I looked back toward Chace who had managed to untangle himself from the pile of kids and was standing. But he had Robbie dangling down his back with his arms around Chace’s neck, giggling his behind off and Jarot under his arm, shouting through his own giggles, “I’m gonna be a cop like Uncle Chace and arrest a bunch of bad people!”

My belly melted, my heart flipped and I whispered, “I hope we have all boys.”

“Oh no,” Liza whispered back. “Man like that, you’ve got to give him a princess.”

This thought made my belly melt more, my heart flipped then flopped and my eyes went to my sister.

“A princess,” I breathed.

“Another one,” she said gently then lifted her fingers to twitch my hair. “He’s already got one.”

God, seriously, I fraking loved my big sister.

I grinned.

She grinned back.

I would learn that night that Chace spending an hour allowing himself to be the grown man personal toy to my nephews didn’t affect his stamina.

It was a great lesson to learn.

I walked toward Main Street, my mind moving back to Malachi who had yet to speak his first word.

The child psychologist who saw him in the hospital said that this was not unusual and we shouldn’t be overly concerned. She said it was clear he had endured multiple traumas and had intense trust issues. Providing him stability and nurture, making him feel safe, gently forcing him to express himself in a way he was comfortable with and communicating to him verbally with great regularity would eventually break down whatever issues he had and he would again speak. She warned that he should not yet be asked about what led him to his hiding hole or who or what he was hiding from. He needed to be shown he was safe and he could trust those around him. When he was, and with her in attendance, questions could be asked.

But this also meant she wished to see him regularly and Mom took him to the hospital for a twice weekly schedule of appointments. There had been no breakthroughs and Chace kept reminding me that whatever had been going down with him had been happening for a while so we couldn’t expect him to snap into normal little boy behavior in a few days or even a few weeks. Chace told me I needed to give it time and be patient.

I didn’t like this either but I had no choice. It couldn’t be said that Malachi wasn’t adjusting. He was now close to me, Mom, Dad and Chace. He didn’t talk but he did smile, touch and find his ways to say things he needed to say.

So I was giving it time and trying patience.

The psychologist also noted that his socialization skills were not advanced and she pointed out the obvious that now was not a good time to enroll Malachi in school. Therefore, Mom looked up home schooling on the internet and went to the school to talk to some teachers. She also sat with Malachi and discovered what we knew. His reading was off the charts and he knew his numbers, had some basic math skills, in other words, he knew how to add small numbers. But other than that, not much.

This meant she’d begun to initiate him to some lessons without letting on she was such as asking him how many tater tots he had then after he ate two, asking him how many he ate and how many he had left. She also sorted some art stuff for him, giving him paints, colored pencils and paper and setting him up with them at the kitchen table when she cooked. She would begin a full-fledged home schooling program once she, Dad and the psychologist felt he was ready to be assessed by a teacher so they knew where to start.

The only surprising and alarming thing with Malachi was that Mom and Dad shared that it seemed he’d never seen a television set. As he had company and that company was reading to him at the hospital, we hadn’t had the occasion to turn on the set in his room when he was there.

When Dad turned their set on, they said Malachi freaked.

The same, they reported, with phones and radios.

This knowledge made Chace’s jaw get tight in a way I knew he wouldn’t explain. I also knew he was doing his thing with his brethren, including his brothers in arms and Deck, all trying to find out why Malachi was as Malachi was and what happened to him. I’d learned the night we found Malachi that Chace didn’t intend to share this with me and I also understood he didn’t because he was protecting me. So much was going on with Malachi, with life, with us, I decided to let him have this play.

For a while.

Soon, he’d learn I wasn’t a fragile doe he had to protect. Or at least I hoped it was soon.

In other words, Malachi was good. He was in a bed every night with a full belly, as many books as he could get his hands on, a video game he played constantly and no more fear of TVs, phones or radios. He had people he trusted. His smiles came often and we’d all even heard him laugh. The doctor reported his hands and leg were going to be fine with no loss of mobility and I had to believe with the way he adjusted to his new circumstances, everything would with him eventually.

He also had tons of clothes and shoes and Mom and Dad, Chace and me had a big envelope full of checks and cash.

This was because I told Sunny and Shambles about Malachi, not to mention the cops who went to that shed, they all started talking and word about Malachi flew through the town of Carnal.

There was a reason I loved my town and that reason became apparent when word got out about our boy.

Everyone I knew, Lexie and Ty, Lauren and Tate, Bubba and Krystal, Twyla, Sunny and Shambles, Wood and Maggie and a bunch of people I didn’t know came to the library or the Station and brought Chace or me clothes, shoes, belts, hats, socks, underwear, pajamas, coats, baseball mitts, Nintendo game cartridges, books, you name it… and money. Money for his hospital bills, money to help Mom and Dad and not a little bit of it. Within a few days, we had over five thousand dollars. That day, Mrs. Bagley gave me a check that took us well over ten.

Carnal took care of its own and wherever Malachi hailed from, he was claimed as one of theirs. They heard about him and they did what they could. Some gestures were small. Others, grand.

All beautiful.

I was thinking this as I walked up the stairs to my apartment, knowing Chace was there. Tonight was the first night since Malachi was released from the hospital that we weren’t eventually heading to Mom and Dad’s to check in. This was Chace’s decree. Our night. Alone time. Just a night, just Chace and me.

The Sunday after Jarot’s party, we’d taken the next step in our relationship. He’d given me the key to his house and a garage door opener. I’d given him the key to mine. We spent time at work, at Mom and Dad’s with Malachi, doing our everyday things like Chace going to Chantelle to swim, me going to the gym, so the day could end in either one of our beds. But the day always ended with us together in whichever one it turned out to be.

Although Chace had not yet shared his dark secrets, I knew even more now with how he was with Malachi, my nephews, the easiness he had with my parents, the way he was with me, that whatever they were wouldn’t faze me.

I was in love. Not with an idea. Not with a dream. With a good man who had demons but treated my parents with respect, young boys he barely knew with kindness and generosity and me like I was the most precious thing on earth.

Knowing he was at my house making twice baked potatoes to go with steaks he’d broil, I didn’t bother with the key. I turned the knob and walked into my apartment, grinning to myself, looking forward to a just us evening and not having that first fraking clue I was walking into a very different Chace.

I closed the door, saw him standing by my computer, hands to his hips, looking hot.

I started to smile but the smile died and confusion reigned when he spoke.

“I’ve got a girlfriend?”

My head dipped to the side. “What?”

“I’ve got a girlfriend,” he stated and something about the way he stated it, something in his tone, the look on his face, the line of his body, made me brace.

“Uh…” I hesitated when he said no more, “I think so. Her being me.”

He jerked his head to my computer and what he said next made me realize when I braced, I didn’t brace enough.

“Your friends Benji and Serenity think somethin’ else.”

Oh no.

Oh frak!

I totally forgot. Things had been so busy, I’d been spending so much time with Chace, at Mom and Dad’s, it had been weeks since I had a full on conversation with either of them.

I had sent a few emails, just cursory updates and reminding them I hoped they’d backed down from their sleuthing.

But I hadn’t shared about Chace partly because I didn’t have time for big explanations. But also partly because I wanted to keep him to myself and I wanted to make sure it would last, that it was real before I told them. I did this because I’d have to admit I’d lied to them about Chace having a girlfriend. I also did this because when they heard, they’d be angry I lied to them but over the moon that Chace was with me. And I didn’t want them to get excited about something that wasn’t all I’d dreamed it would be, dreams I’d shared with them for years.

There it was yet again. Lying always, always got you into trouble.

“H… how –?” I started and Chace cut me off.

“Got on to check the game time, barely got that f**ker booted up when screens popped up. They’re pissed, baby. Seriously. You haven’t been available to them but you haven’t been forthcoming why. And they got things to share,” he leaned toward me and the way he did made me lean slightly back even though he was ten feet away, “about The Elite.”

Uh-oh.

“Chace –” I whispered but said no more because he lost it.

I knew he lost it because he roared… yes… actually… roared, “Have you lost your f**king mind?”

My heart started thumping in my chest.

“Chace –”

“Take your goddamned coat off and get away from the door,” he growled and my head jerked.

“Wh… what?”

“Take,” he took a step toward me and I stepped back, “your,” he took another step and so did I, “goddamned,” another step for him and me, “coat off.”

“Why?” I whispered and kept retreating as he made it to the door and stopped.

I then watched in fascinated horror as he flipped the deadbolt and set the chain then turned to me.

“Do it, Faye.”

“You’re kind of scaring me,” I said softly.

“Yeah?” he asked, tipping his head sharply to the side. “Good,” he bit off to finish.

“It’s not good,” I whispered.

“Oh yeah, it is, honey,” he whispered back. “You should be scared of me right now. You should be scared of me because I am extremely pissed off. And I’m extremely pissed off because you and your band of misfits have been doin’ something so f**kin’ stupid I can’t even explain to you how stupid it is. And the reason it’s stupid is because it’s dangerous.”

“Chace, it –”