Page 12 of Double the Redemption

It was the same when she was a kid, but the resources she’d had wouldn’t be available now.

The raucous laughter outside startled her out of her thoughts, so she quickly moved to the side of the window to look out. She’d heard bikes arrive, and looking down, she saw Ink, Ice, and Jax all getting off their bikes, laughing and talking loudly.

Was it really necessary for all the men around here to be so damn handsome? Not one of them was ugly or grizzled as she expected most bikers to be. The same went for the Devil’s Predators. They had a hardened edge the Dragons didn’t have, but all of them were really good-looking.

Her gaze was most drawn to Ink, though. She always liked the look of a man with tattoos. Not that she knew why, considering the men she surrounded herself with.

She wasn’t stupid; the Dragons weren’t on the right side of the law either, but they didn’t give off the vibes Diego and his men did.

There was a certain air about the men who worked in the dirt and muck of the criminal world. These men didn’t have that.

Ink really was good-looking, and seeing him hold and play with Asher this morning made her see him differently. He seemed so open and carefree, and even though it’d terrified her that Asher wasn’t with her, a strange sense of contentment overcame her that her son was so happy to play with someone other than her.

She moved to step away from the window but froze when Ink looked up, his gaze meeting hers. Horrified that he caught her staring, she gave an awkward smile, then he offered her a warm smile and waved. The other two turned to look as well, so she waved before stepping back from the window and putting her face in her hands.

God, she sucked. Why couldn’t she just be normal? Staring at men like a creeper? What was she?

Asher let out a sharp “Mama,” banging his hand on the coffee table in front of him. “I’m hungry.”

His speech was improving every day, but not being allowed to talk while living in that terrible apartment when anyone was around had stunted him, and she was really working to help him reach where he should be.

“Alright, baby, let’s get you something to eat.” Thankfully, the apartment had plenty of options. “What do you feel like? Mac and cheese? Or do you want to try something new?” They did have the ingredients to make some homemade burgers and fries.

“Ummmm … new. I help?”

She smiled, relaxing. He always wanted to help and learn new things, and she loved to encourage it. “Yes, you can help. Come on.”

It took twice as long to make dinner, but Asher enjoyed himself so much that she didn’t care that her stomach was hurting from being so hungry. Asher giggled as he watched her put together his smaller burger-and-fries plate, with a small helping of corn. One of the few vegetables he ate without complaint.

“I did it, Mama. I did it!” He said it so proudly it made her heart tighten.

“You did, baby. You did such a great job.” After preparing her plate, she set it on the small dining table then helped him into his chair. She moved to take her seat but stopped when someone knocked at the door.

Asher lost his smile and ran for the couch, ducking behind it. She wanted to cry. No child should ever have to go through that. She wanted to tell him to come out, but he had to see for himself it was safe.

How to do that, she didn’t know.

She walked to the door, her hands trembling, and looked out the peephole. Her breath caught when she saw Ink standing there, something in his hand. Why was he here?

Should she let him in? Or ignore him? Her thoughts conflicted, leaving her still and unsure.

“Naomi?” Ink called through the door. “It’s Ink. Just wondering if I could get your help with something. I won’t take up too much of your time, I promise.”

Naomi bit her lip. What could he need help with? Was this some trap to break into her apartment? Maybe he was trying to …

No, damn it. She had to stop thinking that everyone was like Diego. Not everyone was out to get her.

She opened the door before she chickened out, biting her lip.

He gave her a warm smile. “Hi. I’m sorry to just drop by, but I was hoping I could get your help with something.” He held up a folder full of papers, a few slipping out. “I’m terrible with paperwork, and I can’t seem to find where I’ve gone wrong in my math. I normally ask Ice since he’s our club treasurer, but he’s busy with something, and I need to get all this shit done before tomorrow night, and well …” He gave me a sheepish grin.

Wait, he wants me to help him with paperwork? Really? Meanwhile, my mind was racing, eager to have something to work on. To keep me busy.

“I’ve never done regular accounting before for a business.”

“Anything is better than having the IRS all over my ass.” He gave an exaggerated shudder, and she couldn’t help but smile. “Please?”

She really wanted something to do, and he didn’t seem like a terrible guy. “Alright, I’ll have a look.”