“Maybe we should postpone the wedding,” Kat offered.
Curtis agreed. “If you need us to stick around, we can, Mom.”
She loved them both for offering. “No, you’re getting married tomorrow. We have a beautiful day planned. Sam will fit in. We’ll get him a suit.”
“I don’t wear suits,” he said from the door, surprising all of them. The kid was light on his feet. He crept like a ghost—or like Dimitri.
Emma turned to face him and she put on a fake smile. “Morning, Sam.”
He didn’t move.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
“No.”
“Do you want…?”
“I SAID NO!”
Emma closed her mouth.
Greyson wasn’t having it. In fact, he was ready to say something to the boy—only Dimitri cut him off. Apparently, he was better equipped to deal with this, and he was going to do it.
“In this family, Sam, we don’t yell at people. We talk with respect and kindness. Emma is trying to make you feel better, and you will not yell at her to let out your frustrations. Am I clear?”
The boy stared at him. “I’m not part of this family. I’m not part of any family.”
Emma wanted to cry.
Even Greyson looked lost.
Dimitri, on the other hand, was ready for this kind of outburst. He’d lived it with two girls, and that had been a million times worse.
Toss in hormones, anger, and broken spirits, and you had one hell of a tempestuous brew.
Dimitri knew what to do.
“You are part of this, and you need to respect Emma. She was simply worried about you. So, you have two choices. Sit and have something to eat, or you can find something else to do. You can get a book and read by the pool. We’ll start working on what to do about school on Monday.”
It was clear Sam didn’t like that answer. It was also clear that the people who had fostered him didn’t give him any rules, and regulations, or any structure.
This was going to be an epic battle.
Then again, Dimitri was a stubborn man who knew what he was doing.
“I don’t go to school.”
They all watched the defiance.
Then they focused on Dimitri.
“You will go to school, or you won’t remain here. You can decide. We aren’t going to play games, Sam. If you’re angry, place it on something productive.”
The boy walked out of the room.
Emma stood.
“Sit, Emma,” Greyson stated.
She stared at her husband in shock. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Let Dimitri handle this. Sam needs someone who has been down this road. Let him lead the way. We aren’t equipped to patch up a broke spirit. He is. Trust him. I do.”
That was huge for Dimitri. Gently, he touched her shoulder in reassurance. He didn’t touch people often, but when he did, it always meant something.
He cared about Emma.
He loved her.
“I promise I won’t hurt him, Emma. Look at Natasha and Katerina. I was tough on them, too, and for the most part, they turned out pretty good.”
“We needed it,” Natasha stated. “We needed rules and discipline. No kid likes to feel like they’re out of control. Sam will fight it for a while, and then one day, he’s going to see that there will be a constant supply of food, clothing, and love. He’ll come around. Stick to your guns.”
Emma had no choice.
She had to put her faith in the man standing next to her. To show him she believed in him, she stood and went into his arms. Emma hugged him so hard, it stole his breath.
“Help me fix him, please.”
He gave her a squeeze back. That was exactly what he planned to do.
“Natasha, check on him.”
The woman grabbed her bagel and headed outside. They all watched her leave.
“Chris, watch her back.”
He listened to Dimitri and went to stand in the doorway. He wasn’t sure what the little kid could do, but if Dimitri thought she was in danger…
Yeah, he’d watch her back.
“Now, we wait,” Dimitri stated.
And they did.
Outside, she found Sam by the pool. His feet were dangling in the water. Natasha sat beside him, mimicking his actions.
Immediately, Sam slid a foot away from her to give them both space.
“Remember me from last night? I’m Nat.”
He glanced over. “You’re pretty. You live here too, huh?”
She nodded. “I do. We all do.”
He stared at the water.
“You should introduce yourself to a lady when you meet her. That’s how you do it in the real world.”
He stared at her. “I’m ten. This is the real world, and it sucks.”
She got it.
He wasn’t wrong. The world did suck when you had no one to love and protect you.
It would get better if they could find a way to bond Sam to them. He’d come around. She could see his curious nature, his mischievousness, and a part of her long ago.
“My whole life sucks. Why was I even born?” he asked no one in particular.
At his age, it did suck when you came from people who didn’t love you, didn’t protect you, and didn’t give a shit if you lived or died.
Fortunately, she got out.
And so did Sam.
“So, your foster dad, huh?”
“My foster mom’s boyfriend. I don’t think he’s anyone’s dad or should be. He’s an asshole.”
She got that.
Natasha knew that if she was going to get through to him, she was going to have to make a bridge to his pain.
She’d use hers.
“People are assholes. My mom wouldn’t let me eat more than once a day, and it was only a few crackers. She used to beat me all the time too,” Natasha said. “I couldn’t do anything right. If I thought I did something good, it always turned into a beating.”
Sam listened. “I know how that feels. If I was too slow to help her up, she would hit me too.”
“People suck.”
He agreed. “Was it really bad with your real mom? I don’t know mine. She dropped me off and they put me into the system. There have been so many.”
Natasha’s heart broke for him.
“She was horrible. I was so glad to escape that life. If I didn’t, it would have been even worse. Toward the end, she kept me locked in a room. It was like a cage. There were chains, and cold buckets of water. It was torture.”
For years, Natasha wouldn’t talk about it. She still had nightmares, and that was why she had her secret place to hide. When the demons got too scary, she had to have a place where she felt safe.
“How did you get away?” he asked. “You’re living plush here in this castle. Is this place on the up and up? I keep thinking I’m on some show, and they’re going to punk me.”
She moved a little closer.
Sam didn’t retreat.
It was a start.
“It’s the real deal here. The Crofts are really good people. They will keep you safe. How I got here…? That’s a long story.”
“I have time. It’s better than school,” he stated.
She disagreed, but for now, she’d play along with Sam until he was more comfortable with them.
“Well, long story short, my brother saved me. He brought me to America and we started our lives here. We work in security. It’s our job to protect people.”
Sam was watching her. Natasha didn’t have to turn her head to feel his eyes on her.
“You Russian?”
She nodded. “I am Russian.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
The wall was cracking. Natasha could see the cracks getting bigger. They would be the way to reach Sam.
It was happening.
“Emma won’t hurt you. She’s a good person, Sam. I vouch for her. I love being part of this family.”
“
Everyone hurts me. I’m not part of this family. It’s temporary. At some point, she’ll get sick of me here. It’s the same old at each house. I’m a burden.”
“I see how you feel that way, but I can tell you that Emma and Greyson are different. They adopted all of us as their own. You just have to want to be here.”
“I don’t.”
She knew that was the anger speaking.
“Where will you go?”
“I can take care of myself,” he stated.
She slid her bagel toward him. “Want to share? I know you’ll leave soon, but until you do, want some?”
He hesitantly reached for it, as if he was going to get his hand slapped for even daring to want it. When he didn’t, he quickly ate it.
“I’ll share my food with you,” Natasha offered. She remembered this from when she was little. Kat had said the same thing to her right after she was brought to Dimitri’s home.
She’d come to her new room, pulled some candy from her pocket, and slid it beneath the locked door. From that moment on, Natasha trusted her. She’d even let her into the room, and they’d become friends.
Her life changed that day.
Natasha wanted to help Sam too.
The boy took a few seconds to think about her offer.
Finally, he made up his mind.
He pulled a donut out of his pocket. “Want some of my donut? This place has all kinds of food here. The refrigerator is packed, and it’s not locked.”
She took half of his shared donut and they had breakfast together.
“So really, what’s this place like? I don’t like surprises.”
“I love it here, and you will too. Everyone is kind.”
“What about that big scary guy?”
Natasha was trying to figure out who he was talking about, but she wasn’t sure. All the men, with the exception of Curtis were big.
“Chris?” she asked, taking a stab at it.
“Yeah, him. He screams cop.”
She laughed. “He does, doesn’t he? Well, he was once a cop, but now he works for my brother. He’s Emma’s security. A lot of people try to kill the Crofts.”
“Cuz they’re crooked?” he asked.
“They aren’t but people like to lie and gossip.”
Sam ate some more of his absconded donut.
“That Chris guy…?”
“He’s sweet,” Natasha offered. “I have a date with him tonight. Under the scary looks, he’s a gentle soul. He will never hurt you.”
“Promise?” Sam asked.
She smiled. “I do promise.”
Then she changed the subject.
“Do you like to swim? You can use the pool, just don’t get your cast wet.”
“I don’t know how. I’ve never been swimming.”
“I’ll tell Emma. She’ll get someone to give you lessons,” Natasha said.
He touched her arm. “Is she really cool? She won’t hit me, right?”
Natasha smiled. “She’s so cool she’s frosty. As for hitting you, no. She’s a mom to her core. She’ll tell you no, but because she loves you.”
“I’ve never had a mom.”
“I didn’t until I came here. Now she’s like my mom. Like I told you, she and Greyson took us all in. We were orphans before them. You’ll be okay, Sam. Just breathe.”
He took a deep breath.
“Like that?”
“Yeah, just like that.”
At that moment, Natasha knew she’d broken through. Sam trusted her, and that meant he’d trust everyone at some point. The world hadn’t broken him beyond repair.
He was fixable.
And here, at Terrace Glen, miracles did happen.
She knew.
She was one of them.
He couldn’t breathe.
Chris stood in the doorway watching the interaction between the two. He could hear everything Natasha was saying and the whole time, his heart was breaking.
Behind him, he heard footsteps, and he already knew who it would be. It would be the same man who sent him to watch over Natasha.
He knew why Dimitri had done it. He wanted him to hear the truth from the woman herself. Dimitri wanted him to understand what her life was like growing up, so he would understand the hurdles they’d have to cross later.
And he got it.
She had been horribly abused.
“I don’t know if I should thank you or punch you in the face,” Chris stated without turning around.
“I just told Sam no violence. I think you should go with the first option.”
“Why? Why did you let me hear this?”
“You haven’t heard it all, Captain. My sister spent the first year with me afraid of the dark. She would hurt herself each and every day so she could focus on what was real and what wasn’t truly there. She would bleed to feel human.”
Chris listened to the man. The entire time, his heart was pounding in his chest.
“If you don’t believe me, look at her arms. She used to cut herself to punish someone for her life. It took years of therapy and love to pull her out.”
He was horrified. Chris had seen the marks on her wrists. He assumed, but hearing it hurt his heart.
“She’s finally whole again. I like you, Christopher. This isn’t about us. This is about her. If you think you’ll hurt her, please just let her go. I’m asking you, man to man. Set her free. She’s finally back together again.”
“I don’t know if I’m whole.”
Dimitri stared at him. “Maybe you and her will make a whole. I’ve learned a lot living here. I used to think love was bullshit, people would betray you, and life had no meaning.”
“Now?”
“There is love. It’s family. It’s gentle, and it lives where you foster it. People won’t hurt you—not always. I have hope in the future because of this place.”
“If I hurt her, it’s not because I want to do it,” he said. “I just don’t know if I should risk it.”
Dimitri knew Greyson was right. This man would never hurt Natasha on purpose.
“What scares you?”
“I don’t know how to love. I did once, and she betrayed me. I don’t know what to do.”
“Natasha, for all her scars and wounds, she’s a beautiful soul. She heals. It’s her gift. Why don’t you trust that she’ll be that gift to you?”
This whole thing was confusing the hell out of him. Chris recalled the way Dimitri rallied against Curtis and his sister, but now…
It seemed like the opposite.
“I’m confused.”
“About what?”
“You want me to be with your sister?”
He took a second to weigh all the options. Did he believe any man was worthy of his sisters?
No.
Did he think this man was as close to perfect as it could get?
Yes.
It was time to trust this family like he had asked them to trust him and his sisters.
Family did that.
It was a new day.
“I’ve noticed that the people who surround the Crofts are good, decent people. Curtis loves my sister, and I am happy to say that I was wrong about him.”
“And me?”
“You won’t hurt Natasha.”
He hoped the man was right. Staying away from Natasha was damn hard. It was making his life difficult as hell. He was dreaming about her, he could smell her perfume everywhere, and he really wanted to touch her.
He was human, and that intimacy had been missing from his life for so very long.
“I hope I live up to your beliefs.”
Yeah, so did he.
Dimitri went with honesty.
“I have hope. In life, Christopher, that’s all there really is—hope and then death. If I hold her so close, chasing away all the things that might hurt her, I’ll also chase away all the things that might bring her joy. Natasha is drawn to you. I have to let her make her own decisions.”
It sucked, but
it was true.
It was time for Dimitri to stop being a father and begin being her brother.
“Just be gentle with her heart—if not for me, then for her. She needs someone to protect her.”
He would willingly do that.
Chris would stand in front of her and be her armor. He’d proved that when he killed that guard before he could pull the trigger.
He was already sucked into this whole thing.
“I’ll try not to hurt her.”
“And I’ll try not to get angry if you do. She deserves a good person.”
“And that’s me? Are you insane? That would mean you actually like me.”
He found that amusing.
“Yes, it’s you, and no, I’m hardly insane. I’m just a man who has finally seen the light. I can’t protect them from what’s out there. I can only be here when they need me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Then that’s all I can ask. You’re a good person, and I know you’ll do the right thing. I see the way you watch her, Christopher. That’s the same way that Curtis is watching my Katerina. You have this. Have faith in yourself. If I didn’t believe it could happen, I wouldn’t be giving you the chance to get close to her.”
Dimitri took that moment to walk away.
He’d done everything he could to protect his sister. If this man was going to take on the job, he needed to be ready.
It was time to pass the baton.
Dimitri’s days as a father were over, and he’d done his job the best he could. He’d raised two beautiful, smart, and kind women. He was proud.
Now it was time to set them free.
Hopefully, they’d find their way in life.
Dimitri could do nothing more, but pray.
Chris stood there a few more seconds and watched the woman beside the broken child. He needed to make a choice, and fast.
Did he start something with her?
Did he run from her?
Did he admit he had no freaking clue and ask for help?
He wasn’t sure.
All he did know was tonight was the gallery event, and after it, he had the power to destroy some lives.
His.
And Natasha’s.
Chapter Twelve
Lost Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 2) Page 22
