Page 6 of His to Break

But it never did.

Instead, Ryker gave the wheels of the truck a few experimental spins, flicking them with a calloused thumb, before handing it back to Eli with a faint smile. For a moment, Caleb's defenses wavered, warmth blooming inside him at the unexpected tenderness. But he ruthlessly shoved it away, reminding himself that this man was a threat, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Not even that — a wolf in his own damn clothing.

"Hey, Eli," Caleb called, reaching for the remote lying on the low coffee table, "why don't you watch some cartoons? You can show Ryker your toys later." He turned on the cheap tv that had been in the place when he moved in, pulling up a cartoon. What it was didn't matter; Eli loved watching anything bright and happy. Keeping a wary eye on Ryker, Caleb walked over to the other side of the room and plopped Eli down in front of the screen.

Ryker stayed where he was the whole time, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed across his broad chest — and his eyes on Caleb. He looked casual enough, but Caleb knew that his body was made for violence. A shiver ran up Caleb's spine.

It took everything that Caleb had to walk over to Ryker, getting closer instead of running screaming in the opposite direction. But there was no way that he wanted Eli to hear any of what he was going to say.

"Can't we work something out?" Caleb asked under his breath. He tried to keep his voice steady, but the desperation slipped through, betraying him. "Arkady doesn't need Eli. He didn't even know Eli existed until his mom died. Let us go."

"Sorry, kid," Ryker said, his tone matter-of-fact. "I've got my orders. Nothing personal."

"Nothing personal?" Caleb spat. His heart pounded against his ribcage like a trapped bird. "You're about to tear him away from the hope of a happy life, and you have the audacity to say it's nothing personal?"

"Welcome to the business," Ryker replied, his eyes hooded and unreadable.

"Business? This is his life!" Caleb hissed under his breath, anger and fear swirling together inside him like a hurricane. He flicked his eyes back to the tv, but Eli was engrossed in some cartoony song, way more interested in that than some boring adult conversation. "Please, just let us go. We won't cause any trouble. I swear."

"Can't do that," Ryker said, shaking his head. "Can't bend the rules for anyone."

"Even for a child?" Caleb challenged, his voice cracking with emotion.

Something flickered in Ryker's eyes, but his expression remained impassive.

"Tell me something," Ryker began, his voice low and almost predatory. "Why do you care so much about this kid? You're not exactly the paternal type."

Caleb's heart pounded in his ears. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ryker leaned back against the wall, the very picture of cool control even as Caleb felt like he was coming apart at the seams. "I've read your file," he said casually, as if he was just discussing the weather. "You're a reckless petty crim. Solicitation, drugs, theft, vandalism: the works." He cocked his head. "So why the sudden change of heart for some kid — especially one who isn't even yours?"

A wave of hurt washed over Caleb. He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep from showing it. He couldn't let Ryker see that his words had struck a nerve.

"Maybe I'm not as heartless as you think I am," Caleb shot back, his voice laced with venom. "His mother..."

"Mia. I saw the file."

"Mia was more than a name in a file. She was myfriend. And when she found out she was pregnant, she knew she had to get away from mafia life… She never wanted that man to find out that Eli was his. They were happy together."

"Until she died."

Caleb's stomach felt heavy. "Yeah."

Her sickness had been sudden. She'd bitterly joked about it being karma hitting her all at once, every bad thing she'd done as a mafia good-time girl coming back to get her when she least expected it.

And all she'd wanted was a better life for Eli.

Then someone had gotten wind that one of Arkady's old flings was sick — and that she had a kid. A kid who looked kind of like him, and was around the right age…

Ryker studied him for a moment, his gaze piercing through Caleb's carefully constructed armor. "Is that it?" he asked, his tone mocking. "You made a promise, and now you're trying to play house with someone else's kid?"

The mention of Mia sent a sharp stab of pain through Caleb's chest. He struggled to maintain his composure.

He'd promised Mia that he would protect Eli.

And now, here was Ryker, tearing that promise to shreds.

"He's all I have left of her," Caleb hissed, his voice trembling with barely restrained emotion.

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