Page 13 of DOG Part 2
“I need to ask you guys for a favor,” I said, figuring it was best to get right to the point.
No one said a thing. Next to me, Kim shifted uncomfortably.
“What is it?” my dad asked, giving me a soft look as he set the paper down.
My parents were good people. Better than they even needed to be. They hadn’t been able to have children of their own, and ever since they’d adopted me when I was two they’d been my bedrock.
It was just that some things were so burdensome I could only shoulder the weight on my own. Asking others to help me take it on would have been too much. That made staying away the only option.
I knew they understood, but sometimes the guilt was too much.
“What is it, Kane?” Dad asked when I didn’t respond. “You know that if you need help with anything we’re there for you.”
“I need to leave Kim here for a while. To keep her safe.”
Mom took a step close to me, her eyebrows knitted with worry. “Is everything okay?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, not wanting to answer, but knowing the honorable thing to do was to be completely honest. “Something is going on with the motorcycle club. It’s got nothing to do with Kim. It’s guilt by association, and there are men looking for her.”
“Oh,” Mom said simply, as she blinked and stared at me.
“Of course she can stay here,” Dad said. “I don’t need to know about all the details, but Kim here looks to be a nice girl, and I hope you’re not doing anything to get her in trouble.”
“It’s not Kane’s fault,” Kim said, slipping one of her hands into mine.
My dad paused, absorbing her words, and then nodded. “All right.”
“Thank you,” I breathed.
“Would you two like some cookies with your tea?” Mom asked. “Or I can make you something else.”
“Thanks, Mom, but I need to go.”
“Now?” Kim nearly cried, her grip tightening on my hand.
I turned slowly to her, the ache in my throat so painful I could hardly speak. “Yes.”
She nodded stiffly, her eyes growing red and wet. Her hair had become tangled and disheveled from our escape, and I tucked some of it behind her ear as I gazed down at her.
“You’ll be safe here,” I whispered. “I’ll be back once I sort this all out.”
Her wide eyes gazed up at me, making me feel as if I was about to break in two. Walking through that door and leaving her was going to be one of the hardest things I would ever have to do, but it had to be done.
“All right,” she whispered.
Leaning forward, I planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Thank you,” I said to my parents before turning quickly and heading through the foyer. The darkness of the yard pressed all around me, full of fears and worries that had transformed into new kinds of beasts. Gang wars had always been a threat. Violence and death were a part of my life. What was new was that now I had something to live for.Someoneto live for.
Somehow, in the course of a few days everything I thought I had known had changed. Somehow, Kim was becoming my everything, and I wasn’t going to stop until I knew she was safe and happy.
