Page 23 of Shine: Sins of the Father
I strip and slip into bed beside her. She immediately moves toward my heat and cuddles against me.
Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I stroke her skin. I’m not sure she’s awake until she lifts her head.
“I’m glad you’re back. I was worried.”
“Were you?”
“Yes. What happened?”
“No one was there. I slipped through an unlocked window. The place was empty; not even a dirty dish in the sink. They’ve probably taken off.”
“The mother, too?”
I shrug. “If they spotted me, maybe they didn’t think it was safe for her there. Look, I’ll take you home to San Jose tomorrow and go after them later. I just thought this would be my chance. I’ll get that motherfucker, eventually.”
She hugs me tight, her cheek on my chest. “You will. Someday, you’ll get him.” Then her head pops up, and her eyes meet mine. “Tell me about your childhood.”
I huff a laugh. “My childhood? Why?”
She shrugs. “I just want to know. Did you grow up in Las Vegas?”
“Dad was a wildcatter. I grew up in West Texas, mostly.”
“I knew that accent wasn’t from Nevada.”
I grin. “Guess it slips out now and then. Least I don’t sayyes, ma’amanymore.”
“What’s wrong with saying that?”
“Nothing, but the teasing I incurred from all my club brothers was non-stop. I learned pretty quickly not to say it again.”
“So, West Texas. Where about?”
“We moved around between Midland and Lubbock. Dad drilled in the Permian Basin, the largest crude-producing region in Texas. He was a rig operator until I was in high school. Then we moved to Las Vegas, and he got a job doing security at one of the hotels.”
“How old were you when you moved?”
“Sixteen. It was a bad time for me. I lost all my friends. Never really fit in at the new high school. I hated everything about Vegas. That’s when I met a guy, and he told me he was thinking of prospecting with the Evil Dead. We came into the club together.” I stroke my hand along her back, wondering about her own story. “What about you? How’d you end up dancing at Sonny’s?”
I feel her body tense, and I know immediately I shouldn’t have brought it up. “Sorry. Maybe you don’t want to talk about that.”
“Not really.”
“If you could do anything, what would it be?”
“You mean for a job?”
“Yeah. Your dream job.”
“You’ll think it’s silly.”
“Why would you say that?”
She’s still for a long moment, and just when I think she’s not going to tell me, she replies.
“I like to bake. I’d like to open a shop and sell cupcakes, cake pops, things like that.”
“Cake pop? What’s a cake pop?”
