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“Yes?”
“Your battery is probably dead.”
“Yeah, I…uh, called for a tow.”
“That’s not likely to happen this early in the morning.”
Her jaw clenched in anger. “I know. They said they wouldn’t be able to get here until after nine.”
“Do you need a lift?”Why the fuck had I just offered?
“I can call an Uber.”
I stepped back, shaking my head at her stupidity. A fucking Uber. And she was going to place her son in that stranger’s car, and then let him drive her around at the ass crack of dawn. Jesus, it was like this woman was doing her best to get them both killed.
I grabbed the handle and yanked the car door open. “Get out. I’ll give you a lift.”
“That’s not necessary,” she snapped, reaching for the handle.
“Lady, it’s not even six o’clock. There’s no fucking way you’re going to get someone out here quickly. Not to mention, you don’t know who’s going to show up here to drive you home. You have a kid in the back seat that you need to protect, and you’re not making smart decisions.”
Her cheeks flushed in anger and her eyes lit up, but not in a good way. “And you’re so much better? I don’t even know you.”
“You’ve at least met me before,” I snarled. “Which is more than I can say for whoever shows up at your door.”
“Listen—“
I wasn’t about to take this any further. I said my piece, tried to help her out, but I was done. I turned and walked away without another word, pissed that I had even made an effort with this woman. I climbed the stoop to my door and walked inside, slamming it behind me. Sliding my fingers through my hair, I cursed the fact that I had to live next to these people.
It wasn’t just that they might be involved with Baz. It was so much more than that. I saw how this would end, how that kid could pay the price for his mother’s involvement with Rico. It was the worst kind of situation, one that could get them both killed.
Just like my sister.
I pressed my back to the door and closed my eyes, trying not to remember the day I got the call. I wasn’t even home. I was overseas, too far away to be there for her in the end. It was my fault she was killed, my fault that I chose to serve instead of going to prison. I thought I was making the right choice for us, but all that did was leave her vulnerable.
A soft knock at the door jolted me out of the memories. I sucked in a breath, refusing to let Skylar see how rattled I was. Shaking off the dread I felt in my stomach, I swung the door open and rested my forearm across the doorframe.
“Yeah?”
Her tongue darted out, licking the edge of her mouth. I narrowed my eyes at the gesture, doing my damndest to ignore how that affected my cock. With her hands thrust into the back pockets of her jeans, she looked so damn sweet. I would not be played by this woman and her innocent act.
“If…that offer still stands…for you to drive me into work, I’ll take you up on it.”
I wanted to tell her to go pound sand, but that wouldn’t get me anycloser to finding out what was going on in this neighborhood. I snatched the keys off the table by the door and jerked my head.
“Thank you,” she said softly, turning back to her car.
I didn’t bother locking the door on my way out. I didn’t have anything of importance. However, I did have cameras hidden in the vents. I was curious to see if anyone would come snooping, and now was the perfect time to find out.
I got in the truck and slammed the door, expecting to find her in the passenger side, but she was over by her car, getting her kid. Fuck, I already forgot about him. She was leaning over in the backseat, struggling to get the car seat out. It was clearly stuck, and the longer I sat here watching her, the longer this would take. Shoving the door open, I got out and walked around to her car. I did my best not to stare at her ass as it wiggled in front of me, but it was damn hard.
“Are you giving my mama a ride to work?” the kid asked.
I glanced down at him, quirking an eyebrow. Last time I talked to this kid, I was at eye level with him. Now, I towered over him, yet he didn’t seem scared or anything. “Yeah,” I grunted.
“Do you have a truck?”
I sighed, wondering how fucking long this was going to take. I didn’t want to have a conversation with this kid at the crack of dawn. I wasn’t in the mood for any of this bullshit. Grabbing Skylar by the arm, I pulled her back, ignoring the flinch of her body.
