Cruz (Dark and Dirty Sinners' MC #5) - Serena Akeroyd Page 0,76
at him. "I don't think we've met."
Unease slipped into his mask, but he returned my smile with a pleasant one of his own. "I'm Martin. Keira asked me to help out, so help out I am."
"Oh?" I tipped my head to the side. "You're friends?"
Cyan burst in, "Yeah, Indy, we're friends."
Her rebellious tone had me frowning at her, but I just said, “I don't think your daddy would like to hear you talking to one of his friends like that, do you?”
Her mouth turned mutinous. "Don't care what Dad wants or doesn't want," she snapped, and her hand reached for the guy's. Only, he dumped it like it was as hot as burning coal.
Dismay graced the small features, followed by acute distress, and sensing that this situation was derailing, I murmured, "This is actually good timing, Cyan, because I have a gift for you."
She scowled at me. "You do?"
I knew why she was confused. I barely knew her, had never talked to her, so why the hell would I have a gift for her?
"I do. But it's in my store." I cut Martin a look. "I'll make sure she gets home safely."
He started to protest, but then he said, "Okay, I'm sure that'll be fine. I'll check in with Keira later—"
I'd just bet he fucking would. The liar. The stench of the untruth polluted the air around us.
I reached out for Cyan's hand and murmured, "Come on, honey."
She shot Martin a look, but he was shooing her away with a smile that held the tinge of a warning—something I remembered too well from my own past. The tenderness that was couched in a selfish desire. The pervasive command that told a small child they would get what they wanted, no matter if the kid was scared or unhappy—their wants counted for nothing in this dynamic.
The past choked me, shadows flooding me to the point where I could have blacked out, but knowing I had to keep her safe, had to protect her like no one had protected me, I tugged her into moving, and when we reached the counter, Pearl, the server, called out, "Indy, I've got her ice cream here."
I paused, waited for Pearl to pass Cyan her treat, then tugged her out onto the street.
As the ice cream started dripping down her hand, I got the feeling that today hadn't turned out how she'd expected.
Nor had it for Martin.
Brightly, I asked, "Where did your mom meet Martin?"
Cyan scuffed her toe into the ground, and that goddamn ice cream carried on dripping down her hand. Splat. Splat. Splat. We left a trail of breadcrumbs back to my store of molten orange sherbet.
"He's a volunteer with the gymnastics' team at school."
My throat felt tight. "Huh. I didn't realize you were into gymnastics."
"Well, no, you wouldn't know that, would you? You don't know me."
And that begged the question why she'd come with me, why Martin had allowed her to go, if they were supposed to be together. If they weren't trying to hide something.
When we made it back to my store, I saw Cruz was waiting there, scowling at me, but his scowl dispersed when he stared down at Cyan's wan face.
I flared my eyes, trying to get him to back off, and he seemed to get it because he retreated to the backroom without Cyan catching notice of him.
As I locked the door behind me, pocketing the key so that she couldn't run off, I murmured, "Take a seat. You need to eat that ice cream or more of it will be on you rather than in you."
She flung herself down on the sofa and did as I asked. No enjoyment to it, just mechanical in motion like she wanted to obey to, once again, quell my suspicions.
Unfortunately for her, my suspicions were at an all-time high, mostly because I knew from what Stone had told me that Cyan had been acting up like mad, giving her mom a lot of shit. But also because of my past.
She was a prime target for someone like Kevin. I could almost stamp his face onto Martin's features.
Animals all looked the same.
I had a small table over in the corner with a Keurig on there and some cups along with a tray of pods, and desperately in need of the caffeine and the sugar, I started brewing a cup before I murmured, "Martin looked kind."
Cyan peeped a look at me before she muttered, "He is."