Page 102 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

“If anything happens to you or Sofia…” Her voice cracked hard enough to shred me.“I can’t let that happen.”

My arms tightened around her automatically.“Are you going to run again?”

She jerked her head hard against my chest.“No.”

She didn’t sound certain.

“I need to figure out what he wants,” she whispered.“I need to keep you safe.”

Said like she thought she would be standing between us and a tornado using her bare hands to stop it.

“Gia…”

When she finally lifted her face, her eyes were wide and glassy, fear sitting so openly there it punched straight through me.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said quickly, like she was trying to convince herself as much as me.“I won’t let him hurt you.”

The fact she believed it was her responsibility nearly broke something inside me.

“You can’t be with me every second,” she rushed on.“I’m on call tonight.If I get called out?—”

“No.”The word came out sharper than I intended.

She blinked.

“You don’t go alone,” I said.“Not tonight.”

“You can’t stop me from working.You need to be here to protect Sofia.You’re both safer here.”

“Watch me put that child in the car and ride with you.”

Fear flashed across her face again.It wasn’t fear of me, but of the impossible math spinning in her head.Her father.Sofia.Me.Her job.Every direction ending in someone getting hurt.For the first time since she walked back into my life, I realized she wasn’t only afraid of losing me.She was afraid she’d survive it.

I guided her into the bedroom on legs that suddenly didn’t feel so steady anymore.My mind moved fast, cycling through worst-case scenarios.

I pulled one of my T-shirts over her head.Her drowning in my clothes made her look fragile.I helped her onto the bed, then grabbed my phone.

Timothy:Gia can’t be on call tonight.Danger.Her father.

The three dots appeared almost instantly.

Josh:I’ll have any calls referred.Keep everyone safe.I’ll be home tomorrow.Late.I’ll warn the other family.

Then I texted Mark.

Timothy:Jimmy threatened Gia.He’s up to something.

Mark:I’ll watch him tonight.You keep her with you.I’ll let you know if he twitches.

I checked the locks again, even though I’d already checked them twice.Front door.Back door.Windows.Alarm armed.Then I climbed into bed and pulled Gia against me hard enough to feel her heartbeat.

“Josh pulled you off call,” I said quietly into her hair.“You’ll stay here tonight.Alarm’s on.Bagel will lose his mind if somebody is outside.Mark is watching Jimmy’s place.I got you.”

“What about Misty?Do you think she’s safe?”

“Mark will alert me if anything changes.”The words sounded steady.I wasn’t.

“I’ll text her.”She sent a message, then rolled toward me and wrapped herself around my middle.“Thank you.”