Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(73)

Just when he thought he’d gotten lost, or the satellite images had been wrong, Dave turned a corner and saw what he’d been looking for.

He’d reached the outer edges of the neighborhood, and the houses were a bit more run-down. They were nothing like those in the barrio they’d just left, but it was obvious the owners didn’t have the means, or the desire, to care for them in the way the other houses had been. Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Dave jogged across the lawn to one of the houses in the middle of a long row. There were no fences between the yards, and he slipped around the back side.

Smiling when he saw what he was looking for, Dave said, “Okay, champ, I’m going to need you to hold on to me really tightly. I need both hands and won’t be able to hold you.”

David’s eyes widened. “You’re going to go up there?”

“Yup,” Dave told him, eyeing the tree growing close to the house. “Have you ever climbed a tree before?”

David shook his head. “No. I wasn’t allowed to. And the only time I went outside was when Mamá was there.”

“I’m glad I get to share your first tree climb with you, then,” Dave said. “Think you can hold on to me?”

“Sí.”

“All right. If you feel yourself slipping, just let me know, and we’ll stop and readjust.”

Dave didn’t hesitate. He reached up, grabbed the lowest branch of the tree, and began climbing. He was a big man, and the tree was a little scrawnier than it had looked on the satellite pictures, but within minutes, he was inching out on one of the larger branches toward the roof of the nearby house.

David was like a little monkey, holding on to him as if he’d been born to it.

When he was far enough out, Dave took a deep breath and jumped. He landed exactly where he’d been aiming, although his balance was off with the extra weight of his son on his chest. He began to fall, but he bent his knees and twisted until he landed on his back instead of on top of David.

Closing his eyes in relief, he heard a quiet giggle.

Looking up, Dave saw his son straddling his chest, laughing. “That was fun!” he said in excitement.

More relieved than he could say that the little boy wasn’t scared out of his mind, Dave returned his smile. “It was, huh?”

“Uh-huh . . . can we do it again?”

“I’m old, champ. I need to rest for a bit. Is that okay?”

David nodded.

Wrapping his arm around the boy, Dave sat up and scooted toward the middle of the roof.

One of the reasons he’d picked this house was because of the tree and easy access to the flat roof. The other reason was because of the amount of stuff the owners had stashed up there. Boxes, metal containers, a large air conditioner, and a tarp covering something. Dave knew they could be on the roof for a few hours, although he hoped his team would get there a lot sooner. The tarp, along with the other junk, would give them a place to hide from del Rio and his goons if it became necessary.

Keeping hold of his son, Dave was relieved that there was room for them to hide among the boxes under the tarp without having to move anything. He scooted backward until he rested against a box and smiled at the little boy.

“Papá?”

“Yes, son?”

“I’m hungry.”

Dave smiled again, happy he could do something about that. He reached into one of the pockets of his pants and pulled out a protein bar. “It’s not terribly exciting, but I’ve got a few of these that will tide us over until we can get out of here and get something more filling.”

David stared at the bar suspiciously. “What is it?”

“A protein bar. It’s good, I promise.”

The little boy’s nose wrinkled, but when it was unwrapped and the smell of chocolate hit him, his eyes widened, and he jerked his gaze up to Dave’s. “Chocolate?”

“Yeah, and peanut butter. You’re not allergic to peanuts, are you?”

But David wasn’t listening. His eyes had dropped down to stare at the bar as if he was scared of it.

“What’s wrong?” Dave asked.

“For me?” David asked.

“Yeah, champ. For you.”

He looked up into Dave’s eyes once more. “I’m not allowed candy.”

Dave’s heart squeezed tightly, but he forced himself to stay calm. “It’s not candy, champ. I mean, it’s got chocolate in it, but that’s for energy and calories. Besides, the rules you had to follow when you were staying at del Rio’s house no longer apply. We’ll make new rules. Go on, take it,” he urged.

But the little boy didn’t reach for the food.

Dave broke off a small piece of the protein bar and held it out. “Here you go, son. I promise it’s okay.”

Ever so slowly, David reached out for the small bite of protein bar. He brought it up to his nose and smelled it. Then his little tongue came out, and he licked the granola and chocolate gingerly. His eyes lit up, and he stuffed the bite into his mouth. He chewed for a really long time, as if trying to get every single bit of taste out of the food before he finally swallowed.

“Like it?” Dave asked.

David nodded. He didn’t reach for the rest of the protein bar, but eyed it hungrily.

For the next few minutes, Dave broke off piece after piece and handed it to his son. Watching how eagerly he ate, and the amount of pleasure he got out of the simple treat, was both touching and heartbreaking at the same time.