Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(72)
“But he said there was nowhere I could hide!” David argued.
Frowning, Dave asked, “What else did he tell you? What other mean things did he say that hurt your feelings? I want to hear all of it so I can reassure you that he was wrong.”
It took a second, but then David began speaking. “When I asked if I could go to school, he said it would be a waste of money because I was stupid. He told me I was ugly and my eyes were a funny color. I had to do everything he told me since I was dumb and wouldn’t be able to work and make money on my own. I cried in front of him once, because he hit me and it hurt, and he called me a crybaby.”
David’s head dropped, and he looked at the ground as he quietly admitted the next thing. “Mamá said that you were looking for us, but I didn’t think you’d find us in time. When I had to sit in del Rio’s friend’s lap without my clothes, he told me that soon, the man would be my new friend and would take me home with him, and if I didn’t do whatever he told me to, if I didn’t let him touch me, that he’d kill my mamá.” He looked up at Dave then. “Will your friends make me do that?”
Dave wanted to turn back the clock twenty minutes and order Gray to put a bullet through del Rio’s brain the second he spotted him, and damn the consequences. Whether he’d planned to keep David himself or sell him to some other sick pedophile, the outcome would have been the same.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. “No, champ. Never. No one is allowed to touch you without your permission. No one. Understand?”
The little boy didn’t look convinced.
“Your mamá is fine. She’s safe. I give you my word as your papá.”
David looked like he wanted to believe him so badly.
Dave knew they had to continue on their way. He picked up his son and started walking once more. “I know this is hard to understand, but just know that del Rio is a bad man. He uses his words to get other people to do what he wants. He uses his fists to hurt people too, but if you’re told something often enough, over and over, you can start to believe it.” He looked at his son. “You aren’t stupid, champ. In fact, you’re one of the smartest little boys I’ve ever met.”
David didn’t say anything.
“You know two languages. I can’t speak or understand Spanish, and you can. In fact, none of my friends you met today understand Spanish, so you’re already smarter in that way than we are.”
“Really?” David asked.
“Really,” Dave reassured him. “And you sure don’t talk like any four-year-old I’ve ever met. You also didn’t run away when you saw me and my friends. You knew who I was, even though we’d never met.”
“Mamá told me what you looked like.”
“Right, and you remembered. That’s smart.” Dave continued his praise as he walked quickly through the streets of the neighborhood, looking for the building he’d scoped out on the satellite images.
He felt David nod, then bring a hand up to the wound on Dave’s throat. “You have a boo-boo.”
It would take a bit for Dave to get used to the way his son rapidly changed subjects, and he realized he couldn’t wait to know everything about the boy in his arms. He had a lot of catching up to do. Four and a half years’ worth. “I do,” he told him.
“It looks like it hurts.”
Dave shrugged. “There’s pain, and then there’s pain.”
David looked understandably confused.
“Sometimes getting a splinter, or blister, or scraping your knee doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as a hurt that comes from your heart,” Dave said. “When your mom got . . . lost . . . my heart hurt. I was so sad that I didn’t care about eating, or sleeping, or if I cut myself while chopping vegetables for dinner. The pain in my heart from your mom being lost was much worse than any pain of the flesh.”
David nodded sagely. “Like when Mamá had to leave when our day was over. I didn’t like that. Everyone was mean and yelled at me. I had to stay in my room and only got a bit of rice to eat. Then Mamá would come again, and I’d be happy for a little while.” His finger gently traced the wound on Dave’s neck once more. “But . . . you’re okay, right? You won’t lose Mamá and me again, will you?”
“No. You and your mom will never be lost again. And I’m going to be fine. Thank you for being concerned about me.”
David nodded and leaned forward to rest his head on his papá’s chest once more.
Dave’s heart felt like it was going to burst. He understood now better than ever why Raven hadn’t tried to contact him. He’d told her that he understood, but he hadn’t really. Now, holding David in his arms and feeling the way he completely trusted him, and how he was solely responsible for the little guy’s well-being, Dave knew he’d do whatever it took to keep him safe. And if he was feeling that after knowing him for such a short time, he also knew Raven felt it a hundred times more deeply.
His love for both his wife and the little boy snuggled in his arms was almost overwhelming. He’d do anything to protect them both. Anything.
After walking for another ten minutes, Dave started to get worried. He’d begun to hear shouting and vehicles in the distance, and he knew he needed to find his hidey-hole, pronto.