“Hey,” Jace said and gripped her face. “We need you to stop cursing.”
Kaylin blinked up at him. “What? Why?”
“Because we don’t like to hear women or children with potty mouths,” Mack said.
She rolled her eyes. “You can let go of me.” Her mind kept going back to Mirna, but she pushed the thoughts away until she was alone and could deal with her feelings. She could feel her core start to shake and knew she needed to release the pressure of emotions soon, or she’d scream.
“Please, let go. I have some things to do.”
One of Jace’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, like what?”
“None of your business.” She started to struggle again. “Please. I need to go.”
“Where?”
“I want to go through Mirna’s things and give them to the others on the street.”
“We can help,” Mack said.
Kaylin wrenched herself from Jace’s arms and then held her arms out straight when they took a step toward her. “No. Stop.”
Jace shook his head. “Baby, you’re not staying here.”
“Yes, I am. This is my home.”
Chapter Three
Mack sighed. “We’re not going to allow you to stay here.”
“You don’t have a choice,” she said. “I’m an adult.”
God, the thought of her on the street made him ill. The woman couldn’t have been a hundred pounds and barely over five feet.
“Baby, let’s talk about this later. We’ll help you with what you need.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he put his finger up in the air. “How about this? We’ll leave if you can make us.”
He loved the shock and then the anger he saw on her face. It was much better than the dark, consuming grief he could tell she was holding back.
“Fine,” she said and walked over to Mirna’s cardboard home.
The men helped her organize everything and pack up the few things she wanted to take with her.
“Where did you sleep?” Jace asked.
She pointed over their shoulders. “I have my home over there.”
Mack turned and saw a large cardboard box six feet away. An old, stained towel hung in front of it, and she’d put little rocks around the edge as if to decorate it, which broke his heart. The fact that she was living in a box was making him crazy. She had no protection at all.
He cleared his throat. “How about we pack up your things?”
She sighed and walked over to her box, and then crawled in. He pulled up the towel and saw she’d made a bed out of two boards. A makeshift table made out of another box was beside it, and that’s all that could fit in the area.
She picked up a book, a few pieces of rolled-up paper, and a scarf. She looked around one more time before she crawled out.
“Is that it, baby?” Mack asked.
She nodded.
“Okay. Do you want to do anything with yours and Mirna’s living space?”