Page 54 of Riding Hard

Pressing my lips together in a thin line, I try to keep from laughing—not laughing at him, but fuck me, he’s got my number. Inhaling through my nose, I release my lips and exhale out of my mouth in a long whoosh.

“You figure that out?” I ask.

“It’s pretty obvious. She’s here, sleeping in your room. You’d never let just anyone do that.”

“You’re right,” I say. “I wouldn’t. I also need to talk to you about something.”

“I already learned about sex at school,” he states, assuming that he would cut me off so that we can avoid that conversation. It doesn’t work because that’s not what I’m going to talk about.

I let out a snort before I continue. “I’m glad you’ve learned about that. You get any burning questions, make sure to bring them to me. Nothing’s too dumb or embarrassing. I’ll answer whatever you want or need,” I begin. “But that’s not where I was going.”

“Yeah?” he asks.

“She’s got an ex after her. Abusive jerk. Stay vigilant. He could be lurking around.”

His brows snap together, and he tilts his head to the side, his confused expression fixated on me. I wait for his response, wondering what he’s going to say.

“He hurt Juliette?” Cade asks.

“He did,” I confess.

Cade has seen more than any kid his age should probably ever see, but that doesn’t mean that I just give him even more to be exposed to. This is something I can’t control, though, and I’m not going to have him live in a fantasy where he doesn’t know this shit happens and he can’t be prepared for the future.

It’s a simple fucking fact that Victor will make his way here—maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but he will be here at some point—and I want my son to be vigilant. I want him to remember who he is, who he comes from, and stay fucking smart.

“Anything seems sus, you call me. You get any kind of bad feeling, you call me. You got that?”

“I got you,” he whispers.

He stares at me in silence for a moment, and I know he’s thinking. I can practically see the wheels turning inside his head. He nods once, dipping his chin, then lifts it slightly and looks up, his eyes connecting and then focusing on mine.

“And if you see him,” I continue, “you fucking run. You hide, you call me, and I’ll deal with him.”

“You and the Iron Flame,” he states. It’s not a question. It’s a statement. And he’s one hundred percent fucking correct.

“Damn fucking straight,” I grind out. “We’ll deal with him.”

“Okay,” he rasps. “I will, Dad.”

“Promise me, Cade. You are not stronger than any weapon he could possibly use.”

He nods once, then clears his throat. “I promise.”

It’s not my intention to scare the shit out of him, but he needs to know that this is a serious situation. If that motherfucker tries anything, the death I already have planned for him is going to be adjusted to include a hell of a lot more pain.

“Dad,” Cade calls out softly.

“Cade,” I say when he doesn’t continue immediately.

He wrinkles his nose, his gaze moving to the countertop before he shifts it back to meet mine. “How could anyone hurt Juliette? She seems really nice.”

“She is really nice,” I simply state. “Some people do that, and it has nothing to do with the people they’re abusing and is more about who they are. It’s not Juliette’s fault. She didn’t do anything wrong. It’s about Victor and what a piece of shit he is.”

I could hold back, but there’s no need to. I know I’m right, but at the same time, I’m pretty sure it makes me seem like a hypocrite because I took care of Destinee just a few days ago in a way where she will never come back.

Maybe that makes me just as bad as Victor. Or maybe I did it because she is the female version of him. She abused my son, who deserved nothing of that sort. Not a fucking second of the shit she shoveled his way.

“Well, it’s not fair,” he hisses.