Renzo + Lucia: The Complete Trilogy - Bethany-Kris Page 0,15

man struggling and at the end of his rope. That made her chest ache for reasons she couldn’t explain.

“I think that’s all, Lucia, thank you,” the woman behind the receptionist’s desk said. “We’ll have your identification card and everything ready for you here at the front tomorrow. Okay?”

Lucia blinked back into reality fast. “Okay, thanks.”

By the time she turned back around, Laurie was already gone from the entrance. Probably back to her office, but who knew for sure. It was only the phone buzzing in her pocket that took Lucia’s attention away from the doors for a second. She answered the phone as soon as she saw her father’s name flashing on the screen.

A lie was already on the tip of her tongue, too.

“Hey, Daddy,” she said, “something came up at the shelter, so I might be a little late. That’s okay, right?”

Lucian chuckled on the other end. “All right. I was just calling to see if you were going to drive yourself home, or if you wanted someone to come get you because I figured you might be tired.”

“I’ll drive.”

Right after she spoke with the man who just left.

Yeah, right after that.

FOUR

“Can I come back?”

Renzo glanced down at his little brother. Diego’s big, worried eyes stared back at him waiting for the inevitable answer he figured was going to come. It sucked that at only four, his brother was already figuring out the world was not made for people like them. He had to learn far too young that disappointment was really the only thing he could count on.

Fucking hell …

God knew Renzo was trying to change that for his brother. He’d managed it for his sister, in some ways, and Diego was next on his list.

The thing was, the daycare was something Diego enjoyed. He had made friends with some of the other kids who attended, and the adults always kept him busy with some new activity each time he attended. He looked forward to going to the daycare a lot more than he did staying with the chick down the block.

Getting kicked out would break his heart.

Renzo wasn’t going to let that happen.

Bending down to one knee on the sidewalk, he was eye-level with his little brother once he leaned forward a bit. Renzo grabbed hold of Diego’s shoulders, and squeezed just tight enough to give his brother the feeling of a hug.

“I promise, you can come back,” Renzo said.

Still, it felt like a lie on his tongue. He was going to try his hardest to make sure Diego didn’t lose his spot. He’d guarantee that if not him, then someone else would be here every single day to pick the kid up even if he had to pay someone to do it.

Diego shifted the little backpack on his shoulders, and held tight to the straps. “You’re sure?”

“Do I ever lie to you?”

His little brother shook his head.

Renzo grinned, and patted the boy on his grinning cheek. “Exactly, no. Besides, they like you too much in there to kick you out, right?”

That really had Diego lighting up.

Renzo could only chuckle.

“I guess,” Diego said, showing off all kinds of teeth as he smiled.

Yeah, he guesses.

Already, the boy was humble.

Life taught them that shit, too. Way too early.

“All right. You hungry?”

Diego nodded. “Yeah, a little.”

The food he’d grabbed earlier was probably cold and soaked in grease by now. Although, Diego wasn’t fussy when it came to food. He’d eat anything as long as it wasn’t green, and it hadn’t spoiled. He could pop those burgers and fries in the microwave, and they’d be good to go. Diego would be happy.

Except …

Their mother was still passed out on the couch. If the crazy bitch hadn’t already woke up from her stupor, and headed out for her next fix. Or overdosed right where she slept. Either was a very real possibility, but it was more likely that she had probably woken up by now and headed out.

Still, the idea that Diego might see their mother strung out—or worse—was not something Renzo wanted after a day like today. Already, the kid’s mind was probably too heavy with all the other worries he’d picked up. There was no need to add their mother to that when she wasn’t even worthy of her four-year-old’s concerns, frankly.

Diego glanced up at Renzo again.

Big-eyed, and tired.

That much was obvious.

Renzo sighed. The kid just needed to get home, be fed, and put to bed. If he was quick about it, Diego might not even see their mother on