Page 123 of Monster

“Soon, buddy. I promise.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You won’t leave me here?”

Fuck. My fist clenched around the phone and I forced myself not to show any reaction.

“I would never leave you behind,” I said gruffly. “You belong with me. Right by my side. With me and your brother. I’m gonna bring you home, I promise. And when have I ever broken a promise to you?”

“Never,” he said quietly.

“Never,” I affirmed. I might have done a lot of nasty shit in my life, but if there was one thing I was proud of, it was never having broken a single promise I made to my boys. My words count for something with them. They held the weight of the world in them, and Kai and Braxton both knew that.

“You are coming home to me. As soon as it’s safe, I’m gonna bring you home. And Braxton?”

“Yeah, Dad?”

“I won’t fucking let you go again.”

He laughed, his shoulders relaxing. I didn’t usually cuss in front of my kids, but I was sure they both heard worse at school, and Kai’s colorful vocabulary was attributed to hanging out with the brothers in the club.

“Okay,” he said, reassured.

“Is your aunt there?” I asked him.

He looked at something behind his phone, which told me the answer before he said, “Yeah.”

“Can I talk to her?”

Jenny must have signaled something because an uncomfortable look came over Braxton’s face.

“It’s okay, buddy. Maybe next time,” I said. I wasn’t going to put him in the middle of this.

He nodded, his shoulders relaxing.

“All right. I’m gonna let you go,” I said. “You’re going skiing today, right?”

He nodded excitedly. It was wintertime there now, so he was probably enjoying the snow.

“Be careful, okay?”

“I will, Dad. Bye. I love you.”

“And I love you,” I said, and he hung up. I clicked off the phone and noticed my reflection on the dark screen before sighing.

“You know what they say about eavesdroppers,” I said. I was aware of Emmy as soon as she’d come downstairs.

“But you weren’t talking shit about me,” she said, completely shameless that I had caught her. I could feel a small smile tugging on my lips. Turning to her, I held out my hand.

She hurried toward me and climbed into my lap.

I wrapped my arms around her and reveled in the closeness of this tiny girl in my arms.

She buried her face in my chest and wrapped her arms around my middle. “How’s Braxton?”

“You’ve heard. He’s having fun with his aunt.”

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