earlier, searching for any hurts.
“I’m okay,” I murmured, pulling away. “I’m fine.”
“What the fuck, sugar?” he asked, searching my face. “He was waitin’ in the house?”
“He was sitting in the chair,” I replied, glancing at it. I could still hear the thud as he’d tapped his pistol against the arm.
“He’s comin’ ’round,” Gramps said, surprising me. He must’ve gotten there while I was upstairs with Rhett.
“Can’t have that,” Michael’s uncle Casper said, crouching down by Parker’s head. “Hey there,” he greeted with a nasty smile. Then with an easy thump on the back of Parker’s head near his ear, he knocked him back out. “Come on, young’uns. Pick up the garbage, and we’ll take it outta here.”
“Why’re we doin’ all the heavy liftin’?” one of the guys joked as he—and what must’ve been his twin brother—lifted Parker by the armpits and feet.
“’Cause we’re old,” Casper replied, shooing them. “Quit bitchin’ and go out the garage. We’ll take him in Micky’s truck.”
“Hold,” Gramps said. He patted down Parker’s hips and pulled out a set of keys. “Find his car.” He tossed the keys to Rumi. “Take care of it.”
“On it,” Rumi replied. He didn’t even look at me as he left the house.
“Emilia,” Michael said, pulling my attention back to his face. “What happened, baby?”
“What happened?” Otto snapped from across the room. No one stopped him as he stormed forward, stopping just inches from Michael’s face. “You took off and left Emilia and your son to deal with whoever the fuck that was. What the fuck is wrong with you, man?”
“I didn’t leave them to deal,” Michael spat back. “I sent you with ’em.”
“I didn’t even know what the fuck was goin’ on,” Otto shot back, throwing up his hands.
“I asked you to keep an eye on shit.”
“I was out callin’ my girl,” Otto countered, his eyes wild and his breathing heavy. “If she woulda answered her phone, I’d probably still be out there and Emilia’d be in here dead.”
I don’t think anyone had anticipated the punch Otto threw, not even Otto. One second he was glaring daggers at Michael and the next, his voice was breaking and every bit of terror and rage from the night was pouring out of him as he swung.
Thankfully when Otto had stomped toward us, Michael had backed away from me a little, because when Otto’s fist clipped his chin, he staggered.
“Whoops,” Leo said, coming around the side of them to wrap his arm around my waist and physically carry me a few feet out of the way.
