Page 56 of Hold Back
Kit shook his head. He felt as fragile as his mom’s spun glass vase that had shattered into a million pieces when Kit had knocked it off the shelf. “You don’t get to decide what I need.”
“No,” Red said softly. “But I get to make sure you live long enough to find out. That’s my job.”
That was when Kit broke again. “It’s not fair,” he said, his voice cracking. “You don’t get to be the only safe thing I have and then walk away.”
“I know,” Red replied. “But you deserve a life that isn’t built around fear. Even if that means I’m not part of it.”
Kit wiped at his face angrily, then he launched himself at Red, thumping his fists on Red’s chest, sending a tidal wave of anger at him. Red took each blow, standing immoveable and solid.
“You don’t get to walk out and leave me.”
Each word was punctuated by a thump to Red’s solid chest.
“No!”Thump!“I!”Thump!“Won’t!”Thump!“Let!”Thump!“You!”
Red took each blow stoically, as if he were pacifying a small child, which made Kit want to hit him even harder, but it was like thumping wood. It probably hurt him more than Red.
He yelled and thumped for an eternity, but Red just stood there and took it. The harsh reality facing him made him want to crumble into a million pieces. He was going to end up somewhere far away from Seattle, alone. Kit was young. It wouldn’t take him long to settle somewhere new. But right now, the prospect was terrifying.
Exhausted, Kit collapsed against Red’s chest, dissolving into racking sobs that seemed to tear through him. Red wrapped his arms around Kit, holding him close, and murmured soothing noises in his ear. Kit should push him away, this was such a bad idea, but he was too tired to move.
“It’s all right, you’ll be all right,” Red crooned.
“It will never be all right.” Kit buried his face into the crook of Red’s neck, hot tears slaking his skin.
Red held him tighter. “It will. I promise.”
The tears seemed to go on forever. Red maneuvered them around, so he leaned against the counter, giving him some support. It gave him a chance to take Kit’s full weight.
Kit had no idea how long they stood like this, but eventually his sobs eased to shudders and the occasional hiccup.
“Let me clean you up,” Red suggested.
As Red eased Kit onto a seat, there was a loud thump at the door. Kit jumped up and clung to him, panic in his tear-filled eyes.
“Baxter? Is everything all right?”
“It’s Mo,” Red said, holding onto Kit. “Come on in, Mo.”
He heard the door open, Mo had the code, then Mo and a younger man with a buzz cut and bright green eyes appeared.
Mo looked at the two of them, then took a closer look at Kit, putting two and two together. Kit probably looked like a cross between a chipmunk, all red-eyed and swollen cheeks.
“You didn’t check in.” He addressed his comment to Red. He didn’t ask about Kit. That was for Red to handle.
“Sorry, we were going to have breakfast and then we got distracted.”
Red had forgotten all about the regular contact he was supposed to do.
Mo gave a curt nod. “Okay. There’s no news overnight. Don’t miss another check-in.”
“Who’s monitoring the screens?” Red asked.
“Doug and Pablo are. You’ll meet them later.”
Kit sniveled and mopped his eyes. “Sorry, it was my fault. It all got too much.”
“Understandable,” Mo assured him. “That’s what Red is there for.”
