Page 70 of Ravaged By the Dark (The Righteous 2)
“I bet you do.” Trev rubbed his chin as he assessed this pint-sized genius. “So tell me, does Arek stay at your house a lot?” Trev decided to use this innocent little truth-teller for his own fact-finding mission.
“No.” He shook his head back and forth, dark curls bouncing.
“Does Tyson visit your house,” he asked, and the kid drew his feet up onto the seat and hugged his knees until his eyes were barely visible over the tops. “Sometimes. Nae Nae is scared of him. He is a mean man. I don’t like him either, but Arek said he would take over looking after Nae Nae.” The kid beamed at him, his eyes shining with appreciation, even though he probably didn’t know what that was.
Trev sat quietly as the two of them sized one another up, but it was the kid that broke the silence first.
“I asked Arek to be my daddy. I don’t have a daddy. Sooo he could be mine. He got me a new tiger!” The kid’s eyes were filled with so much hope that Trev swallowed hard. Normally he’d tell the kid to get his head out of his ass—that life was not a fucking fairy tale and to go cry elsewhere that he didn’t have a daddy.
But Trev couldn’t form the words as he stared into eyes that were not the eyes of a child and yet should’ve been.
Besides, what was he supposed to say? That Arek was a man whore, and his mother wouldn’t last the week, let alone a lifetime? So Trev settled on a softer approach.
“I guess he could be, but I like the brother idea. He is my brother, you know?”
“Well, duh.”
Trev bit his lip, trying not to laugh again. “Are you hungry?”
The kid nodded, and Trev found himself searching the cupboards for something kid-friendly.
“Why do you wear that?” The kid pointed to his long robe and slippers, and Trev shrugged.
“Why not? They’re comfortable.” He found a box of fruity cereal that Trev hadn’t even known they had and walked back to the island. “You want this?”
“Can I have coffee and toast?” The kid pointed to Trev’s half-eaten breakfast. “I don’t like sugary cereal. Nae Nae says it’s bad for my teeth.” He grinned wide, showing off his bright white teeth. “See, no cavities,” he mumbled.
Trev laughed and placed the box down. “Toast I can do, but no to the coffee. We have juice. How about apple or orange?”
The kid rubbed his chin as he contemplated the major decision, forget the Marine Biologist. This one would make a good politician. “Alright, apple juice. But, straight up, no straw. I’m not a baby.”
Trev held up his hands in defeat. “Of course, I wouldn’t dream of giving you a straw.”
A few minutes later, Trev wandered back to the island with the fresh food offering and sat it down.
“Thanks, Uncle Trev.” The kid dug into the simple meal, all calm like, while Trev’s heart constricted in his chest.
Uncle Trev?
“There you are,” Renee said as she walked into the room, Arek following closely behind.
“I hope he wasn’t bothering you?” Renee asked, her voice wavering a little. Trev realized she was scared he might hurt the child. He was a great many things, but a child killer was not one of them.
Trev looked down at the kid, and a small smile lifted at the corner of his crumb-covered mouth. “No, young J.J. and I were having a grand time.”
“He talks funny,” J.J. said around a mouthful of toast.
“J.J., you apologize this moment.”
“Why? It’s true,” J.J. said.
“Because it’s rude to say something like that,” Renee gently scolded.
Trev laughed at the continued debate between brother and sister. Arek was watching Renee and J.J., and his eyes looked different. The more Trev stared at him, the more his concern rose. They held a warmth that had been lost after their first tour. Arek broke his watchful stare over Renee and locked eyes with him. Trev sucked in a sharp breath at the emotion laid bare on his twin’s face—his brother was in love.
His eyes flicked back to J.J. and then up to his brother, and a hard resolution settled in his chest. He would protect them as he promised, but if this woman broke his brother’s heart, he’d kill her and keep the kid.
