The weight in those two words held more significance than they should. People around here didn't make promises, primarily because they couldn't keep them. Street life left little hope, and everyone I'd known since birth was proof of that. Hard work, dedication...it didn't matter. Those born here tended to die here-victims of the street, the neighborhood, and the life.
"I hope you know what you're doing." I refused to make eye contact with Ryker when I made that statement. I didn't want to doubt him, but I knew better than to depend on anyone other than myself.
He reached out and tilted my chin with his fingers. "As long as you're with me, they won't hurt you."
"And when I'm not?" Thinking about that notion made my stomach turn. "I can't be with you twenty-four-seven, Ryker. I have to da
