I watched as Parker’s skinny little arms shook as he tried to eek out one more pushup. I was going to get this kid in shape no matter what it took. It was the one good thing I could do, other than avenging my brother.
Plus, for some mysterious reason, the kid gave me a warm, happy feeling inside. I liked his sense of humor, which was dry and understated. I fucking loved it when he gave me the subtle look of approval that meant he was impressed. It made me feel like I’d won a gold medal.
It made me want to be a better fucking person.
He collapsed on the ground and rolled over, staring at the sky. His cheeks were flushed and his lips were open as he gasped for air. I felt warm inside, like I was proud of him for trying, even with those pokey arms of his.
He smiled at me while he caught his breath, and something inside me shattered. That was a real smile. I felt like a million bucks when he smiled at me like that. I’d actually made him smile.
After everything he’d been through, that was saying something.
I couldn’t wait to see him grow up. Who he was going to become. But he needed to be safe to get there. I didn’t think he could handle anyone else messing with him. He was a good kid, and he tried, even though he had chicken wings for arms. He was a fast learner and a hard worker. He had impressed me over the past few weeks of training.
Parker was going to learn how to defend himself, no matter what. He was almost as determined as I was.
It was a good thing, too, because if anything, he’d only gotten prettier. He reminded me a bit of River Phoenix, the actor who had tragically died so young. And of course, he reminded me of Billy, another pretty boy who hadn’t had someone protecting him from the world.
Parker would have to be even more on guard if he ever went out on his own again. Now that he’d been eating and sleeping well, he had blossomed. I couldn’t help wishing that he had an older sister. If he did, well hell, that was the kind of girl I could see turning over a new leaf for.
But no. He was just a scrawny kid who was alone in the world. He needed my help and I was going to give it to him. Formerly scrawny, anyway. I was determined to fatten him up, and slowly but surely, it was working.
I was even starting to see some baby muscles start to poke out here and there under his baggy clothes. Not that I was going to tell him that. I wanted him working as hard as possible.
“Pathetic,” I said. But I was smiling. The kid grinned wider. He really trusted me now. I could feel it.
“I want fifty tomorrow,” I said, grabbing my jacket and heading for my bike.
He rolled onto his feet, an oddly graceful move. I couldn’t help but notice that he looked disappointed.
“You’re leaving?”
I nodded gruffly. I had shit to do. I was getting closer to the killer, I could feel it. But with Hunter and Vice trailing me all the time, it was getting harder to do the fucking legwork.
“I left some money.”
The kid looked at his shoes.
“You didn’t have to. Did you say there might be a job for me?”
“Yeah. Shit, I almost forgot. I’ll drop you off. Go clean up and hurry back out.”
He nodded and ran for the house. I was already mentally checked out of our cozy little setup. I was ready to hunt and track down my prey. Maybe I should use myself as bait, I mused.
But I’d promised Parker a job, and Mase had been good enough to set it up. Not that he liked me. But he liked kids and animals. Anything that needed him, really. I was starting to understand why Mason did the things he did. All those strays he picked up. It had been like training a hawk, getting the kid to trust me. I’d been patient as fuck, keeping my distance. Slowly but surely, the kid was practically eating out of my hand.
There was no way in hell I was going to risk that.
And at least if he was working at The Jar, he’d have Mase and Jaken to look after him.
The kid came bounding down the stairs. He was like a puppy some days. I smiled despite myself.
“You remember what I told you? There’s some sick people that hang out there. Not the way it used to be, but it is a biker bar. Be on your guard.”
“I can handle it.”
I stared at his skinny arms and sweet face. There were a zillion fucked up people in the world who would love to mess with that innocence. I didn’t want him to see how worried I was so I just nodded.