Broken Road

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

Winthrop’s fingers were tracing lazy circles over the small of her back, sending shivers of delight down her spine. His breath was steady drawing in deep and slow, melting all of Devil’s tenseness away.

   Devil flexed her hand which was spread palm down on Winthrop’s chest, over his heart.

   “I was thinking,” she said starting to make circles of her own, “that with everything happening so fast that we need to take a break.”

   Like a cold splash of cool spring water in winter his dreamy haze parted to the cold breath of reality breathing down the back of his neck. Winthrop jerked into a sitting position.

   “What?” he gaped at Devil.

   Disgruntled about being moved Devil sat up not even bothering to cover herself.

   “We need a break, Winthrop. Or else we’ll drive ourselves into a hole in the ground,” Devil explained. “I already feel stir crazy being trapped here.”

   Something settled into the pit of his stomach. Not this again, anything but this…!

   Winthrop braced himself against the words that were going to shatter his new found happiness. Devil was going to tell him that she was leaving with Lilla and she never wanted to see him again, it was Jenny all over again, but somehow this was going to be different from when Jenny had left with his cousin. When jenny had walked away she had walked away with his trust in women, but if Devil left he would lose much, much more then that.

   Then it hit him, he really cared for her. Cared to the point he would tie her up to keep her from leaving. Well he had cared somewhat with Jenny, but he more then cared for Devil. The little hellion and her niece had turned his world inside out and him too for that matter.

   Oh yes, he did more then care, but he was too scared at the thought to even put words to the feeling. Hadn’t he been mistrusting of women and hated them for their cold and cruel thinking?

   Yes he had, but Devil wasn’t like any other women he had met in his life.

   He had nothing however, that he could use to make her stay. She was the famous Devil Runner after all, she was richer then he could ever dream of, and she was beautiful, by god was she beautiful, and so not within his reach.

   Winthrop came back from his black thoughts as she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

   “Helloooo? Earth to Winthrop. Do you even hear a single word I said?” Devil asked him, searching his face.

   “Yes,” Winthrop muttered darkly.

   “Good,” she smiled then, “we need a break. Go somewhere where no one knows who we are or cares for that matter. And where no one will try and kill us or put us in danger.”

   “What?” he asked in surprise for the second time no less. He had been waiting for her to say she was leaving and this is what she tells him? A plan to get away for a few days?

    She frowned at him. “What? You  want to be stuck in this- this,” she chews her lip thinking of the right words. “This mafia/military warzone fort,” she decided with a nod of her head, “forever?”

   Winthrop laid back on the bed pulling Devil with him on top of his chest with a howl of laughter.

   “Not really,” he admitted a few moments later.

   “Good. In that case we can leave for a little while and go out to play,” Devil said cheerfully.

   He felt himself grin crookedly down at her youthful happiness. “Sorry, Kid, but I don’t play at my age.”

   “Oh really?” she lifted a brow, “And don’t do that.”

   “Do what?”

   “Call me a kid. I’ll be nineteen in a few days and with my past I never got the chance to be a kid. Plus I don’t think you would be jumping my bones if I were a kid,” Devil said giving him a punch in the shoulder.

   Surprise flashed in his silver blue eyes. “You didn’t tell me your birthday was coming up.” He said gruffly and he nearly winced at the roughness in his words.

   Devil was surprised herself. “You care about my birthday?”

   Winthrop grabbed her by the arms and pulled her close until they were face to face, when they were he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

   “Of course I care, why wouldn’t I? Why didn’t you tell me?”

   Touched by his gentleness she shrugged. “I didn’t find it important. I’ve never celebrated a birthday before. It’s just another day in another year.”

   He shook her by the shoulders. “No it is not. It was the day you were born, a special day.” Winthrop brushed the hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. “You are special, never doubt that and value the life you were given.”

   This was like nothing that she had ever been told before, never has someone, anyone told her to value her birth in the world. Not even Royal, no he had cared a lot, but didn’t like personal matters of a serious nature. So now she did not know what to say or do.

   “thank you?” She hadn’t meant it to come out as a question with her shaking voice, but it had, and tears stung her eyes. She now knew just how much he cared.

   Winthrop looked down at her and into her face and saw tears swimming in her eyes. He pulled her full against his body in a tight embrace, laying his head on top of her hair and closing his eyes. Rocking slowly back and forth he willed the pain to leave her, for the memories to leave her as well.

   How could any parent be so cruel to a child, but he knew. His mother hadn’t meant to be cruel when she left him and his little brother, but she had been.

   Devil squeaked when his arms tightened to a point where he could have snapped her in half.

   Quickly he loosened his grip and relaxed with her in his arms.

   She was special indeed. She was the key to everything he had been trying to lock up, and she gave him the gift of understanding when she had so much pain in her past.

   She wasn’t special he decided then she was a miracle.

    “Where do you want to go?” was all he asked.

   Devil grinned up at him and wiped away her annoying tears. “I was hoping you would ask me that. I want you to saw me what you did growing up.”