Page 97 of Dismantle & Prevail
Rayne tilts her head, her gaze shifting between the bunny and Ari. “Umm. I think I’ve heard that name before.”
Ari’s shoulders shake and he looks up to the sky for a second before returning his attention to Rayne. Gently, he sets the bunny in Rayne’s lap, lifting the foot with the initials for her to see.
“Hey! Those are the letters of my name!” Rayne exclaims, hugging the bunny to her chest.
“They are. You know why?”
Rayne excitedly shakes her head no.
“It’s because that bunny was yours when you were little.” Pointing to each letter, he continues, “Rayne Mackenzie Clark.”
“That’s my name! I–I” Her eyes cast downward, a sad expression on her face.
Ari’s hands go to her knee. “What’s wrong Raynie? Did I say something?”
Rayne’s head pops up. “Raynie?”
Ari looks to me and I shrug, confusion written on both of our faces.
“Sorry. Do you not want me to call you that? I don’t have to.”
“Um. My mommy said that name is a bad name. She said that my daddy used to call me that and she didn’t like him, so I couldn’t be called that anymore.”
My fingers ball into a fist and I fight every urge to not hunt Tana down. Speaking of, where the hell is that bitch? She better not have slipped away. I have a few things I need to “discuss” with her.
Ari cracks his neck from side to side before forcing himself to smile. “I’m sorry she said that. If you don’t want me to call you that name, I won’t.”
Rayne shrugs, her grip still tight on the bunny. “I really like that name, but mommy will be mad.”
“I really don’t want to scare you, sweetheart, but I have to tell you something.”
Rayne’s gaze shifts to mine, and I give her a reassuring nod.
“I know it's really hard to understand, but I am your daddy.” Pinching the bunny’s ears between his soot covered fingers, he wiggles it back and forth. “I gave you this bunny for your first birthday. And that nickname you love, my best friend, who you used to call Uncle Bo, gave it to you.”
“Uncle Bo.” Rayne tests the name on her tongue and suddenly her head snaps up. Her dark chocolate eyes turning glassy.
“I think I remember. Nana used to tell me about my daddy and uncle all the time. She said they were really good men, but we couldn’t see them again or mommy would be upset. And if mommy was upset, Clay would be really mean to Nana.”
My teeth bite the inside of my cheek so hard, I taste blood.
I’m going to kill both of them.
Once again, Aries cracks his neck. I close the distance between us, his back brushing against me. And he lets out a sigh.
That's it, Ace. We can kill him later. Focus on your little girl.
“I’m so sorry. I can promise you that you are safe and never have to worry about Clay hurting anyone you love again. Okay?”
Rayne nods shyly.
Ari looks to me, helplessness evident on his exhausted face.
“Hey Raynie. Would it be okay if we took you back to a really cool and safe place? There is a playground and an entire room full of games. Somewhere without all this noise and smoke?”
Rayne glances between the both of us, then at the scene surrounding her.
Firefighters, police officers, total strangers, and members of Braveheart are scattered across the lot.
