Downfall(52)

“I’ll go talk to Melody and see if she can help us find some cake.” I needed a second to get myself together.

I’d always worried about something happening to me leaving my mom confused and alone. Without having to ask, I knew Orley would never turn her back on my mother. If things went south, and if someone managed to take me out, I had no doubt the pretty redhead would be the bridge between my mother and the rest of the world. She guarded her past selfishly, but she gave her heart and compassion without a second thought. It was cute that she wanted my mom to like her, but it was even better that I knew instinctively she would care for my mother, simply because the older woman meant everything to me.

She wasn’t just the right girl I happened to meet at the wrong time.

She was the only girl I was starting to think I couldn’t live without all of the time.





Orley



It was a quiet ride back to the city, minus the occasional babble from Noble. She had a blast with Solo’s mom and loved all the attention from the doting nurses. She got her cake and then some. I was pretty sure Melody went out and bought the closest grocery store out of sweets once Noble asked for them. It was obvious the staff cared immensely for their long-term patients, and the fact Noble immediately took a shine to one of their favorites made her even better in their eyes. It was hard to resist my kid and that smile of hers on any given day. When her pure, untainted heart and goodness glowed as bright as the sun, there was no way any functioning human could escape falling in love with her.

Solo seemed to be deep in thought. He’d joked around all afternoon, and I realized the way he treated Noble was very similar to the way he treated his mother. He was calm, patient, and managed to put a lid on all that simmering testosterone that usually swirled around him. He turned into a gentle teddy bear when he was around anyone who was obviously not a threat. It was another layer to the man that was fascinating to see. I had no idea how he separated the guy who was soft and sweet with his mother from the guy who was intense and intimidating enough to keep away the predators on the streets. Solomon Sanders wore a lot of different hats, and they all managed to look damn good on him.

I must have dozed off after getting lost in thought, because when I blinked my eyes open, the sun was setting, Noble was silent in the backseat, and Solo was pulling his car up to a familiar gate that was definitely not our apartment complex.

I yawned and stretched my arms as much as the small space in the front seat would let me. I pointed out the windshield and asked, “Did you leave something at work? Why are we at your garage?”

The place was scary as hell during the day. In the waning light of dusk, it looked like something out of a horror movie. A chill shot up my spine and I reflexively wrapped my arms around myself in a tight hug. For some reason, this garage reminded me of the place I now called home. It was full of surprises and nicer on the inside than anyone on the outside looking in would imagine. I shouldn’t know what the city’s biggest, most lucrative chop-shop looked like. In my previous life, I didn’t even think things like chop-shops were real; they were simply something on TV shows and in movies before Solo came into my life.

After leaning out the lowered window to poke a code and scan his fingerprint into the fancy box on the outside of the gate, he turned to look at me with a serious expression. “Lester still hasn’t shown up, which is suspicious as hell. I think something bad may have happened to him. No one goes in and out of the Skylark without the old guy making note of it. With him gone, anyone can walk in and out of the complex. Vincent obviously knows you and I are close, which is why he tried to take me out. The more I think about you and Noble in that apartment complex, the more it seems like a bad idea for you to be there alone. This building is a fortress. No one gets inside these gates, no matter how hard they try. The apartment where you waited when I fixed your car is still empty. I texted the Boss to see if I could use if for a couple days. I think you and Noble should hang out here until I can figure out how to get Vincent off your back.”

The big, metal gates rolled open, and for some reason I was reminded of a jail cell. Solo said no one could come in through the gates, but the same thing was true for anyone trying to get out. I knew what it was like to be trapped behind sky-high walls that promised protection, but in reality, only prevented escape.

“You decided this without even talking to me about it?” I couldn’t keep the bite out of my voice, even though I was speaking softly so as not to wake up Noble. My hands tightened into fists and I felt my face heat with silent anger. “And what about our stuff? You can’t just haul a three-year-old around without preparing for it. Noble will be climbing the walls in an hour and she’s going to have a million questions. Not to mention, I already pulled her away once this year from the only life and family she’s known. Who knows how she’ll react if I do it again? She might end up hating me.” She was definitely going to throw a fit at being so far away from Erica and Riley. They filled the void left when Mrs. Sanchez ditched her. “I should have the final say in where my daughter and I end up.”

Solo pulled his car through the gates and watched as they rolled closed in the rearview mirror. He turned his head slightly in my direction, but it was too dark so I couldn’t really read his expression. However, there was a tick in the sharp cut of his jawline that indicated he wasn’t exactly thrilled by my complaint. I understood he was a lone wolf, a man used to acting on his own without question, but that wasn’t going to work for me and my daughter. My entire existence was a lie because I didn’t ask enough questions and let someone else decide everything for me. I was done letting anyone else think they knew what was best for me and my kid.