The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

38. Thursday Week Fifteen (the tension.)

38. Thursday Week Fifteen (the tension.)

"Dad," Raven started but one stern look from Mikael abruptly shut her up.

No one moved for a moment but then I remembered the girls. I looked across the table, Aspen had tears running down her face and Ivy was covering her eyes with her hands; they were terrified. Debbie was between them, arms wrapped around them, acting as a shield to hide them from the sight of their father casually eating cake with a goddamn gun on the table.

Sick to the stomach at the sight I rose from my chair. Mikael's eyes flickered over to me with indifference but he said nothing, continued to eat his cake. It was Vincent who added fuel to the fire, of course.

He grabbed my wrist which made Eli bang his fist on the table and warn in a voice I had never heard him adopt before, a slow, calculated and utterly threatening voice, "get the fuck off her, Vincent."

Something in his tone must have shaken Vincent because he released me. Subsequently, I grabbed Riley's hand in my own before rounding the table and picking up Ivy. I then clasped Aspen's hand tightly in my own and made way to leave the room. Visually, it looked as though I was comforting them but having them in my arms gave me a sense of relief which I desperately needed. Debbie gave me a look of pure gratitude as I stumbled past her in my heels.

Ivy was crying into my shoulder and Aspen's hand was gripping mine so tight, I feared she would break it. I ushered them all up the stairs just as shouting broke out in the dining room. Riley's room was the furthest so I herded all the kids there. The door clicked behind me as I shut it firmly in place and all of them huddled close to each other as I placed them on the bed and turned the TV on to the loudest volume.

I handed Riley the remote, "I have to go back downstairs, okay?"

Ivy and Aspen both shook their heads vigorously and then Ivy whispered, "please stay with us, Rei."

Conflicted, I ran my hand through her hair before cupping her cheek in my hand, "baby, I have to make sure your brother's okay. Riley is going to stay here with you and nothing, I mean nothing, is going to hurt you, okay?"

They nodded their heads and I gave them both kisses on their foreheads before I turned to Riles, "just put a movie on for them, I won't be long okay?" Riley nodded but I could tell by his eyes that he was scared too so I pulled him into a hug, "everything is going to be okay." Riley squeezed his arms around me tighter before nodding into my shoulder, I pulled away and planted a kiss on his forehead before making my way downstairs.

My breathe was quivery as I descended the stairs and I tripped from how fiercely my legs were shaking beneath me. My hands clutched the banister as I sought out stability.

When I made it back into the dining room, everyone's heads turned to face me but I sought out the eyes of Debbie, she gave me a questioning look, 'are they okay?'

I gave a brief smile and nodded, 'they're okay.'

My eyes then sought out Eli who had his palms on the table, face down and his eyes firmly planted on his father. He didn't have to utter a word to deliver the message that he was pissed as hell right now.

I followed his eye line until my gaze landed on an arrogant looking Mikael who was still casually sitting in his dining chair, his arms casually strewn on the armrests as he overlooked his family. It looked as though he was sat on a throne before his lesser subjects.

"Wasn't that lovely of you to do, Reillyn?" Mikael admonished.

"Leave her out of this," Eli growled from across the table.