Downfall(53)

“Make me a list of what you both need and I’ll go get it. I promised to keep you safe no matter what it takes. This is me doing that.” He sounded slightly disgruntled as he pulled the car to a stop in front of one of the massive garage doors that lined the front of the building. Once he turned the car off, he turned in his seat and looked at me through the shadows surrounding his face. “It should only be for a few days. What’s the big deal?”

I huffed in aggravation and crossed my arms over my chest, turning my head so he wouldn’t see me fighting back furious tears. “The big deal is it’s my life. I have a job, bills, and most importantly, a kid to think about. I’m the one who should be in charge of making the decisions that affect us. You could’ve asked me what I thought about coming to stay here for a few days and we could have discussed the pros and cons. Instead, you took control and made the decision for me. Haven’t you ever seen a movie where the girl in danger is kept out of the loop for her own good by the hero, and then she ends up dead or captured because she wasn’t prepared?”

He made a noise low in his throat and I could feel the waves of aggravation rolling off him. “I’m just trying to look out for you. For both of you.”

Frustrated beyond belief, I sighed and leaned forward so my forehead thunked on the dashboard. “I know that, and I appreciate that your heart is in the right place. But, I have to think about what’s best for Noble before I consider anything else, and you unilaterally making choices for the both of us means I don’t have the opportunity to do that. You’re forcing me to play follow the leader, and I can’t do that. I can’t follow anyone blindly when I have to protect my daughter. We have to talk about things like this and come to a solution that is suitable for everyone… not just you.”

I jumped in my seat slightly when his hand shot out to pound on the steering wheel. Reflexively, I looked in the backseat to make sure Noble was still sleeping.

“I’ve been on my own a long time, and I haven’t had to answer to anyone besides my boss since my mother got hurt. I’m used to reacting quickly and being on the offensive when it comes to making split-second choices. It never even occurred to me to ask you what you thought about staying here, because I assumed you would see it was the best course of action until the head is cut off the monster you’re hiding from. You don’t want Channing Vincent to find Noble. Well, he would never think to look here, and if he did, he couldn’t get in.”

I sighed. Solo had proven time and time again he would go to the ends of the Earth to protect the ones he loved. Making this decision without including me in his thought process was just an extension of that. When your heart latched onto an alpha male, when you set your sights on the king of the urban jungle, it was important to remember he might not always be able to protect your tender feelings, but he would do his best to make sure you stayed alive. Solo’s actions might not have been fully thought out, but how deeply he cared was evident in them.

I dropped my forehead on the dash again and groaned. “I understand where you’re coming from, and if you explained all of that to me instead of simply deciding for me, I would have agreed. I need you to include me next time.” God forbid there was a next time.

He made a growling sound and thumped the steering wheel again. “Only you know what’s best for Noble, right?”

I slowly nodded. I might not always get being a mom right on my first try, but without any hesitation, I could honestly answer that I always put my kid first and always did what I considered best for Noble. She was my first priority in everything.

Solo flicked up the brim of his hat so I could finally see his eyes. They were as black as midnight and narrowed ever so slightly. I’d seen him angry before when he pulled the drug dealer off of me and when he saved me from the handsy landlord. But this was the first time his angry, dark gaze was because of me. I had to admit I didn’t like it, and being in such a small, confined space when his big body was practically twitching with repressed aggravation was a little nerve wracking. It was a good reminder that, while Solo was nice to me and went out of his way to treat me well, he was still a dangerous man capable of great violence. Not that I was worried he was going to turn it on me, but it was always a good idea to be mindful of a predator’s teeth.

“So if I tried to tell you how to take care of your kid, it would bother you, right? You would question who in the hell did I think I was trying to tell you how to raise your child when you’ve done it on your own for so long, wouldn’t you?” He snapped out the questions and watched me unblinkingly as I slowly nodded. I would bite his head off if he tried to interject into how I cared for my kid. I would go mama bear on anyone who tried to interfere. “It’s the same for me and how best to operate in the city. I grew up here. I know how this place works, and believe it or not, I know how guys like Channing Vincent operate. A criminal is a criminal no matter what side of the tracks they come from. I didn’t mean to step on your independence or parenting. I was just trying to do what’s right for the current situation. I’m not used to having my choices questioned any more than you’re used to having someone try and tell you what’s right for Noble.”

I sat up in my seat and slowly reached out for his tattooed hand. “I want to be your teammate, Solo. I want to be in the game for once in my life. Not someone who sits on the bench. I did that already and realized I didn’t know any of the rules.”