get my courage from Kyle," I said immediately and without shame. "He makes me strong."
"You're very much in love with him, aren't you?"
"Yes," I replied. "I don't think I could work right without him." I thought about what I was saying and shrugged. "At least not in any way that matters."
"He confuses me," Tracy blurted out. She looked at me apologetically before smiling. "The way he speaks, his body language, his whole demeanor…everything about him screams danger, yet I've never been shown such kindness and compassion from a man."
"That's Kyle for you," I joked half-heartedly. "He's as unpredictable as a hurricane. He's an enigma wrapped up in a conundrum wrapped up in a riddle."
"Can you forgive me?" she asked bluntly, her lip wobbling, her eyes wide and braced for rejection. "In time…ever?"
"I'll never forget," I said quietly. It was the truth. "I can't. Too many incidents and scars…" Inhaling deeply, I squeezed my mother's hand and allowed the words that would change the course of my future to spill from my lips. "But I can try to move on from this point. I would like to talk to you again." Shrugging awkwardly, I forced myself to smile. "I understand your choices. They're not the choices I would have made, but I can see why you did what you did…That's about as much as I can offer right now."
"Then I'll take it," Tracy said quickly with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I will take whatever you offer..."
"Do you think he's coming?" I blurted out, voicing a deep-seated worry.
"Yes," she replied shakily.
I nodded slowly, appreciating her honesty and absorbing what her answer meant. Locking eyes with her, I asked, "Do you think he's coming for me or for you…"
Tracy didn't get the chance to answer me because the kitchen door flew open and Kyle stalked back into the room, paced the length of the kitchen twice, muttered a half dozen swear words to himself, before coming to an abrupt halt in front of us. "I have a house in Thirteenth Street that you can stay in. It's safer than where you've been staying," he said steadily, eyes locked on my mother. "If Lee agrees, I'll have a locksmith install something more secure on the windows and doors."
Taking my hand, Kyle pulled me to my feet and tucked me into his side. "But you shouldn't feel guilty for severing your daughter's life-line," he said in a gruff tone, tightening his hold on my waist. "Because if you'd have stayed there you would've severed mine."
"See," I mouthed with a smirk, my eyes locked on my mother's shocked looking face. "Unpredictable."
****
Chapter Three
Kyle
Leaning against the doorframe of our bedroom, I watched in amusement as Lee made our bed with her usual pristine perfection. Every pillow had to be fluffed out, no crease could be left on the duvet and no sheets lasted longer than twenty-four hours on any bed in this house. She looked damn cute and tiny as she stalked our California King, her eyes narrowed in scrutiny as she examined her immaculate work. It didn't make sense to me as to why women were so implicit about bed-making…Then again, maybe it wasn't all women, just this particular one. Cam had never ironed her bed sheets, not once in the almost four years I'd lived with her.
Clearing my throat so I didn't frighten her, I tapped the door lightly before stepping inside. "Hey Princess."
She still jumped like a flailing bird, but composed herself quickly. "Hey Kyle."
I hadn't had a chance to speak to Lee about her mother – or about the trial date. As soon as I'd turned my back Lee had retreated upstairs and I'd hung back to make sure Derek behaved himself. He was by no means a fan of Lee's mother and liked to voice that every chance he got. I could only pray that Hope's presence made him tone it down. I'd left the three of them in the kitchen and the last I'd seen Hope was munching away happily in her highchair and Tracy was dutifully ignoring Derek's glacial stare…"Big shock with your mom,
Learning to Kill: Stories