Whispers of a Broken Halo by Abbi Glines

He moved closer to me then, pressing his small body against my leg. My heart ached, as I knew he was searching for security. I was all he had. I slipped my arm around him and held him there, then looked up at Rio and then at Saint. I no longer felt nervous, but protective, and I knew I could control my words. Cullen needed me.

“Thank you for stopping by, Saint. I appreciate it. We are fine,” I told him. I knew his rough appearance would frighten Cullen.

The dark look in his eyes made it clear he believed something was going on between Rio and me. He had that all wrong, but I wasn’t going to explain it to him. This part of my life wasn’t Saint’s business. I hadn’t crossed that line with him, and I never would. He was work. This was home.

“If you need me, call,” he said. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

I sighed in relief. I didn’t want to burn bridges, but Saint would always be my boss and a friend. Nothing more. I didn’t want him in my personal life. It was separate from the club and needed to stay that way.

“Can we go inside?” Rio asked, and I nodded but said nothing as I walked Cullen back into the apartment.

I heard Rio close the door behind us, and I bent down, so I could look into Cullen’s eyes. Before I moved any further with Rio’s visit and the information he had for me, I wanted to reassure Cullen.

“If you ever wake up and you can’t find me, I will always be right outside the door. I did that, so we wouldn’t disturb you. But, buddy, I will never, ever leave you here. I promise you that,” I told him, holding both his little hands in mine.

“Pinkie promise?” he asked me.

I let go of his right hand and held out my pinkie for him to link with his.

“Pinkie promise,” I said as we held our pinkies together like that for a moment.

He let go and put his little arms around my neck. I held him close, swallowing the emotion clogging my throat. It would take years for him to trust me completely. I’d left him with his mother too much. She had ruined his faith in adults or having any form of security.

“I love you,” I told him, wishing those three words could heal all the mistakes.

“I love you too,” he replied and squeezed me harder.





Chapter Twenty-One

Rio

The kid lifted his eyes from Bryn to look at me. “Are you staying over again?” he asked.

I felt an unfamiliar emotion tighten my throat, watching them. This wasn’t something meant for me to see, and I was afraid of how it would affect me now that I had. My goal in stopping by had been to tell Bryn it was all handled. They were safe. Then, I was going to leave and get ready for a date. The getting laid and getting Bryn out of my head was my plan. I’d even called Vanessa and asked her out, knowing she was a no-strings-attached kind of girl.

Before Bryn could respond, I nodded my head. “Yeah, I thought we could order pizza and let you pick out a movie for us to watch.” The words came out before I could think them through.

Seeing the bouncer here had flipped some damn switch in me I couldn’t control. There was what my head was telling me I wanted, which was Vanessa and a good fuck. Then, there was the rest of my damn body, demanding I stay here. With Bryn and Cullen.

The memories of my life with my mother weren’t good ones, and the time I had known Bryn were the worst. I had gone without food, a parent, electricity most of the time, and in the end, I’d found my mother dead. Keeping my distance from Bryn and the world I had left behind was what I needed to do.

They were safe now, and I didn’t need to be mixed up with any part of their lives. I was done. I had paid the money Tory owed, and that debt was covered.

“We always make our pizza. We like to do that,” Cullen told me, turning his gaze from me back to Bryn.

But I couldn’t let the kid down now. I’d spoken without thinking.

She nodded, then stood up. “Of course we can. We need to go to the store and buy the supplies. Why don’t you go use the bathroom, brush your hair, and put on some shoes?”

He spun around and hurried down the hallway.

Bryn turned to look at me then. Her arms folded across her chest. “What’s wrong? Are we in danger?” she asked me quietly.

The concern in her eyes was clear. She thought I was staying because of something Tory had done. I considered being vague and making her think she needed me. Bryn had lived in enough fear. I wasn’t going to lie to her to cover up my stupid offer to stay for pizza and a movie. I would cover that up another way.

“Nothing’s wrong, and you’re not in danger. She owes no one. And no one will be coming here. She was dating the brother of the guy who owned the meth lab, but it was new. They had just met. All three are in prison.”

There was no reason to tell her that Tory had owed a three-thousand-dollar debt. She’d want to pay it, and I wasn’t going to let her go work extra hours at the fucking strip club to pay me back.

Her arms fell to her sides, and her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Thank God,” she whispered. Then, she frowned and tilted her head slightly to the left as she studied me. “So, why the pizza and movie?”

What was my lie going to be? This was not a date. I didn’t want her to think I wanted more. This was an ending. Closure. Real closure this time.

“I don’t have to stay. I just offered to give you some peace of mind. Reassure you that no one was going to show up. Plus, Cullen seemed excited to see me, but I don’t have to stay, and you can make up an excuse as to why I left if you think my being here will confuse him.” I stopped there, thinking it was a pretty damn good excuse to me.