hung up his wet coat and smiled when he saw that she was still standing in the same spot, looking at the set like the villain was going to jump out from it and chase her.
“Why watch a scary movie?” He sat down on the small couch and pulled her down next to him. “I mean, there must be something else on.” He flipped through the channels.
“It’s less than a week until Halloween. What do you expect?”
“Really?” He shook his head. He’d forgotten about Halloween. Hell, he’d forgotten how long they’d been in hiding. Was it really only a week or two?
“What? You don’t like Halloween?” She turned towards him.
“Sure, I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders and muted the television.
“Did you go trick-or-treating as a kid?”
He shook his head no. “Our nearest neighbor was four miles away. Besides, Dad wouldn’t have let us eat the candy anyway.”
“You must have missed hanging with other kids your age then, being so far away and living in a small town.”
He shook his head again. “We didn’t know any different. I mean, when we came here, of course, we always enjoyed it a lot better. But we had each other.”
“Is that where you were tonight?” She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees.
“Yeah, I thought you’d like some privacy.” He looked down at his hands.
When she was quiet, he glanced over at her and saw the tears streaming down her face. “Oh, princess, don’t do that.” He pulled her close and used his thumb to gently wipe the tears streaming down her face.
“He lied to me. My whole life he lied to me.” She laid her head on his shoulder.
“Who?” He rubbed his hand over her hair and felt her sniffling as more tears soaked his shirt.
“My father. My whole life he told me he was a detective.”
“Isn’t he?” Fear and worry jumped into his mind.
“I suppose, but he worked undercover narcotics.”
“And? I’m a detective working undercover narcotics.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “He never told me.”
He shook his head. “I guess I don’t understand.” He watched her get up and wipe her eyes with the back of her hands. “He would never really tell me what he did, just that he was a detective. I guess I’d always assumed it was like the TV shows. You know...” She sniffled and wiped her eyes again.
He tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop it. “You think what we do is supposed to be glamorous. Like you see on TV or in the movies.” He got up and put his hands on her shoulders. When she looked up at him, he smiled. “Princess, you do live in your own fairy tale.” He pulled her chin up until she looked at him. “What I do, and what your father used to, isn’t glamorous. There were months at a time that I didn’t even bathe. Months I spent living on the streets until I could prove to someone that I wasn’t a nark.” He pulled her back towards the couch.
“Would you lie to someone you love though?”
He pulled her close. “Lie? I think of what your father did as sheltering you from the raw facts.” If he’d had a daughter during all this, would he want to come home from work and tell her the gritty details? The answer was a definite no. Not even if she was an adult would he want her to know the facts of what he’d lived through over the last few years.
“Nikki, I know it’s hard to understand.” He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, “But there are some things that I wouldn’t even want my brother to know about this job.” He looked at her, begging for her to understand.
Nikki’s heart broke a little, seeing the concern in Ryan’s eyes. What had this man gone through in the last few years? Then her heart skipped. What had her father lived through? She’d been so focused on feeling the betrayal, she’d never once considered that her father had been trying to protect her from the ugly truth about his job.
She sighed and rested her head against Ryan’s shoulder. “I’m
“Why watch a scary movie?” He sat down on the small couch and pulled her down next to him. “I mean, there must be something else on.” He flipped through the channels.
“It’s less than a week until Halloween. What do you expect?”
“Really?” He shook his head. He’d forgotten about Halloween. Hell, he’d forgotten how long they’d been in hiding. Was it really only a week or two?
“What? You don’t like Halloween?” She turned towards him.
“Sure, I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders and muted the television.
“Did you go trick-or-treating as a kid?”
He shook his head no. “Our nearest neighbor was four miles away. Besides, Dad wouldn’t have let us eat the candy anyway.”
“You must have missed hanging with other kids your age then, being so far away and living in a small town.”
He shook his head again. “We didn’t know any different. I mean, when we came here, of course, we always enjoyed it a lot better. But we had each other.”
“Is that where you were tonight?” She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees.
“Yeah, I thought you’d like some privacy.” He looked down at his hands.
When she was quiet, he glanced over at her and saw the tears streaming down her face. “Oh, princess, don’t do that.” He pulled her close and used his thumb to gently wipe the tears streaming down her face.
“He lied to me. My whole life he lied to me.” She laid her head on his shoulder.
“Who?” He rubbed his hand over her hair and felt her sniffling as more tears soaked his shirt.
“My father. My whole life he told me he was a detective.”
“Isn’t he?” Fear and worry jumped into his mind.
“I suppose, but he worked undercover narcotics.”
“And? I’m a detective working undercover narcotics.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “He never told me.”
He shook his head. “I guess I don’t understand.” He watched her get up and wipe her eyes with the back of her hands. “He would never really tell me what he did, just that he was a detective. I guess I’d always assumed it was like the TV shows. You know...” She sniffled and wiped her eyes again.
He tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop it. “You think what we do is supposed to be glamorous. Like you see on TV or in the movies.” He got up and put his hands on her shoulders. When she looked up at him, he smiled. “Princess, you do live in your own fairy tale.” He pulled her chin up until she looked at him. “What I do, and what your father used to, isn’t glamorous. There were months at a time that I didn’t even bathe. Months I spent living on the streets until I could prove to someone that I wasn’t a nark.” He pulled her back towards the couch.
“Would you lie to someone you love though?”
He pulled her close. “Lie? I think of what your father did as sheltering you from the raw facts.” If he’d had a daughter during all this, would he want to come home from work and tell her the gritty details? The answer was a definite no. Not even if she was an adult would he want her to know the facts of what he’d lived through over the last few years.
“Nikki, I know it’s hard to understand.” He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, “But there are some things that I wouldn’t even want my brother to know about this job.” He looked at her, begging for her to understand.
Nikki’s heart broke a little, seeing the concern in Ryan’s eyes. What had this man gone through in the last few years? Then her heart skipped. What had her father lived through? She’d been so focused on feeling the betrayal, she’d never once considered that her father had been trying to protect her from the ugly truth about his job.
She sighed and rested her head against Ryan’s shoulder. “I’m
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