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Cam reaches for me and pulls me into a hug.
“Thanks, Mom. I like it here,” he says softly.
“I know you do, and so does Billy. You deserve to stay in one place.” He pulls back and turns his head to look out at Billy and Knight.
“Does this have anything to do with Knight?”
“Maybe a little. I like having him around. Don’t you?”
“Yeah. Things feel safe when he’s here. He wouldn’t let anything happen to us,” he adds. I know he’s right, whether I want to admit it or not. Knight has taken a liking to the kids, and I don’t see him letting anyone hurt them.
“I think you’re right.”
“He’s a good guy, Mom.”
“Just like you. Thank you for everything you do with your brother. I know you’d rather be out with friends, but it’s just too dangerous right now. You understand that, don’t you?” I need him to understand that.
“I get it. Once this is all over, I’ll have time.”
“You’ve grown up so much. I hate you had to do that so quickly because of him.”
“What are we talkin’ about?” I look up when I hear Knight’s voice and see him smiling at the two of us.
“Just stuff.”
“Good stuff, I hope, because I’m feelin’ like pizza tonight,” he announces. Billy jumps up and down, clapping his hands. Cameron climbs off the bleachers, heads straight for his brother, and starts a conversation while Knight offers me his hand and helps me to my feet.
“Pizza? You bribing them?”
“I figured we grab somethin’ to eat and then head back to your house and watch a movie till they go to bed,” he says.
“Then what?”
“Then that pussy of yours is mine. I plan on havin’ my after-dinner snack for at least a good hour,” Knight declares as he leads me toward the truck.
“Thank you, Knight. For everything you’ve done.”
“I’m not done doin’ things for you guys, Lyra. Don’t thank me for things I want to do. If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t. Trust me on that.” I nod my head and climb into the truck after he opens the door for me. I get myself comfortable while he walks around to the other side and climbs in.
“What kind of pizza do you want?” he asks as he starts to drive. The kids chatter amongst themselves when I notice Knight getting a little tense. I glance over and watch him watching the rearview mirror as he drives.
“What movie are we watchin’ tonight?” he asks, keeping the kids talking, but I know something is going on. I just don’t know what yet.
I turn to look over my shoulder behind us when he reaches out and stops me. He shakes his head, and I shift in my seat and look forward instead.
“Action!” Cam hollers from the back.
“What about Christmas movies?” Billy asks.
“It ain’t Christmas yet, kid,” Knight laughs, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. No, he’s laser-focused on something behind us, and that’s when I notice we aren’t headed toward the house. We’re headed toward the clubhouse.
I fidget in my seat as Knight keeps the boys talking. They talk about anything and everything when Knight finally changes the subject.
“You guys have asked me a lot of times about the club and stuff. How about if I give you a tour of the clubhouse real quick?” he finally asks. The boys agree, and he turns down another sideroad and loops around. I know he’s trying to see if the car is still following us. My heart starts beating a million miles a minute.
“The kids are in here,” I whisper, but he hears me.
“It’s fine. It’s okay,” he says, taking another turn. That’s when I noticed just how fast we’re actually going. The kids don’t, too busy playing a game on Billy’s tablet to notice.
