A bit narcissistic. Extremely smart.
“Yeah.” Noah rubbed his eyes. “Dillan says he has awab.”
Dante lifted the front of his shirt to dry his son’s cheeks. “Yes. So, you see? Miss Amanda will be safe.”
“Okay.” Noah yawned. “Maybe we can visit her inda wabtomorrow.”
Dante placed his son back under the covers, relieved to see his eyes were already drifting closed. He quietly got ready for bed and slipped in next to Noah, knowing sleep wouldn’t come for him that easily, if at all.
***
Eight hours later, Dante parked behind the strip mall that shared the alley with ESI and got out. As expected, he hadn’t slept much, just visualized one horrific scenario after another that had haunted his waking hours.
This business of staying away from Amanda was not going to be easy. Especially with a son who insisted on seeing her.
“Come on, Dad, get me out,” Noah whined from his car seat in the back of his extended cab. “We gotta see Miss Amanda and tell her to keep her purse safe.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Dante felt his lips twitching.
His son came out with some doozies.
Using his key card, he entered the building through the door next to the bay door that was currently closed. Noah let go of his hand as soon as he spotted Amanda, Mel, and Rylee and her baby, sitting on some chairs while Dex and Carter cleaned the gigantic, man-size bird cage.
“Miss Amanda!” he shouted, rushing straight for her.
Her eyes widened, and she glanced from his sprinting son to Dante and then back to Noah again.
Dante’s heart stopped for a beat as he worried that she was going to shy away from the boy.
Christ, that was the last thing the poor kid needed.
But he needn’t have worried. She smiled and knelt with her arms open, and Noah rushed right into her. A bracelet dangled on her wrist, and he silently commended Carter for puttingthe tracking device on her even though she was safely in the building.
“Miss Amanda! You’re okay!” His son smiled. “You need to keep your purse close. Don’t want da bad guys to get it.”
“Bad…guys…whatcha gonna do,” Lex the cockatoo chanted as he bobbed his head.
“Okay,” she said, bewilderment and adoration flashing through her gaze.
Noah drew back and frowned. “You said some not nice things.”
“I-I did?” Her gaze shot to Dante as he neared.
He lifted a hand to rub his son’s head. “Someone overheard you last night. He thinks you want to stay away from him.”
Remorse flickered through her eyes and her brow wrinkled. “Oh, sweetheart. What I meant was, I want you to be safe, so I need to stay away.”
Noah nodded. “I know. Cause ofdabad guys. Daddy told me.”
Her gaze met his again and he shrugged. “He’s a persuasive guy.”
“Crystal blue…persuasion…”Marilyn the cockatoo crooned out.
Everyone laughed.
“And Carter’s only an idiot when he isn’t watching people,” Noah told her.
Amanda bit her lip and Mel, Rylee, Dex, and Carter all glanced at him. Then Mel and Rylee nodded.
