Page 19 of Kingston

Laughing, I kissed her cheek as I straightened with her in my arms.“Princess, this is my dad.Do you want to say hi to Gramps?”

“Are you messing with me, Kingston?”Dad complained, his face set in hard lines.“That is not my name.Don’t be slapping me with something like that, boy.”

Iris’s arms tightened even harder around my neck, that adorable crease forming between her brows.

Dad moved closer, holding out his arms to her, a smile warming his weathered face.“You call me Papa, Iris.”

She studied him for a long moment before she jumped into his arms.Settling her in one arm, he nodded toward my truck.“Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m headed over to Sanctuary,” I explained.“Shouldn’t be too long, but I want to check on Nishia, see how she’s feeling after the accident the other day.And I need to talk to Jack about a few things.I’ll be back before dinner, though.”

“Do you need anything, son?”he asked, his brows lifted.

“Nah, Dad.I got everything covered, but if that changes, I’ll let you know.”Leaning in, I smacked another kiss to Iris’s cheek.“Be a good girl for Grammy and Papa, princess.I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Iris, let’s go make some lemonade for us and Papa,” Mom suggested, waiting for Dad to place the girl on her feet before taking her hand.“Do you like strawberries in your lemonade?”

“I dunno.I nevers had lemonade.”

“Then let’s find out if you like it or not, sweet pea.”Opening the front door, Mom waved to me before disappearing inside with the toddler.

Dad walked me to my truck.“Are you sure you’re good?”

“I have a few things I gotta sort out, Dad.Once I have more information, I’ll talk to you about it,” I assured him.“Don’t worry about me, old man.Just take care of that little girl for me.Protect her like she’s family.”

“As far as I’m concerned, she is family, Kingston.Now, go take care of your business.Your princess is safe here.”Knocking his knuckles against my truck, he stepped back.“Stay safe, son.”

ChapterTwelve

Kingston

Twenty minutes later,I punched in the code to the gate at Sanctuary and drove up the long driveway.A few times a month, I worked security at the women’s shelter, walking the perimeter and double-checking that there weren’t any weak links in the fence that surrounded the entire property.

Women from around the country came to Sanctuary in search of a safe haven from their abusers.Some brought children; some were on their own.But no one was ever turned away.They had an entire medical staff to help the women heal, physically as well as mentally.Once they recovered, they were given the option of staying or starting over somewhere else, with a new identity complete with Social Security number and birth certificate.They were even given the chance to learn a trade or get a college education through the scholarship program Sanctuary had set up with Trinity University.

Mom told me she’d tried to explain what Sanctuary was to Demi when she first met her, but my girl was so terrified of her ex, she hadn’t wanted to take a chance with the shelter.And because I was a selfish asshole who didn’t want to risk losing her, I hadn’t tried to go into more detail about Sanctuary being an option.

Parking out front, I climbed the steps and walked into the mansion that had been turned into small apartments for residents.There was a common room, a communal kitchen, and even a gym for some of the women to do their rehabilitation exercises in.I knew the layout since I’d been coming to Sanctuary to help out since I was a kid, but I made sure to keep my steps light.Even something as simple as how a person walked could trigger a patient suffering from the PTSD of an abusive relationship, and I was mindful of that as I made my way to Nishia’s apartment.

I’d texted my cousin before I left my house with Iris earlier, so he was expecting me.Stopping outside the apartment, I tapped three times and waited.

“You keep your ass in that bed, fairy,” Jack growled from the other side of the door.“I’m only going down the hall to the office for a little while.Delaney is on her way over to visit.You better still be in that bed when she gets here, or she doesn’t get to stay.”

Jack opened the door, adjusting his MC cut over his plain white shirt.

“Bear, I’m fine,” Nishia complained.“Can’t I at least sit on the couch?I’m tired of being in bed.”

“No.Stay in bed until I get back—or else.”

“I’m bored,” she whined.

“That’s why Delaney is coming over,” he said patiently.“Hey.Let’s take this to the office.I don’t want to disturb my fairy.She still has a pretty intense headache.”

“No, I don’t!You’re being unreasonable.Kingston, help.SOS.Save me from my unreasonable boyfriend.”

Jack bared his teeth at me, the only warning he was likely to give me before he ripped my head off if I so much as crossed the threshold of the apartment.“Feel better, Nishia.See you when you’re fully recovered.”

“You Hannigans are so frustrating!”she yelled.

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