Page 19 of Steel

He nods, chewing the inside of his cheek. His eyes are red and puffy from crying himself to sleep last night, and it makes my heart ache. Mom wasn’t stable, but she was the only parent who stuck around for me and my brother when both our fathers cared more about themselves than their families.

Now she’s gone, and I’m all my brother has left. I don’t know how to be a parent or how I’m going finish my degree with a job and kid, but for Austin, I’ll figure it out.

Austin drops the blanket to his lap, twisting the corner of it around his fingers.

“What’s on your mind?” I roll onto my side, facing him, brushing his brown hair off his forehead. “Are you thinking about Mom?”

His big blue eyes gloss over with his nod. “I miss her.”

“Me too.” Tears sting my eyes as they start to fall from his.

“Are they going to hurt us too?” His voice quivers.

“No one’s going to hurt you, Austin. I promise. I won’t let them.” I squeeze his hand. “That’s why we’re here, remember? They’re going to keep us safe.”

At least, I hope. The Twisted Kings can’t be trusted any more than the threats outside this compound. But right now, I have no other option.

Austin wipes his cheeks dry with the back of his hand. “I can’t find my Super Bear.”

My gaze moves to his things on the floor.

“It’s not in the bag?”

“I forgot it at your house.”

Steel’s men were nice enough to let Austin pack a bag before bringing him to the clubhouse last night, but from the collection of things he threw in it, it’s clear none of them have kids. They didn’t monitor what my four-year-old brother was packing. No clothes. No toothbrush. Nothing practical. Just a collection of random animals and his favorite blanket.

“I want to go home.”

“We will.” I rest my hand over Austin’s. “Soon.”

“When the bad men leave?”

A knot hardens in my throat as I nod.

Sitting up, I brush my hair back and spin my legs off the bed before he catches the tears trying to break through. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, finding any bit of strength to hold on to.

“Hey, you hungry?” I force a smile, glancing back at him.

He nods.

“Good.” I hop off the bed. “How about I go find some food, and you can hang out here and watch cartoons while you wait for me?”

“I wanna come with you.”

I want that too, but I don’t know what I’m walking into when I step out of this room. Or if they’ll even let me.

“This will be more fun. Breakfast in bed. Just like we did on Sunday.”

Mom was out late Saturday night with Josh, so I watched Austin for her. He fell asleep in my bed watching cartoons, and when he woke up, we stayed there to eat breakfast. It helped take his mind off the fact that he didn’t want to move to California with Mom’s new boyfriend.

Now, he doesn’t have to, but my entire chest burns with the reason for it.

“Okay.” Austin rubs his eyes again. “Breakfast in bed.”

I walk over to the television and turn it on, flipping through the channels until I find cartoons. Anything to distract him from where we are.

“This one?”

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