With Caution

mom had gone to the store, and who the hell knew where Dirk was, probably at work.
    With Sterling screaming in his ear, he had to figure out, by himself, how to make a bottle.
    “Remi, you all right?” Baker asked, stopping in front of the produce area.
    “What? Oh yeah, sorry. I was just thinking.”
    “Yeah? What about?” Baker started pushing the cart again.
    Remi picked up a head of lettuce and put it in the cart. “My little brother.” He frowned. He never thought about that period in his life. Come to think about it, he’d never really had many memories of it. That was the first time he’d remembered how he’d started feeding Sterling.
    “Remi.”
    Jake. Remi turned around.
    Jake was coming up behind him, smiling and holding one of the blue handbaskets.
    Remi smiled back and almost reached for Jake before he caught himself. “Hey, Jake.” Oh damn, Jake smelled good. Would he ever be able to be around Jake and have it not affect him? In a way, he hoped not. He loved how Jake made him feel.
    “Glad I ran into you. I wanted to talk to you about something. You got a few minutes?” Jake extended his hand to Baker. “Jacob Romero.”
    “Ted Baker. Nice to meet you.” Baker looked at Remi. “I’m going to go ahead and start getting stuff, catch up when you get done talking.” Baker pushed the cart off toward the next aisle.
    Remi nodded. “Thanks.”
    “Listen, I forgot to ask you before you rushed off today. Will you come to dinner with me at Gadget’s place tomorrow? I didn’t want to say anything in front of Matt, but Gadget wants you to meet his youngest, Eddie. He’s pretty bad off. I told Gadget not to get his hopes up, pup. So no worries if nothing happens.”
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    www.samhainpublishing.com

    With Caution
    After seeing the cut on Keaton’s hand disappear, Remi wasn’t at all sure what he could and couldn’t do, but he was positive there was something to the healing. “It won’t hurt to try. I wish there was someone who knew more about it. This weird healing stuff I mean.”
    “I’ll talk to Carter and see if he knows anything. The way omegas and their powers are kept secret, he may not, but—” Jake shrugged. “Who knows? You okay? You smell agitated all of a sudden.”
    “Oh, just wishing I knew more about it. I wanna help the kid.”
    “Remington?”
    Mom? Remi turned.
    His mother stood a few yards away behind a blue grocery cart. Damn, the harsh fluorescent store lighting made her wrinkles stand out. Age and life had not been kind to her. She was only fifty, but she seemed much older. Her light brown hair had recently been dyed, covering the gray, but the lines and bruises on her face couldn’t be disguised by the makeup. The haunted look in her pale green eyes never disappeared anymore.
    Even the slight twinkle in them when she had first seen Remi didn’t last but a second. “I thought it was you, honey. How are you?” She hugged him. “I never see you anymore, except to drop Sterling off.” Drawing back, she kissed his cheek and looked him over.
    Her eyes widened when she glanced past him and spotted Jake.
    “Mom, this is Jake. Jake, this—”
    “Karen Lassiter, Remi’s mother.” As she reached out to shake hands with Jake, Remi noticed the dark bruises around her wrist. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jake. Sterling has told me all about you.” Frowning, she darted a glance at Remi. “Your father doesn’t…”
    She trailed off, biting her lip.
    “Doesn’t want me hanging out with Jake, yes I know, Sterling told me.”
    His mom blushed. “It’s not that, dear, it’s—”
    “It’s okay, Mom, I don’t have any secrets from Jake. He knows all about Dirk.”
    “Remington,” she snapped, giving him the look. The one that said she was disappointed in him.

    www.samhainpublishing.com 149
    J.L. Langley
    Remi snarled before he could stop himself. He was tired of her games, tired of feeling sorry for her. Let her be disappointed. He’d kept her secret far too long. If she was embarrassed or ashamed by her husband, it was her own damn fault. How many times had he begged her to leave?
    “Mrs. Lassiter—” Jake shot Remi a disbelieving look.
    “No, no. It’s all right. Remington is right.” She waved Jake away and caught Remi’s hands. “I worry, is all. I—” Squeezing Remi’s hands, she averted her gaze and swallowed hard. When she looked back she was smiling, but tears rimmed her eyes.
    Fuck. Remorse gnawed at Remi. He shouldn’t feel