Saved by the Devil (Devils Arms Book 3)

the woman jump to her feet, her eyes wide as she watched the boy running across the street without looking for traffic. He let out a little growl. Fuck, he couldn’t just let this kid steal her shit. He crouched for a second getting Jasmine’s full attention.
“Jazzy, stay put and if I’m not back in ten minutes go inside with Hailey and call one of your uncles,” Peanut growled.
“Okay dad,” Jazzy said. He nodded and took off after the fleeing prick.
“Stop, you little fucker!” he yelled at the kid. He was a few feet away from the diner when he heard Jasmine speak to the woman. He grinned as he chased after the escaping thief.
“Don’t worry. My dad will take care of hi—” Jasmine’s voice faded as he ran toward the alley the kid had darted down. His feet pounded on the hard pavement and he saw that the kid was headed to a car that was idling at the other end of the alley. Fuck, he’d never catch the kid if he made it to that car. The thought spurred him on and he sped up trying to reach the car before the little shit could get away.
He was hoping that he’d be able to grab him while he opened the door on the late model Ford but when the kid was a few feet away the door was flung open. Peanut kept running but he knew he wasn’t going to catch the damned kid. He watched as he bulleted into the car and slammed the door before the squeal of tires filled the air. He stood panting in the spot that the car had been in, cursing his age. Fuck, a few years ago he would have caught that little shit.
A few minutes after watching the car disappear he pulled out his phone and put the partial tag number in his notes app. It likely wouldn’t do any good because the car was probably stolen too, but at least he could try to find the little shits. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and headed back to Jasmine and the blonde. He could see Jasmine patting the woman’s shoulder and talking to her. Peanut felt like shit when he realized that the woman was crying. Jasmine was trying to calm her down and as he neared them he heard some of what she was saying to the woman and he felt his chest expand with love.
“Don’t worry. Daddy will fix it. He and my uncles will get those big meanies. That’s what they do. Dad’s the best even though Uncle Rage says he is. He’s not though but my dad is, and he will make it better. I promise,” Jasmine was saying while patting the woman’s shoulder.
“I—I don’t think th-that he can fix this. What am I going to do? All my money was in there. I ca-can’t go back. I ca-can’t. What am I going to do?” the woman was saying.
“Don’t worry. Daddy will fix it,” Jasmine repeated.
“I can’t go back,” the woman moaned.
Peanut knew in that moment that he’d move heaven and earth to help her. Something about seeing her crying was really getting under his skin and making him itch.
“Dad! You’re back. Did you get him?” she asked
“I couldn’t catch him. He had someone waiting on him at the end of the alleyway,” Peanut said, wishing he didn’t have to say anything. He watched as the blonde raised her tear-filled eyes and he felt like he’d been punched in the stomach.
Fuck, she was a beauty. Even with the bruises marring her skin she was stunning. Those green eyes pierced him, and he noted the weariness in them. Those eyes reminded him of Melony again and every instinct he had screamed at him to protect her. He found himself sitting down on the bench beside her. Jasmine was kneeling on her other side still rubbing her shoulder. Jasmine looked at him with so much faith and he knew that to her he was the hero. He was the person who always fixed whatever was wrong and she expected him to fix everything. The heavy weight of that faith left him feeling every one of his thirty-two years.
“It’s o-okay,” the blonde whispered.
Peanut raised a brow at her and she looked away quickly because they both knew it was a lie. She shifted on the bench and her little sniffle gave away her distress. She wasn’t okay. Peanut watched her bowed head for a long moment debating what to do. She’d said that every bit of money she had was in that bag. It was obvious that she was running. She was trying to get away from whoever had hurt her. Melony had run away once too. He’d tried to help her but that little endeavor had ended with her being given back to her father by two well-meaning cops who thought she was a runaway.
“I can help you. I can give you money,” Peanut said.
Her green eyes shot to his and she was shaking her head. Her hands gripped the sleeves of her sweater as she wiggled nervously. Peanut wanted to reach out and wipe the tears from her cheeks, but he resisted the urge. He knew that she’d run if he pushed her too hard. He didn’t want that. Jasmine looked at him with a smile.
“See, I told you dad would help.”
“I can’t take money from you,” she said.
“You can. I’m offering and you need help,” Peanut replied.
He didn’t look away from her even when she turned away to stare down the street as she tried to process. Peanut wasn’t offended. He knew that her life hadn’t been easy and whoever had hurt her had taught her not to trust. His body was relaxed and still beside her. He wasn’t close on the bench, but he knew his nearness made her nervous.