“They were special to me because my brother cooked them,” Ezra replied. “They were a blessing.”
“I only have enough for Kim.” He wasn’t letting his brother con him into making him breakfast. If he’d wanted breakfast, he would have been alive all these years.
Ezra nodded. “It’s fine. I’m used to fasting. It’s a good way to contemplate the blessings of food.”
Roman’s eyes went from Ezra and then back to him, as though he was watching a fascinating tennis match. It was a good reminder that they weren’t alone, and his sarcasm wasn’t going to help anything at this point.
Which was sad because he had several very sarcastic responses to his brother right now.
“Sorry. Owen’s already been up, and after his unfortunate seasickness incident, his appetite came back with a vengeance,” Beck explained. “He was the one who went to the store down the street. There are some croissants if you want them, and a couple of pieces of fruit. Unless you’re serious about fasting.”
If his brother got left behind because they had to run and he was contemplating his blessings, then that was just what had to happen.
Ezra reached across and grabbed a banana. “I probably should keep my energy up.”
Roman set down his small glass of milk. “Who is the man who wants to hurt my mom?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Ezra began.
“His name is Levi Green.” Being told not to worry would likely make Roman worry more. “I’ll show you a picture of him. I want you to memorize his face because if you ever see it, I want you to run and hide, and if he comes close you scream as loud as you can and get someone to help you.”
“Beck, I’m trying not to scare the kid,” Ezra said with a frown.
“Fear is a gift sometimes. Fear can keep you alive.” He wasn’t going to sugarcoat it and leave his kid in the dark. “Levi Green is a man who hates your mother. He’ll tell you he cares about her, but he’s lying.”
“Like the devil lies?” Roman asked.
The devil’s best lies were always grounded in the truth. He and Levi did have that in common. “I’ve thought of him that way often. But I do promise you that I’m going to take care of the situation this time.”
He wasn’t sure how. Levi was more untouchable than he’d ever been. He’d lain awake the night before and thought about all the ways he could assassinate the fucker. Or pay someone to since he was out of practice.
Or he could put his brain to use and find a way to nail him for every crime he’d committed. Levi might have a lot of powerful people in his corner now, but if he could find real proof, they would all back away. That was the trouble with powerful people. They often had a lot to lose.
“Are we going to stay here?” Roman asked. “Am I going to ever see my Uncle Francis again?”
His heart clenched at the fear he heard in his son’s voice. He knelt down beside him. “I don’t know that we’ll be going back to Malta any time soon, but I do promise that your Uncle Francis is fine, and you will see him again. In fact, when we have a secure line, your mom can call him.”
A look of relief crossed Roman’s face. “Good, because I think he’ll be lonely. So what am I going to do about school? I still have two weeks left.”
“I think we’re going to have to call it a year. In the States school is already out,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. Are you going to miss your friends?”
Roman’s face fell. “I don’t have a lot of friends. They think I’m weird.”
“It’s because you’re so smart,” Ezra replied as though they’d had this conversation more than once. “They’re jealous that you do so well in school and they struggle.”
“No, I think it’s because I’m weird. I’m not good at sports,” Roman said. “But I know lots of science stuff, and I apparently talk about it too much and use big words. I can’t help it that I have an expansive vocabulary.”
Ezra smiled Roman’s way, but his words were directed at Beck. “We do word of the day. We’ve done it since he was two years old. His teacher tells me he’s got the most mature vocabulary of any student she’s ever had.”
“Not that it helps me win friends.” Roman looked down at his eggs.
“You don’t need to win friends,” Ezra insisted.
“How many kids were you around before you started school?” Beck had an idea of why Roman didn’t fit in. Kim would have kept him close during those first years. She wouldn’t have dropped him off at a daycare or arranged playdates. She would have put everything she had into protecting her son. Their son.
“I didn’t really meet many kids until school,” Roman admitted. “Uncle Ezra was my friend.”
“Uncle Ezra was a geek. He is not the person who should be teaching you how to be cool. He was a geek in school, and when he gets the chance to pick a cover, he becomes a priest.”
Ezra sent him a death stare.
Beck wasn’t backing down. “You could have become anything. You chose priest.”
“It’s not a cover. It’s a calling, asshole.” Ezra frowned. “I’m sorry I cursed, Roman. Your father pushes me.”
“All I’m saying is making friends can be taught,” Beck explained. “The social aspects of school can be as important as the academic ones.”
“Can you teach me?” Roman asked.
He hoped he had the chance. He wasn’t sure how long they would be hiding. Once it was safe, he didn’t know if Kim would want to take their son back to Malta to resume their lives there. He would have to move. “Of course. I would love to help out. I’m around a lot of kids. All my friends have kids. Well, most of them.”
“Can I meet them?” Roman asked, his eyes bright.
“Sure. At some point. I
