Chapter 89

Krista smiled faintly, "It will be good for them to all be able to play with each other. Are you guys going to have ten too?"

"I doubt that we'll have quite that many, but four sounds like a nice even number, don't you think." He smiled as he felt her relaxing in his arms. She was so like Krystal in looks that it was unnerving.

She nodded and hoped that he would answer her question about Albert.

"I suppose you'd like your question answered now, right?"

"Please," she whispered.

"Krista, there is no way in this world that AJ would ever hurt you. You can trust him with your life, sweetheart. He loves you and will protect you," Tom did his best to assure her.

"Daddy used to say he loved us, he said it as he was beating us. Love hurts, Tom."

"Your father didn't really love you, Krista. He hurt you and Krystal because he enjoyed it. You can be sure that AJ and I will never use your love as an excuse to hurt either one of you. Real love doesn't hurt, darling, that I promise you," Tom said, wishing their father were still alive so he could kill him slowly and painfully.

"Really?" she wanted to believe. She loved AJ so much that she wanted to put her trust in him, but she had never been able to love before because of the fear.

"I promise you, that he'll never hurt you and if he does you call me and I'll kill my best friend. Does that tell you how sure I am of him?" Tom replied not knowing how to make her accept the fact AJ would never harm her. He just hoped to hell AJ never laid a hand on her and he never had to keep that promise.

"But you are both in the military..." she wanted to believe, she almost did.

"We do paper pushing, Krista, not fighting. The people we command are attorneys or people that look for the bad guys. We don't leave our office and take up weapons anymore, honey we're too old for that," Tom laughed softly. "Now several years ago you might have had something to worry about, but not anymore. We are just pussycats."

"Yes, that is why the two of you took on eight thugs and came out without a scratch!" she sighed. "Pussycats my ass!" she mumbled.

"Should we have let them hurt Krystal? They damaged my car and came at us. Yes, we keep ourselves in pretty good shape, but ask Krys if I've ever hurt someone that didn't deserve it," he tried to ease her mind. "I have only attacked the enemy or someone hurting someone I love. AJ is the same way, he would never hurt you, because he loves you far too much."

"I didn't mean that, Tom, I just meant that you and Albert are not to old to fight. You're both very fit and you were strong enough to take on eight against two! If you wanted to hurt Krys and me you could. That is all I meant. I think I need to talk to Albert now, thank you for being honest with me," she gave him a hug and tried to smile at him.

"I'll send him back, honey, but you might want to try talking to your sister," Tom said getting up.

"When I've talked to AJ, I'll talk to her I promise."

Walking back into the kitchen, he saw his Krystal being held and comforted by AJ. What could he say; he had done his best to comfort Krista for AJ so now the tables had been turned. "AJ, she wants to talk to you now."

"How is she, Tom?"

"Scared, hopeful, wanting desperately to believe that you and I won't hurt her and Krystal," he sighed
looking at his best friend.

"Krystal, any suggestion?" AJ turned to the young woman he just held in his arms.

"I wish I could help you, AJ, I truly do, but you're flying by the seat of our pants on this one."

Krystal shook her head the tears still streaming down her face.

To be continued…