Voices trailed down the hall as I hit the bottom step. A high-pitched female voice surprised me. I started toward the voices but stopped when Kiro yelled, “Fuck that! You’re a lying bitch. Leave the kid and go.”
The kid?
I heard the sound of small feet hitting the wood floor just before something slammed into my legs with a thud. With a startled squeal, I reached out and caught myself by grabbing the wall. Then I looked down to see the most amazing silver-colored eyes looking up at me. The little boy’s dark hair was long enough to be a girl’s, but there was no mistaking he was a boy. He frowned as his little face studied me.
“Don’t tell me to leave! I came here to talk to you, and you’re going to talk to me, you stupid son of a bitch!” the woman yelled.
The little boy’s frown deepened as he looked back down the hall toward the yelling. Was this Kiro’s son? Did he have a kid?
A small hand wrapped around my calf and held on tightly. I watched as the boy slipped his thumb into his mouth and moved closer to me. He was scared. They were yelling right in front of him.
What kind of parents did that? Rock-star parents, apparently. Suddenly, all my pain and fear subsided as my fury at this kid’s parents grew. He was just a baby. He couldn’t be more than two years old.
I bent down, and the little boy started to move but changed his mind and held his ground. His attempt to be brave was adorable and heartbreaking all at once.
“Hey, I’m Emily. What’s your name?” I asked him, not sure if he was even talking yet.
“Wush,” he whispered.
Rush. Rush Finlay. This was Dean’s son. I had heard about him in the news when he was born. There were pictures of Dean with his infant son all over the Internet. But I hadn’t seen him recently.
So why was Kiro yelling at Rush’s mother?
“It’s nice to meet you, Rush,” I said, just as his mother called Kiro names no little kid should ever hear. Did they even notice that Rush wasn’t in the room anymore?
“Where are you going? Maybe I can come, too,” I suggested. I wasn’t letting this baby out of my sight.
“Daddy home?” It sounded like a question. He was looking for Dean.
“I’m sure he is. We can go find him together,” I said, then held out my arms to see if he was going to trust me enough to hold him.
He came willingly into my arms, and I stood up as he wrapped a small arm around my neck. “Daddy’s woom,” he said, with complete faith that Dean would be in his bedroom. I wasn’t sure where Dean’s bedroom was, nor was I sure that going there unannounced was a good idea.
“Rush! Where did he go? I’m taking him back, you motherfucking bastard, and you can explain to Dean why he won’t get his son this weekend!” the woman screamed.
Rush’s hold on me tightened, and his eyes looked at me pleadingly. “Daddy’s woom,” he repeated.
“Rush!” the woman screeched again, and then Kiro called Rush’s name. I was going to have to take him in there to them, even though I wanted to bundle him up in my arms and run away. These people had no right raising a kid. Not if they were going to act this way around him. He now had me in a death grip, and I wanted more than anything to get him to his daddy. That was obviously who he wanted.
“Rush!” The woman’s voice was getting closer. The heels of her shoes clicked across the floor. She was coming, and there was no way I could save this baby from his momma.
When cold green eyes collided with mine, she froze, and then her lips snarled in disgust. “Put my son down, you slut! The whores who get paraded in and out of this house do not get to touch my son. Ever!” The attractive and obviously pregnant woman started for me, and Rush’s little face looked so sad.
“Daddy’s woom,” he repeated, for her this time.
“I was taking him to Dean. He was out here alone, and he asked for Dean,” I tried to explain.
“The fuck you are,” she hissed at me. “Stupid bitch.”
“Apologize to Emily right fucking now, or you’ll never set foot inside this house again. I don’t give a shit who you are, Georgianna. Dean can come to you to get his kid next time.” Kiro’s voice was cold and deadly.
The woman spun around and glared at Kiro. “I will not apologize to one of the many whores who keep your dick wet.”
Kiro took a step toward her, and the look in his eyes was terrifying. I was scared for her. Surely he wasn’t going to hurt a pregnant woman. Why was she taunting him like this?
“Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now!” he roared.
Rush’s arms tightened around my neck, and he buried his face into my chest. His small body was trembling, and this time, it was me who was angry. Kiro was terrifying him.
“Stop it. Both of you. He’s scared, and you both are making it worse. He’s a baby, for crying out loud. Can’t you see this upsets him? Heck, it upsets me, and I don’t even know why you’re yelling at each other. Where is Dean? He wants his dad.”
Kiro jerked his hate-filled eyes from Georgianna, and they softened as soon as they met mine. He slowly took in Rush cuddled against me and let out a sigh. “Fuck,” he muttered, as if what they were doing just dawned on him. “I’ll take you to him. He went to take a shower, and this bi—” He stopped when I shot him a warning glare. He cleared his throat. “They showed up,” he said.
“Do y’all always yell at each other and curse in front of him like this?” I asked, hoping to God they said no.
“I do not need some trashy slut telling me how to raise my kid. You either hand him over right now, or I will take him from you.”
Kiro moved toward her, his rage back.
“Kiro, don’t! Rush.” I reminded him of the boy in my arms.
Kiro stopped and muttered a curse. “Let’s get something very clear, Georgianna. Emily is not a slut or a whore. She’s here because she’s working for us. She’s my . . . friend,” Kiro said, turning his eyes back to me. Nothing in that look said we were friends. It said we had just had our hands all over each other and he wanted to do it again. “And when you are in my house, you will respect her. She’s mine.”
What?
Georgianna sputtered and threw up her hands. “So that’s why you refuse to accept the fact that I’m pregnant with your fucking kid? Because of her?”
My stomach sank, and I stared as the woman kept talking. “This baby is yours, Kiro. We were fucking like rabbits, and you know it. We were so wild for each other you forgot the damn condom one night. I’m pregnant. You need to face it and deal with it. Or do you plan on ignoring this kid like you do your other one?” She turned her angry glare to me. “Be careful. You’ll be next. The man likes to spread his seed around.”