Thief of Hearts (18 page)

He smiled sadly. Someday he’d have to ask her about her entire childhood, beginning to end. He hoped he could hear the entire story without crying…or putting his fist through a wall. “I’m sure Wechter would help you get approved,” he said gently.

“You won’t mind? The kids will come and go, you know. And they’ll be…damaged. Some of them.

They probably won’t like us much.”

“Me, probably not. You…” He rested a finger on the tip of her nose. “What’s not to like?”

Kara sat down at the kitchen table somewhat heavily. At five months pregnant, getting around was definitely trickier than usual. She’d never been so heavy in her life. So clumsy in her life! It was a good thing she’d given up hacking, because she probably couldn’t fit through the front door of a lot of her old targets by now. Slow as she now was, she’d probably trip the alarm a dozen times before so much as touching the front door.

She poured Gary more cereal, knowing he was still hungry and knowing he wouldn’t ask for seconds.

It was amazing, she thought, that the great Avenging Angel, scourge of city scum, the feared burglar who could crack any lock and bypass any security system, didn’t know her own ovulatory cycle. In the warehouse closet, on Jared’s—their—living room floor and in their bed the night before she’d gone to see Thomas Wechter, it had indeed been her time to get pregnant. Two months later, Jared had laughed like a loon when she’d told him, then kissed her on the mouth and immediately taken her to bed.

Afterward, he’d charged to Babies R Us like a man possessed.

She grinned, remembering, and Gary looked up at her questioningly. “I was thinking about something happy,” she explained. “Something about Jared.”

Gary nodded and kept eating. He had no comment to add and Kara didn’t expect one. Gary was small for his age and his medical records were a nightmare of too many burns and broken bones. He didn’t talk much and tensed whenever Jared—or any adult male—entered the room. Kara knew what that meant and ground her teeth in silent rage for what the child had been through.

Jared knew what it meant, too and did his best not to startle the boy. Since the man tended to bound through their home like a kangaroo on uppers, that wasn’t always successful. But in the three weeks Gary had stayed with them, he seemed to gradually relax, even around her husband.

The boy had stopped eating, she noticed and was watching her silently. She poured herself another glass of milk and mopped the last of her egg yolk from her plate with a piece of toast.
No wonder I’m so fat I
can hardly see my feet
, she thought with in inward chuckle. “Gary? Did you want to ask me something?”

He nodded. “I was wondering…how long…will I stay here?”

“Well.” She considered the answer carefully. “Your stepfather will go to jail. And your mom has to follow some rules to get you back.”

“Like stop drinking?”

“Like that and some other stuff. But the thing is, she really really wants you back. She misses you a lot.

She didn’t know her husband was doing bad things to you.”

“I didn’t tell her,” Gary whispered.

Kara nodded. “But the way the judge looks at it is, she should have figured it out, you know? That’s why you have to stay somewhere else for a while. She’s trying awfully hard, Gary, only it’ll take time.

The judge has to be sure, absolutely sure that you won’t be hurt in her house anymore. And it’ll take a while for her to follow all the rules so you can live with her again. I would guess you’ll be with Jared and me for at least six months.” She paused. “Is that okay?”

Gary nodded.

“Because if you would rather stay somewhere else, that’s totally okay and Jared and I won’t be mad, I promise. You don't even have to say it to me, you could tell your case worker—”

“I like it here,” Gary said casually and stood to put his cereal bowl in the sink. Kara was cheered that he’d felt confident enough to interrupt her. She started to get up to put her own plate in the sink when she heard the crash of Gary’s cereal bowl hitting the tile.

All the color drained from the boy’s face and he cringed away from her. “I’m sorry!” he cried. “I didn’t mean to!”

“Hey, Gary, relaaaaaaaaaax,” she said casually, inwardly wishing the boy’s stepfather would stop by just long enough for her to break all his fingers. “I drop stuff all the time. So does Jared.”

“You—you do?”

“It’s no big deal.”

He looked as if he didn’t believe her. “It’s not?”

She raised her plate high, then dropped it. It shattered spectacularly. “Nope. See? Like I said. Happens all the time.”

He stared at her. She decided he was still entirely too tense and so dropped, in rapid succession, both their juice glasses and his bread plate.

“Accidents will happen,” she said cheerfully as the bread plate broke against the wall. “See, Gary?

They’re just
things
. You can always buy more
things
.”

“Won’t—won’t Dr. Dean be mad?”

“Dr. Dean just wants to know what the heck you two are up to.”

Gary jumped again. Jared was standing in the kitchen doorway, looking at the mess and shaking his head.

“Gary had an accident,” Kara explained. “Then I had several.”

Jared’s lips went white as he pressed them together, but the laugh escaped anyway. Kara grinned at the sound and Gary visibly relaxed.

“I’ll clean it up,” Gary said timidly.

“Freeze,” Jared ordered and Gary froze. “You’re both in socks. Gary, I’m going to pick you up and put you in the living room. Kara, I have no idea how I’ll heft your gross bulk, but I’ll think of something. Then
I’ll
clean it up.”

“See if you get any tonight,” she muttered as Jared gingerly picked his way through the minefield of glass slivers, picked Gary up and carried him out. Then he returned for her.

“I can do it,” she said doubtfully. “I’m pretty coordinated.”

He snorted. “Says the woman who tripped getting out of bed this morning. Just stand still.” He scooped her up with a theatrical groan, stole a kiss, then staggered into the living room. Gary saw them coming and giggled. He was standing next to their neighbor, Ava.

“Well, hi,” Kara said, surprised, as Jared put her down and returned to the kitchen. “I didn’t know Jared had brought company. Do you have time for a bite?”

“No,” Ava said regretfully. She was a charming matron with two young sons, both of whom had been over to play with Gary. She and Kara had absolutely nothing in common and Kara didn’t know if she liked Ava because of that, or in spite of that. “I just need to call the locksmith. Jack took my keys to work with him and now I’m locked out.”

Kara edged toward the door. She had an idea why Jared had brought Ava over. “Did you try the back door?”

“No, but I know it’s locked,” Ava assured her. “It’s always locked.”

“Still. It never hurts to try. Let me check it for you. Keep an eye on Gary for me?”

“We broke things,” Gary reported solemnly to Ava as Kara left the room.

Sure, Kara thought, grabbing her smallest toolkit on her way out, I promised. No more hacking. But that doesn’t mean Ava should be stuck outside for the six hours it’ll take a locksmith to get here.

She grinned. She was hopelessly in love. She had a baby on the way and nice neighbors and was finally part of the system in a good way, a helpful way. She was married to a passionate, amazing, wonderful man and she still got to crack the occasional lock.

Life was good. And, in a way, it was all because of Ole One Eyebrow.

Kara laughed and bent to the lock.