Page 44 of Mine to Keep
“To you,” Talon says under his breath. “I’m good on kids. Javier wants some.”
Javier’s cheeks pinken. “I always wanted to adopt. My family has enough money. We donate to a bunch of group homes. We work there sometimes too.” He meets my eyes, a faint smile on his lips.
“I guess I’ll have to help you raise your kids. Maybe they won’t be so bad if they’re mine,” Talon grumbles. Both Javier and I laugh at him.
“Hungry?” I ask.
“Starved,” they say together, then crack up. I love their friendship, how close they are, how much they love each other. I had that once, but never again.
“Let’s eat then we can make plans for tomorrow. I’m thinking, a museum?” I ask.
It takes no time to order our lunch and make our plans for the next day.
While we’re talking though, something in the back of my mind makes me feel uneasy, like something is coming. I’m not sure why or what it means, but it’s there and I always trust my gut.
fourteen
seeing the sights
“Come on, Tal,”Javier whines as Talon snaps another picture of some of the buildings in downtown Toronto. “We’ll miss our train!”
“Let him take pictures, baby boy. How often will you two come to Canada? You said he doesn’t vacation a lot. Let him enjoy himself,” I say, snaking my arm around his shoulder.
He glares at his best friend with obvious affection. “Yeah, you’re right. But dang. He has, like, four hundred pictures in his phone from, like, four days. He’ll just end up deleting them.”
Talon smiles, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on Javi’s lips. Javier sighs, a soft smile on his face. “If you’re a hater, just say that,” Talon says.
Javier’s booming laugh washes over me, further relaxing the knot that’s grown in my chest for the past ten years. “Not a hater. I just want to take the tour.” He looks up at me with a shy smile. “Thank you again for bringing us. And spending all this money on us. I promise we’ll pay you back when we get home.”
“Don’t sweat it. I want to do the bus tour too.”
We plan to go to the museum and, maybe, wine tasting later today, but my boys were so excited when they saw the Hop onHop off Bus Tour being offered. I didn’t allow Javier to pay, due to their limited funds.
It’s been so long since I’ve spent money on anything other than my normal bills. It’s nice spoil my boys. They deserve it for making me feel human again.
After Talon gets the photos he wants, thanking me with a smile and a quick kiss, we hustle to the location for the bus tour. We board the bus and the guys drag me to the top of the double-decker, snapping pictures before they even take a seat.
While they’re getting comfortable, Talon starts chatting with an older couple from Nigeria, while Javier smiles over at them. I look around at everyone boarding the bus, as well as the people on the street.
Over the past ten years, I’ve learned to look without looking, clocking who is around me. Everyone that boards and those lining the streets look harmless, but they could be like me. They could beafterme.
I still haven’t shaken the couple that I saw in the pub two days ago. Something about them was…off. Maybe because they reminded me of myself in my early days—sloppy, slow, and unable to blend into their surroundings to avoid being spotted.
If they’re after me, I need to keep my eyes open, while also making sure Javier and Talon don’t suspect anything. It’s already hard—watching my back and theirs—but I wouldn’t trade it. They can’t leave me. I need them. I need them to make my heart beat like a normal person’s, not off-kilter like someone expecting a bullet to their brain.
My attention is on the people milling about on the sidewalk. It’s not difficult to walk past a crowded bus and take out your target in any number of ways. I know—I’ve done it before. One well-placed bullet or a properly thrown knife, and someone is dead. I can’t have that. Not while my boys are with me.
“This is our boyfriend, Knox,” Talon says, pointing to me as he talks to the older couple.
Huh? Boyfriend?Ourboyfriend?
I don’t have time to respond before the tour guide climbs the stairs and calls our attention to the front. Talon slides closer to me, mischief dancing in his eyes.
Grinning, I lean into him and say, “You’ll pay for that.”
He giggles. “So you say.”
“Brats get spankings,” I whisper back to him. He laughs and kisses me, then we turn our attention to the tour guide.
