Dark Redemption

by Angie Sandro

  I’m so ready to be done with this day. “You ready to go home, Carl? I’ll ask the rev to make you a jailbird-special meal. What do you want? A bacon cheese burger, pizza, steak and lobster? All of the above?”

  “It’s not funny, Mala,” Carl says with a sniff. “My mom had me arrested.”

  Damn, this really has messed the kid up. As much as I want to find Pepper and punch her in the face, I can’t let Carl see my anger. No matter what, she’s his mom and should be shown respect, even when she doesn’t deserve it. If Carl had remembered that in the first place, we wouldn’t be here.

  I swallow my anger so it won’t show in my voice. “Nah, Pepper didn’t have anything to do with this. I bet Judd called all on his own. She’ll be furious when she finds out.”

  “I don’t think she will.” He stares at me with blue eyes so full of pain I want to hug him again.

  “Holy shit!” Sana yells.

  I jump at her voice. My hand flies to cover my thumping heart. The woman stands in front of the flat screen showing a live video feed of the parking lot, then turns with a horrified, yet slightly giddy expression. “Some guy’s getting his butt kicked in the parking lot.”

  Oh no. “Landry—” I reach for the door knob.

  Deputy Winters grabs my arm and jerks me back. “Stay here until I clear the scene,” she says to me and then barks to the dispatcher, “Get me backup.”

  She’s out the door before I can tell her to go fuck herself. Landry’s in danger. The only reason I haven’t followed yet is because of Carl’s death grip on my elbow. I jerk and twist my arm, finally resorting to prying his fingers free one digit at a time.

  While I’m struggling to get free, the dispatcher calmly relays Winters’s request for backup over the radio. The bathroom door in the hallway slams open, and I whip around, then scoot back against the wall as a deputy the size of a tank, which is why it’s his nickname, comes out adjusting his duty belt. He runs past us, and I’m right on his heels.

  It’s only when Carl follows that I spin around and slap a hand on his chest. “Wait here.”

  He shakes his head. “No way.”

  I don’t have time to argue with this hardheaded brat. “Then keep back until Deputy Winters says it’s safe.”

  “You too. If you get hurt, Landry will kill me.”

  Landry…My chest squeezes out all the air in my lungs at the thought of his being hurt. The deputies move fast, but not fast enough to stop someone from getting away. The white car skims past, barely missing Tank. He yells for the guy to stop, but the car speeds out of the parking lot. He watches it go while putting out a description over the radio. Hopefully a patrol car is in the area, but in a parish this big and with so few deputies, they’re spread thin.

  Winters reaches the screaming woman who stands over a body stretched out on the ground. A body wearing my boyfriend’s boots.

  I race across the parking lot with a burst of energy spurred by panicked-fueled adrenaline. Even though I’m at top speed, Carl outpaces me with his long legs. He skids to a halt in front of his crying mother. When she sees him, she throws herself into his arms while wailing like someone’s dead. Which scares the crap out of me.

  Panting for air, I press my fist against the stitch in my side and apologize to the baby for all of the running. Fingers crossed she didn’t get seasick. Both deputies are crouched down beside Landry. Tank’s wide, like a solid brick wall that I can’t see over. I slide between them. “Is he okay?” I stoop down. “Landry?”

  He looks up with a faint smile and raises his hands. “I didn’t start it.”

  Relief drops me to my knees, and I press my forehead against his chest. My heart hammers in my ears, making my voice sound gruff. “Did you finish it?” I demand. “’Cause if not, I will.”

  “Judd’s got enough problems.” He caresses my hair with a shaky hand. “Hey, seriously, I’m okay.”

  “Well, I’m n-not”—my voice cracks—“so give me a minute.”

  His hand shifts from my head to my cheek. His breath catches and holds, then releases in a rush. I tense, expecting him to say something about the tears, but he doesn’t. Protecting my dignity in front of Winters and Tank. I sniff. How sweet.

  Deputy Winters shifts beside us, her impatience obvious in the sharpness in her tone as she asks, “Can you give us a description of the perp?”

  “It’s her boyfriend. Ask her.” Landry tilts his head toward Pepper, who still has her arms draped over her son’s shoulders and her face pressed into his chest. Carl seems shell-shocked. He pats her on the back like she might suddenly turn rabid and bite his hand.

  “That guy? I guess he decided not to try to negotiate a settlement.”

  Landry huffs. “Oh, Judd tried to negotiate, but with his fists. The guy’s seriously thwacked in the head. He came at me, yelling a bunch of nonsense, then punched me. He’s lucky I’ve already been incarcerated. I didn’t want to go back to jail because of that loser. Even if it meant taking a beating,” he finishes in a grumble.

  “Smart,” Winters says with a nod. “Even with a justification for self-defense it can backfire into a mutual combat situation. The whole incident was caught on video in any case.” Winters turns to Tank. “I’ll get Pepper’s statement.”

  My tears dry up as soon as I realize Landry is playing possum. He let Judd hit him on purpose. I don’t know if I’m impressed by his restraint or if I want to shake him for scaring me half to death. I settle for sitting up and crossing my arms. Landry darts a quick look in my direction. Oh yeah, buddy. I’m not happy about your getting hurt.

  Tank, who still has toilet paper stuck to his boot, holds his hand out to Landry and lifts him to his feet. I make note to slather Landry’s hands in sanitizer because I doubt the deputy had time to wash before running out of the bathroom.

  “Do you plan on pressing charges?” Tank asks.

  “Hell, yeah. I don’t know if the guy’s on drugs or mentally deranged, but he’s dangerous.” Landry turns his attention back to me. “I don’t want him around the kids.”

  “No, of course not.” My boyfriend’s brilliant. “Tank, uh, I mean Deputy Toussaint. What now?”

  He shakes his bald, glistening head. “Dispatch broadcasted a description of the vehicle and suspect. It’s only a matter of time before we arrest him.”

  “Mama, no,” Carl yells, drawing our attention.

  Tank gives a pained sigh, muttering, “What now?”

  I’ve got to agree.

  “I’m not going with you,” Carl tells Pepper. When he sees us watching, he starts backing up on our direction. His mother follows, fingers outstretched. “Everything that’s happened today is your fault. Why did you bring that guy here?”

  “I didn’t know Judd pressed charges against you.” Pepper’s hand drops as she turns to us. “I was with Dena when Judd called in the report. I didn’t even find out until he drove us over here, ranting about ‘not going to jail.’”

  Not good enough, at least in my opinion. Judging from Carl’s expression, her excuses hold about as much weight as a bag full of cotton balls. “But you were with him when he assaulted Landry,” I accuse, not willing to let her off the hook. I’m still too angry with the whole sordid situation.

  “I tried to calm him down, but he was so pissed.”

  Deputy Winters nods. “Ah, so Judd Helmert assaulted Landry Prince in retaliation for his acting as a witness in the assault on your son.” She gives a tiny smile and glances at me. Bingo. All of those days spent manually entering old records into the computer burned the criminal codes into my brain. Judd just screwed himself big time by adding intimidating a witness to his crime.

  “All of your excuses don’t mean a thing,” Carl says. “I’m out of here.”

  Pepper draws in a deep breath. “Fine, no more excuses. If you need proof that I came back for you, that I love you, then I’ll show you.”

  It sounds good. Carl may not believe her, but I hear the sincerity in her voice. So why do her
words send a shiver down my spine?

  Chapter 14

  Landry

  No Privacy

  I glance over at Mala. We sit on either end of the sofa. I want to lean over and touch her, but I’m scared to move. Not only because am I afraid of waking Jonjovi and Axle, who are snuggled up between us, but because she’s been stewing in her anger since we arrived home. She glares at the television, not even cracking a smile when Hulk smashes Loki into the floor, her favorite scene in The Avengers.

  I wonder how much longer she’ll be able to keep it contained. She stayed in control while we dealt with filing the report on that asshole Judd. I can tell she’s still pissed that I got hurt by not defending myself, but she respects my decision. And it all worked out in the end. It’s going to be hard for Pepper to get the kids unless she gives up Judd. The woman talked a good game. I always thought Dena got her temper from her dad, but Pepper proved how she got her nickname. Her temper blazed hotter than a cayenne when Deputy Winters told her Carl risked going to juvie. If Judd had been present, she would’ve burned him to ash with her insults.

  Even Mala seemed impressed. Carl though…maybe it was a case of too little, too late. The woman should’ve predicted how her son would react. Carl refused to acknowledge her existence—just walked out of the substation without a word to sit in my truck until we finished the paperwork. Between him and Mala, it was a quiet car ride home.

  The younger boys didn’t handle hearing about their mom’s return any better than Carl did. Axle and Jonjovi clung to us, afraid to let us out of sight because they thought they’d get snatched. Carl’s anger didn’t help calm the situation so Dad took the twins back to their place and promised to stay with them.

  It was midnight before Axle and Jonjovi finally drift off.

  “I don’t trust her,” Mala mutters, lightly running her fingers through Jonjovi’s hair. She catches my eye and clarifies in a whisper, “I can’t stop thinking about Pepper’s reaction. I don’t think she would’ve said what she did if he had been there.”

  There she goes, reading my mind again. “I was wondering about that myself. If we look at it from her viewpoint, she’s been victimized her whole life. Acker’s gone, and Judd’s going to jail. If she doesn’t get Carl on her side, none of the other kids will forgive her. She needs them.”

  “Now. But what happens when she doesn’t anymore?” She tips her head back against the sofa and sighs. “Will she abandon them again?”

  “I don’t know. Now that Acker’s dead, it’s all hers—the house, what little money they have, everything, including the kids. Judd can’t kick her out on the street if she disobeys. Maybe she’ll finally figure out that she’s in control.”

  Her eyes meet mine. “If she’s willing to fight for them, it won’t be such a bad thing if she gets her kids back. They’ll be better off with her. She obviously loves them. And after suffering so much loss, they need stability. We can’t give that to them, no matter how much we want to. Our lives are too chaotic right now.”

  My eye drops to her stomach. “I know.”

  Mala lifts Jonjovi’s head off her lap and lays it gently on a pillow, then gestures for me to follow. “Let’s go.”

  I ease Axle onto the sofa and drape a blanket over the boys. Mala takes my outstretched hand and leads me to her bedroom. The minute the door closes, she shoves me against it. Lust makes her eyes smoky and sends an answering surge through my body. Her hands slide beneath my shirt. God how I love the warmth of her touch. I wrap my arm around her while I fumble to lock the door behind us.

  I catch her pouty lower lip between my own. Her tongue darts out to dance with mine, but I ignore the temptation, continuing my exploration of the contours of her mouth with teasing kisses. Her breasts rub against my chest with each rapid breath. She presses closer with a tiny growl of impatience. Fuck that, I’m taking her slow tonight.

  I break the kiss to whisper, “If the kids wake up and find us in here alone, they’ll blab to Dad, and I’m dead.”

  “Then keep your voice down.” Her eyes never move from my mouth. She rises on tiptoes, threads her fingers through my hair, and tugs impatiently. All I have to do to reclaim those luscious lips is lower my head a couple of inches. But I lean back.

  “How about if you shut me up in a nicer way?”

  Mala’s eyebrow rises and then her lip quirks. Oh yeah. That’s my girl—never backs away from a challenge. Judging by the gleam in her eyes, she’s out to win. I’m cool with…Hot damn, she’s going balls to the wall. Or rather tits, not balls. In a swift move, she lifts her T-shirt over her head and tosses it into the corner of the room. Her breasts strain over the top of the bra. The front clasp pops open with a flick of her finger, and the straps slide slowly down her shoulders. The bra falls onto the bed. My tongue flicks out to wet my lips, but I force myself to remain still so I can enjoy the show.

  She throws a wicked smile in my direction. The tease. She knows just how to get me hard. Her hands rise to cup her breasts. “They’re so sensitive. The slightest touch hurts.”

  “Pregnancy hormones?”

  She frowns. “Yeah, guess so. Be gentle. Okay?”

  “Are your nipples also sore?” I lean forward to cover the areola with my lips and brush the tip of my tongue over the nipple. Mala groans, back arching. “Did it hurt?”

  “Not enough for you to stop.”

  “Then it did hurt. Sorry, I promise to be gentle.” I pull back, leaving my hands in my pockets so I don’t give into the temptation of touching her.

  She lets out a little growl. “Help me out of these jeans.”

  She unwraps a rubber band from the buttons holding them closed and tries to shove the denim past her hips. Impatient, I lift her onto the edge of the bed. Her hips tilt as I slide my fingers into the waistband of her jeans and tug. They slide down her thighs, taking her panties with them. My heart hammers, and my hands tingle with the need to caress her smooth skin. She kicks her feet until the jeans drop to the floor and then she wiggles backward until she’s in the middle of the bed.

  “Your turn,” she says, breathless.

  “Help me. I’ve had a rough day. I’m a bit sore from getting an elbow to the ribs. Plus my head. Two rocks and a punch to the jaw, remember?”

  “Poor Landry, maybe you’re not up to exerting yourself. That’s a shame. We haven’t been able to use a bed since my birthday.” Her lip pokes out in a pout, but her eyes sparkle. She grabs my belt and tugs me forward. Her nimble fingers undo the buckle and unzip my fly. “Sure you’re up for this?” she asks.

  My hand skims up her thigh, and she shivers. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re wasting time.” She lifts my T-shirt up over my head with the same speed she removed hers and tosses it in the same corner. The belt and jeans go next. I climb onto the bed on my knees and kneel over her. Her fingers fist in my hair. “Kiss me,” she says. I love when she’s all greedy and demanding. So fucking hot.

  Her tongue slides past my lips. The taste of her mouth reminds me of mead, the sweet honey wine I drank once at a party. Her kiss intoxicates. The more I drink her in, the fuzzier my thoughts. I palm the back of her thighs, kneading her tight muscles. With a quick lift, she straddles my lap. Her warmth presses against my hardening length. Her hand goes between us, and she guides me into her in a quick inhale. Her muscles clench around my shaft, drawing me deeper inside. And a sudden thought hits.

  “Wait. What about the baby?” I pull out of her and roll her back on the bed. The tiny bump on her belly suddenly looks ginormous.

  Mala blinks up at me with a blank your-words-don’t-compute glaze to her bitter chocolate eyes. “Huh?”

  “What if I break open the sac she’s in?” My gaze focuses on Mala’s belly, and I picture air bubbles filling the water in the amniotic sac as my baby girl screams in horror. “My God, what if I poked out her little eye?” My hand flies up to cover the eye patch, and I shudder. I’ve scarred my daughter for life, and she hasn’t even
been born.

  A flash of amusement cuts through my panic and is followed by a rolling laugh. My head drops between my knees to thump on the soft mattress. How did I forget I wasn’t alone in my head? It had a front-row seat…It would’ve been along for the ride while I made love to Mala. Now it’s laughing because I’m scared of hurting our baby, who would also be another member of my audience.

  “Stop laughing.” The mattress muffles my voice, but I put the full force of my anger into the words, hoping to make an impact. “This isn’t funny.”

  “You are terrified your offspring will be traumatized by your giant dick? That is your worry? And you think my ego is large.”

  “Asshole.”

  Mala touches her stomach. Her voice trembles. “Uh, who are you talking to?”

  “Better lie or you’ll never get in her again.”

  My head snaps up. “Shut up!”

  Mala crawls backward until she’s stopped by the wooden headboard. “You’re scaring me, Landry.”

  I focus my glare in her direction. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” she yells, throwing the pillow. It smacks me square in the face, and I toss it off the bed with a growl. “Think I didn’t figure that out fairly quickly? Why do you think I’m terrified?”

  I crawl toward her. “Mala—”

  She lifts the other pillow and holds it above her head as if ready to beat me if I try anything hinky. “Stay back!”

  I freeze, staring into her eyes, afraid to look away and break the connection. We’re in a Western-style standoff. One false move and she’ll think she’s under attack and commence with the beating. A minute ticks by. Mala’s tense muscles tremble, and her breathing doesn’t noticeably slow. If anything, with each second that passes, she gets more amped up. Sweat runs down my forehead and burns my eye, but I don’t dare blink. My chest hurts from the shallow breaths when all I want is to drink in huge gulps of air.

  When I can’t take it anymore, I lick my dry lips. “Are you ready to listen?”

  The pillow quivers above her head, and I flinch.