“I know he’s not.”
“How?”
“Hospital records,” Levi says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
Tension snaps down my spine like a ruler. “You meanprivatehospital records?”
Levi holds up his other hand in surrender while a soft, knowing smile plays across his lips. “I didn’t read anything. I just called to make sure there was nothing here that could give him an allergic reaction. You’re welcome.”
“You could haveasked,” I snap gently, fighting to keep my voice level in front of Scott.
“Oh, so you wanted me to come see you in the shower?” His dark brows bounce playfully, and I turn away abruptly to hide the heat flaring across my cheeks. Scott complains immediately at no longer being able to see his cartoons and wiggles in my arms, but I keep a firm grip of him and carry him toward the kitchen.
“I’m assuming it’s fine for me to leave?” I ask as we enter the kitchen. A small blue bowl of nearly finished cereal sits on one of the counters next to an empty cup with coffee stains and the crusts of toast on a plate. Levi still doesn’t eat his crusts.
A grown man who kills people on the daily but can’t stand the tough outer crust of bread. It almost doesn’t make sense.
“You can leave as long as I go with you,” Levi says, following me.
Setting Scott down on the stool, I sit next to him and keep one hand on his lower back while handing him my phone toplay with once more. At least Levi appears to be keeping things pleasant in front of Scott, so I try to use that to my advantage.
“What if I want to leave on my own?”
“Where could you possibly need to go?”
My eyes narrow. He might mean it as a genuine question, but it stings to hear the subtle disbelief in his voice. “I have places to go. People to see.”
“Like who?”
“Well, I need a change of clothes, for starters. So does Scott. All of his toys and more are back at my apartment.”
“No, they’re not.” Levi braces both hands on the opposite counter and leans forward an inch. I lock onto his eyes and utterly refuse to look at the way his muscles flex and strain at the position, or how some of his hair sweeps down from his hairline and kisses his forehead when he tilts his head.
“What do you mean? Where’s my stuff?”
“I had your apartment emptied of important stuff. It’s on its way here. Your place isn’t safe until we find Cameron.”
“Uncle Cameron?” Scott perks up immediately and looks up at me with his wide, golden eyes. “Is he okay?”
Rubbing his back, I smile strongly. “Do you think he’s okay?” I ask softly, prying gently. “Was he okay the last time you saw him?”
Scott shrugs and his face falls. “He was sad,” he says with a sniffle. “He was sad and told me to go with his friend and then he’d come and get me if I was good, so I tried, but he… but he never did.” His face crumples slightly and when he blinks, tears flood his eyes. “Did they leave me because I was bad?”
“Oh no, honey, not at all!” Abandoning all thought of everything else, I pull Scott into my lap and hug him tightly while he sniffles. “You weren’t bad at all. Uncle Cameron just…” I end up looking at Levi for help, searching for what kind of excuse I can give that won’t break my four-year-old’s heart.
“Uncle Cameron got lost,” Levi says suddenly. “You know how easy that is, don’t you?”
Scott nods, rubbing at his eye while he sniffles.
“But don’t worry, that’s why I’m here. I’m so great at hide and seek, so I’m going to find Uncle Cameron, and in the meantime, you and your mommy get to stay here until Uncle Cameron comes to collect his prize. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
“Yeah,” Scott whines, hiccupping while I rub his back. “Okay.”
“Actually.” Levi pushes off the counter and smirks. “I have the best idea.”
Levi’s idea involved taking Scott and me to a local mall where we spent the better part of two hours shopping for new clothes and toys. Part of me detested that Levi had so much money to splash around and he didn’t look at the price tag of anything, but that hatred melted away when it came to buying things for Scott. I decided if we’re going to be stuck with him for a while, then I was going to make sure my son had the best that money could buy. We bought new toys, new clothes, a fancy coloring set, and even two game consoles with a mix of fun and educational games.
Scott was smiling from ear to ear by the time Levi’s men loaded up the cars to take it all back to the penthouse, but Levi wasn’t finished there. From the mall, we went for lunch at a burger bar and Scott tasted his very first pickle. The most disgusting thing he’d ever tasted in the end, and his reaction was hilarious once he got over the shock of how slimy it was. From there, we spent the afternoon at the Adventure Dome at Circus Circus. Scott tasted his first piece of cotton candy and we experienced his first rollercoaster together, a gentle pirate ship that rocked back and forth, but Scott loved it so much, we went on it six more times before evening fell.
