Page 39 of Savior

There’s no bliss. Not even peace.

I’m still hollow.

Empty.

Until Tobias’s sweet voice calls from the hall. “Baba?Baba?”

7

Luca

I keep seeing her.The frantic rush across the room. The desperate way she scooped the kid into her arms and carried him into the hall.

I thought about nothing but Penny as Cole and I loaded the dead bodies onto Luther’s boat. I escorted those fuckers out to sea while Cole tailed me in another vessel.

It wasn’t hard to dispose of the evidence.

I weighed down the cadavers and threw them overboard, keeping watch until they sank from view. Then I gave Cole instructions on how to rig his father’s boat to drive unaided, because my head throbbed so much I couldn’t fucking do it myself.

Even now, as I clean my own blood off the living room wall, my brain protests every movement. It feels like I’m one sneeze away from an aneurism. Or a fucking stroke.

And still, Penny plagues my thoughts. She’s been left alone for too long. Both herandthe kid. The only reason I know they haven’t attempted escape is because the sound of a sniffling child continues to echo down the hall.

“When are you going to speak to the boy?” I ask Cole.

He stops scrubbing the crimson splotches on the floor and leans back on his haunches. “I’m not sure. I thought it might be better to wait until his father’s insides are cleaned off the tile.”

I grate my teeth at his sarcasm. “The longer you leave it, the harder it will be.”

“Then you go.” He jerks his chin at me. “Play the hero. Go beat your chest and attempt to win over Decker’s sister. See how far it gets you.”

I ignore the derision and scrub harder, the pungent scent of bleach searing my nostrils.

This isn’t about me ‘playing the hero.’

She’s been through hell, not only today, but for God knows how long. She’s fragile. Temperamental. Volatile.

From the way she rocked behind the kitchen counter, I’d say she’s one gentle gush of wind away from crumpling like a deck of cards.

It’s in our best interest to keep an eye on her.

“Go on, Captain America,” Cole drawls. “Save her from isolation.”

Fuck it.

Fuck him.

He’s been a major asshole since his father’s murder, and I get it, the situation didn’t end how he anticipated. He didn’t take out the head of his family. A woman did. A Fed.

He made the mistake of sleeping with the enemy who swept the victory out from underneath him. But that’s not my fault. I’d warned him about getting close to Anissa.

“Fine.” I throw my cloth to the floor. “I will.”

I stalk for the hall and follow the sound of a sniffing child all the way to my bedroom door. And there they are, huddled on the floor beneath the windowsill, Tobias snuggled in Penny’s tight embrace.

As soon as I breach the threshold she stiffens, her panicked gaze meeting mine.

“It’s okay.” I creep inside the room. “I just wanted to see how you two are holding up.”

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