Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Had I known what that kid had been facing, I’d have rescued him long fucking ago.
So, when I got the call for help, I was all too happy to offer my services and my resources.
Anurak came over then, cutting our conversation short. I pulled him in front of me, wrapping my arms around his chest. He leaned back against me, letting me support his weight. “Anurak, meet Jax. He’s family and someone else I trust with your life.”
Anurak lifted a hand and gave a shy, little wave, leaning back into me even more. Jax’s lips twitched, but he didn’t tease my boy. Instead, he just held out his hand. “Jax Gresham,” Jax told him.
Anurak slowly slipped his hand into Jax’s, and he beamed when Jax shook his hand. “Anurak… Ngam, I think. It’s been a long time since anyone has used my last name, so I don’t know if that’s right.”
My heart clenched in my chest for him. If he truly wanted to know his last name, I’d find out for him if he was still in a system somewhere, which was highly unlikely with how long he’d been missing and who had sold him. They’d been excellent at covering their tracks. But regardless of Anurak’s last name, his new last name would be mine.
Anurak Martinez.
Jax shook his head. “You can just be Anurak, kid,” Jax assured him. “It’s good to meet you, Anurak.” He looked at me over Anurak’s head. “Just have Alfonzo reach out.”
I nodded once. “Will do.”
When he left, his bike rumbling up the hill and onto the highway, Anurak turned to me. “He looks mean, but he was nice.”
I snickered and gently booped his nose with the tip of my finger, making him giggle. “Jax is honestly an asshole, perrito, but he can be gentle when he needs to be.” And that was why I knew Jax was one of the good ones. He might be a hardened criminal and one of the biggest dicks there was, but down in his core, he was a good guy. “Come on. Let’s go blow some of my money.”
He clutched at my hand as I led him back to my car. Once we were on the highway, Anurak surprised me by reaching over and moving my hand off the gear shift to lace our fingers together. When I glanced at him, his eyes were still glued to my phone, so entranced by his show that I wasn’t even sure he was fully aware he’d grabbed my hand.
This boy was wrecking me in the most beautiful way possible, and I was fully prepared for him to destroy me.
CHAPTER SIX
Rico
Shopping had worn Anurak slap out. Once he’d gotten comfortable with shopping and began to realize he liked certain things and not others, it turned into a very fun outing for him. And after we’d spent a god-awful amount of money, I took him to eat some Chinese food at the little restaurant inside the mall. By the time I’d gotten him back to the car and all of our things in the trunk, he was out cold, his lips slightly parted, soft snores leaving his lips. He hadn’t even managed to buckle himself in before he’d passed out.
I eased the car to a stop outside my house and shifted it into park before easing out of the car and walking around to his side. Bento and Niran began gathering his bags out of the car as I opened the passenger door and leaned in, unbuckling Anurak’s seatbelt. He jerked awake, his wild, panicked eyes meeting mine. I cupped his cheek, keeping my eyes locked on his until he took a deep breath, relaxing and leaning his face into my touch.
“You okay now, perrito?” I gently asked. I hated that he still woke up in fear. I knew that would take time. It’d taken me years to come out of survival mode. I knew it would take him just as long, if not longer.
He nodded. “You scared me.”
I stroked my thumb over his cheek. “You’re always safe with me,” I gently reminded him. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again.”
A dopey, adorable smile tilted his lips, and he turned his head, pressing a kiss to my palm. My heart shot up into my throat at the sweet kiss. He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and lowered my hand before turning to angle out of the car. I removed my wrist from his grasp, but before he could truly begin to miss the loss, I laced our fingers together and led him up to the house.
“I need to touch base with Alfonzo for a few minutes. Do you want to go upstairs to bed, watch TV in the living room, or sit in my office?” I asked him.
He looked up at me. “Where will you be?”