I wasn’t sure if Mom was stunned by the fact that I cared about a girl enough to want to introduce the two of them, or if she just couldn’t understand how such an innocent, amazing little angel could exist in this fucked-up world. But the longer she just stood there, the more tension I could feel coming off Delaney, and it was pissing me off.
Just as I was about to call Mom out on it, she had turned and put her hands up, stopping Aunt Kelli as she demanded I get away from Delaney.
“What the fuck are you doing with her?” she’d yelled, her eyes shooting sparks at me. “Get your blood-covered hands off her!”
“Kelli, cool it,” Mom had told her, keeping her voice low and calm. “Just be thankful that we’ve found her.”
What Mom said didn’t make sense, but all I could think was that Kelli was trying to take Delaney away from me. I pulled my treasure closer, needing to feel her against me so I didn’t lose my fucking mind.
“Let her go!” Kelli yelled. “Give her to me!”
“She’s not a fucking doll for me to hand over!” I roared back.
“She’s not one of your little playthings either!” she screamed. “We’ve all seen you with your little whores. I’ll be damned if I let you treat my niece like you do them.”
Delaney pressed her face into my chest, and I was thankful she couldn’t see what the other woman was saying. If Kelli did anything to make my girl think she didn’t own me completely, I was going to rip this place apart.
“You think I would introduce any of those idiots to my mom?” I tossed back at her. “Delaney is—” I stopped, my hold on Delaney tightening even more. “Wait. What did you just say?”
Niece?
Delaney was her niece?
“If she’s your niece, then why the fuck haven’t you been taking care of her?” I bellowed, making half the people in the room flinch as I took a step in Kelli’s direction, their gazes ping-ponging between the four of us. Lucky for Kelli, Mom was between us, and I was no longer sure if she was trying to protect Delaney from Kelli, or Kelli from me.
River ran up to her mom, trying to urge her to back away. “Mom, calm down. This isn’t getting anyone anywhere. Look. You’re scaring Delaney. That’s not what we want.” The tears in her eyes gave me a moment of pause. I loved my younger cousin, and her tears hurt me just as much as it would if it were Lexa fighting not to cry.
“I couldn’t take care of her,” Kelli answered me, ignoring River’s plea. “Because I didn’t even know about her until a few months ago. Her social worker contacted me, but by then, she’d run away from that fucker Tony Garcia. I’ve been looking for her ever since.”
I heard her words, but they made zero impact on my anger. “Not good enough! Your attempts to find her are pathetic because she’s been here for weeks. She was out there, lost and alone. Dirty. Cold. Hungry.” The word felt like it was torn from my throat, the memory of how I’d found my little treasure like pouring acid on my fucking soul.
“Get out of my way, Raven!” Kelli screeched. “I’m taking my niece home where she belongs.”
“She belongs with me!” My voice bounced off the windows, it was so loud, causing the babies in the room to start crying.
Delaney tried to pull away from me, and when I glanced down, it was to find Nova there. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryan, and he gave me a single nod. I knew as long as Nova was in the vicinity, Ryan would be right beside her. If Delaney was with Nova, then she would be safe. Reluctantly, I let her go when she stepped away, wanting her to be away from the crazy bitch trying to steal her from me.
“If you think I’m going to let her stay with you, you’ve lost your mind,” Kelli tossed at me, laughing humorlessly and trying to get around Mom. But as she took a step to the right, Lexa stepped in her way, blocking her path and reinforcing the wall between the two of us. “Out of my way, princess,” Kelli seethed.
My sister only crossed her arms, standing nearly half a foot taller than the other woman. Muttering a curse, Kelli moved to go around the other side of Mom, but Tavia was already there, blocking her again. Both my sisters’ husbands stood off to the side, holding their children, but watching, ready to step in should either woman need backup.
“Enough.” Dad’s voice echoed through the room, full of authority that no one could ignore. He stepped between Mom and Kelli, but his blue gaze went straight to me. “I think you should take this outside. Everyone has been given enough of a show tonight. I don’t know what’s going on, but this is not the time to be airing this shit. That girl—”
“I am that girl’s only family besides some skank who was going to put her in one of her husband’s whorehouses in Mexico,” Kelli gritted out between clenched teeth.
“You only want to protect her. I completely understand. But you were scaring the girl. You mentioned she ran away. Scared people run, Kelli. Calm down before you send her running again.” Dad’s words seemed to penetrate Kelli’s brain because she forced herself to step back.
River pulled her back an extra step. Her movement broke whatever spell everyone else appeared to be under. Maverick moved in, standing at River’s back protectively, while Uncle Colt stepped into the chaos.
“Well, at least I know what you and Raven have been up to the last few weeks,” he muttered, and she shrugged unashamedly. “I think we should take this discussion outside. I don’t know who Tony is, but he sounds like someone I need to pay a visit to.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you about it,” Kelli snapped at him. “I knew what would happen if you paid that bastard a visit, and it would have put Delaney in even more danger.”
Colt opened his mouth, but Dad cut him off. “Take it outside. Raven, you got this?”
She nodded, her hand reaching behind her to grab my shirt, already tugging me toward the door as she kept her eyes trained on Kelli.
I glanced over at where I’d last seen Delaney. Ryan was acting as a shield to her and Nova. A few of his guards were tending to the two girls. Delaney had a drink in one hand, and a plate of food was in front of her that she was snacking on. Knowing she would be safe with them, I followed Mom and Kelli out the door.
We made it five steps into the parking lot before Kelli was in my face. “Where did you find her?”
Mom grabbed her sister-in-law around the waist and forced her back a handful of steps. When there was enough distance between us that she was satisfied, she stepped into Kelli’s space. “I understand why you’re so upset, and that is the only reason you’re not on the ground already. I don’t care that you’re that girl’s only blood family. She’s with Max, and that makes her mine now, so don’t think for two seconds I won’t bury your ass if you keep this shit up.”
Kelli blanched and finally realized just who she was dealing with. “Your son is no angel, Raven,” she bit out. “I don’t want the blood on his hands to touch Delaney.”
“There’s blood on all of our hands—yours included,” Mom shot back. “You aren’t going to throw stones at my kid without getting a few slung back at you, Kelli. Now shut your mouth for a minute and let me talk to my boy.”