6. Micah

CHAPTER 6

Micah

" C ome on. Let's get you guys settled." I open my door and move to the side so that Heidi can come in the door, carrying Cassie when she insisted on it. I could tell that she needed it after we got done at her place.

She fought me about coming back here to spend the night but it wasn't safe for them there. Someone had obviously been in her house that she rents and it wasn't the landlord. We checked.

Not to mention that there was pretty heavy damage to the front door and it can't be fixed until tomorrow and even then I'd rather that she not go back there. But I have an idea that she will insist on going back. She's too proud and stubborn not to.

Besides the damage to the door there was also other, very disturbing damage. The couch in the living room was sliced open. The kitchen was a mess like a toddler got in there and threw a temper tantrum. All the food in the fridge was laid out on the floor in a pile. It was melting into a stinky pile of disgusting that made my stomach churn.

When we got to the bedrooms is when I really lost my mind. Both of their rooms had significant damage. Bedding cut up, clothes thrown around the room, and on the bathroom mirror there was a message written in toothpaste. It said one simple word but it chilled me to the bone.

Bitch. I don't know who left that message but I do know that I felt the hatred in that one single world and my hands shook, my teeth clenched. Rage built inside me.

Some cowardly piece of shit broke into her place and trashed her things and then left that message for her that was guaranteed to scare the hell out of a single mom living by herself after the devastation of the break-in.

I don't know who the hell they are but I know one thing. They've managed to piss me off. I'm slow to get mad but there's one thing I won't push down and that's a coward who slinks through the shadows to scare people.

Fuck that. I'm gonna find this guy and I'm gonna make him pay. Gonna make sure that my girl is safe until she moves in with me. Then I'll take good care of her every damn day of our lives together.

It took everything in me not to just pick her up and throw her over my shoulder and then wrap an arm around Cassie and lift her into my arms. Luckily, she didn't seem to understand exactly what was going on and the police dispatcher came along to keep her company while we were going through the house.

Colt was very nice to Heidi. Gentle but thorough. Unusual for such a taciturn guy but he had to know that it was a shock to her and her daughter. Hell, it was a shock to me. For fuck's sake. She's new in town. Who the hell could she have pissed off?

I lead them both to a spare bedroom, pretty sure that there's no way that Heidi's gonna want her daughter in another bedroom. I open the door and wave them inside.

"Let me get you some clean sheets and then you guys can hit the hay. I know you both must be exhausted." Cassie looks wilted, her blue eyes half-shut and she's leaning against her mother like she can't stay upright, even in her arms.

Heidi nods and I wave my hands again. "There's a bathroom attached to this room. I have spare toothbrushes in there and there should be everything else that you need."

She nods, her body stiff. "I'm really sorry to put you out like this."

I grunt. "You're not putting me out at all. I'd prefer that you're here where I can keep an eye on things rather than in that place. You can't even shut the door right."

"I'm sure you're right. I don't know what we would have done if we were home when…". Her voice trails off and she turns white when she glances down at her daughter.

I know how she feels. I've already had a few chills when I think what might have happened if they'd been home when this dumbass broke in.

"Don't think about it. You're safe. And in the morning we'll go ahead and call a security company out to look at putting some alarms and cameras in."

She's already shaking her head. I hold up my hand. "Don't even say you can't afford it. I have some friends that do that kind of work." My brother's friends actually. But Matt will be happy to put me in touch with someone relatively local that can help. Neither one of us like when someone pushes against an innocent. It's guaranteed to piss us off.

"They'll do it for free as a favor to me and my brother."

"I don't even know your brother," she protests.

I shrug. "Doesn't matter. You're important to me. That's all he needs to know."

She doesn't say anything else but I think it's only because Cassie stirs and opens her eyes. Confusion clouds her vision with a little bit of pain and I hope her painkillers haven't worn off.

"What's going on, Mom?"

Heidi just smiles at her. "Don't worry, baby. There's something wrong with our house tonight. So we're gonna spend the night at Mr. Reese's."

"Micah." She rolls her eyes.

"How about you go brush your teeth and I'll make up this big bed for us so that you can go to sleep?" She nods her head, her chestnut curls shifting where they're sticking to her chubby pink cheeks.

Heidi puts her down and she wanders into the bathroom and we hear water running. She turns to me. Her eyes narrow. "I don't want her thinking that there's anything going on with us, Micah. It would be confusing for her. She still thinks that her dad and I might make up and we'll go home again."

"Is that likely to happen?" My heart sinks but it takes just seconds for the look of disgust on Heidi's face to wipe that fear away.

"Absolutely not. He doesn't want anything to do with us and we're better off without him."

I nod my head but I really want to ask her more. I can see she's not going to say anything right now though.

Cassie pads out of the bathroom and yawns and Heidi nods at me but picks her daughter up and takes her over to the bed. Then she glances at me.

"I'm just going to brush my teeth and go to bed too. This has been a really long day."

I can't do anything but nod at her and slip quietly out of the door, shutting it gently behind me.

I want her in my bed, sleeping beside me but that would be an awful thing to do to a little girl who's had one helluva day.

So me and my dick are just gonna have to learn to live with it and put all these confusing feelings on hold.

I've got all the time in the world to win my girls. Now I've also got the added need to find the person who scared her and beat the ever-loving shit out of them before they go to jail for as long as freaking possible.

Some things and people can be merciful. I'm not. Not when it comes to their safety. I'm gonna bury the bastard.