Week 320 – Just in time

Trust him?

After he’d just thrown her out of a window?

Maisie would never trust this insane man again, and yet … he’d said he knew what life without her was like and didn’t want to go through it again.

Maybe he shouldn’t throw her out a window to her death then.

The landing came faster than she had been expecting.

Softer too.

And smellier.

Look like he’d thrown her into a dumpster. Great. So he was throwing her away like trash now, and trying to keep her son.

Before she could unload the litany of curses she wanted to rain down on the man who had hurt her worse than everything else she’d been through combined, he dropped into the dumpster beside her.

Unlike her his landing was almost elegant, and he rolled up onto his feet like he’d done it a thousand times before, and shoved a squirming little bundle into her arms.

“Mama, that was the funnest thing ever,” Milo squealed in delight.

Great. So her son was a daredevil like his father. Just what she needed.

Unlike her little boy she was terrified. Drugged, abducted, seeing Match again, now being shot at, she had no idea what was going on or how to protect her son from it.

“Match, who are they? Friends of yours?”

“I’d call them enemies,” he said as he scooped her and Milo into his arms and jumped out of the dumpster, setting her on her feet beside him.

“Why are they here?”

“For you, and the boy. Tried to keep you safe, babydoll, my world is a dangerous one, didn’t want it to taint you, shouldn’t have been selfish and let you get so close. Thought leaving would take the target off your back. I was wrong.”

Maisie’s brow furrowed and she rubbed at her temple as a stress headache took hold. Too much information too quickly, too many truths she’d thought she knew turned on their head, too many confusing emotions.

“They’re going to kill us if they get us?” she asked as he grabbed her hand and began to hustle her down the alley.

“Yeah, babydoll, that and other stuff first.”

Other stuff?

He meant hurting her. And her baby. That was something she couldn’t allow.

Pulling back against Match’s. “If it comes down to it, promise me you’ll protect Milo.”

“I’ll protect you both,” he vowed.

“But if you can’t Milo comes first,” she insisted. Nothing in the world was more important to her than her sweet son. “Promise me, Match. Milo comes first. Always.”

Even in the dark she could see the indecision in his eyes. He wanted to pretend he could do everything, but that didn’t mean he could, and she wouldn’t allow her baby to get hurt.

“The boy comes first,” he reluctantly agreed.

Just in time because the night erupted into gunfire and match took off running, dragging her along with him. Maisie prayed she wasn’t making a mistake going with him, because if she was she and her son would pay the price.