Page 6 of Stryker

I blinked back sudden tears. “You’re welcome. I love you.”

“I love you.”

“I’ll be right back, Mom. Are you hungry?” I threw the last line in there even thought I knew she’d tell me no. It was my clever way of telling her that I wasn’t going far, nor would I be gone long. It would help keep her calm.

She shook her head.

I nodded and slipped out of the bathroom, on the warpath right back to Dad. Grabbing the TV plug, I yanked it out of the wall and glared at him. “You better get to talking.” I hissed the words at him, and he blinked.

“About what?”

Anger rose in me like a tide. “I’m tired of being the responsible adult in this house. I’m tired of cleaning up after you, tired of fixing your mistakes.” I planted my hands on my hips, fury pouring through me.

“I’m your father, you don’t talk to me like that.”

I shook my head. “You can’t even be bothered to clean up after yourself.” I nodded at the mess of dirty cups and dishes beside him. I’d been too tired to take care of it the last couple days and it showed. He didn’t do anything except sit in front of the TV and make messes he expected me to clean. “I work two jobs, take care of Mom, take care of you and now I have to dodge people trying to kill me because of some debt you owe!”

He seemed stunned into silence, but I wasn’t done.

“I work two jobs to support us! I cook, I clean, I help Mom. You sit here.” I waved a hand at his mess. “I’m sick of it! I’m sick ofyou.” The words ached, but I refused to cry in front of him. Instead, I walked down the hall to check on Mom.

She still rested, head back, eyes closed. “Need something to drink?” I whispered, in case she’d fallen asleep.

“Water would be lovely.” Her lips curved up at the corners and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Without another word to my father, I walked through the house and got Mom a glass of water, saying a silent thank you to the universe that our water hadn’t been shut off. As I walked back through, I could feel his eyes on me.

“Kat…”

I ignored him, even though the begging tone of his voice clawed at my heart. It didn’t feel right. I loved my dad, despite all his flaws. Sure, he wasn’t a perfect human being, but who was?

“Here, Mom.” I handed her the glass and sat down, studying the cracks along the line of the ceiling. The place was falling apart around us and there was nothing I could do about it. That helpless feeling permeated my being and I blinked back tears. They deserved better. They might not be perfect, but they deserved better.

“You’re such a godsend.” My mother whispered the words and the tears escaped my eyes for real this time and slid down my cheeks.

“I love you.” I whispered the words. There were never enough of these moments where she was lucid and talkative.

“I love you too.” She finished the water and I took the cup. We sat in silence and my brain slipped back to the handsome dragon man. Maybe I’d hallucinated all of it. But I didn’t think so.

“I know that look. You met someone.”

My gaze jumped to my mother. Her head, still resting back on the edge of the tub, was turned toward me, a soft smile on her lips.

“Maybe,” I said. But I knew better. I didn’t have time to have a relationship. Not that it mattered; why the heck would a dragon want anything to do with little old me?

“He’d be crazy not to see how amazing you are.” Mom’s head rolled again, and she stared up at the ceiling. Her unexpected, kind words tore me up inside and I smiled through the pain.

I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to them. I needed to figure out how to keep them safe. But without money, what could I really do? Go to the cops? They’d laugh at me. Or throw me in a mental hospital if I told them a gang of thugs wanted to kill me.

Hopelessness crushed my chest and I struggled to breathe.

4

Stryker

“You won’t be a rookie forever, brother.” Draco spoke with blind confidence in my abilities. But he didn’t know that I’d broken the rules. I’d tell him, at some point, but now was not the time.

I peered around from my vantage point. This cell tower gave me a clear view to her home and every access point to it that someone could try to slip through. No one would get within four hundred yards without me seeing them first.

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