Page 64 of Like Grim Death: Part One
Then, apropos of nothing, my pulse drums like a hummingbird from my anxiety, yanking me from the moment, seizing me with a fear about Rain’s breathing. I reach a hand out to press over the blankets, just to feel him take in air.
“He’s okay, baby girl.” Lucifer’s reassurance in my ear should soothe me, but my face heats, because he knows what I’m doing. An anxious tic, of sorts.
I feel Rain’s little chest rise and fall, and my fear is abated, if only for a moment.
Lucifer’s lips come to the side of my temple, and he lets his mouth linger.
“It’s really fucking fantastic,” I force myself to say as Ezra falls back to walk with Brooklin, and we all continue on. “But still. Seriously. Should we be worried?” I brought up the surprise dead body because this is the first time I’ve been around all of them and no one else has mentioned it. I just don’t know how concerned I should be, when these murderers around me act like it’s nothing. But I can’t help wondering…Is someone going to come for Rain?
Cain sighs beside Lucifer. His phone is in hand, and his thumbs are working over his keyboard—complete with a privacy screen, so we can see nothing. You’d think he’d be distracted, not really paying attention to us. But he’s always listening. “Nah,” he says, voice low. “It’s Atlas’s problem. Not ours.”
There’s a moment of quiet save for the night breeze rustling through the trees around our private street, then the most unlikely person among us speaks up.
“Why isn’t Atlas here? Is he upset?” Ella’s voice, quiet and shy.
When I glance at her, I see Maverick’s jaw clench, and her green eyes peeking from his other side, looking around at all of us.
“It was probably his fault,” Mav says, his words full of annoyance, but he doesn’t look at her.
I frown in the dark as we continue to walk together, fanned out in a horizontal line. “Really?”
“No,” Cain cuts in before anyone else can. “When Lazar wanted to murder Sid, whose fault was that?” He doesn’t even raise his voice. There’s no edge to his tone, and he doesn’t pick his head up from whoever he’s texting over there.
Lucifer stiffens beside me, but he doesn’t say a word, just holds me tight to him while we walk. He has one hand on my upper arm, his own arm over my shoulder, but I know he’s got his other hand free, in case he needs to reach for his gun.
It should unnerve me, feeling the need to always beon.But I feel safe with Lucifer. I know Rain is safe with him too. Because to everyone else, Lucifer Malikov is a fucking demon.
“Atlas isn’t home,” Brooklin says quietly by my side. “He’s visiting his parents.”
I glance at her, wisps of her long bleach blonde pixie tucked beneath a beanie. It’s not really that cold, but she looks cute, and she knows it. Ezra does too, judging by the way his eyes keep darting to her perky ass.
“You keepin’ tabs on him?” Mav’s question, low and cold.
Brooklin brings the disposable coffee cup in both her hands up to her lips, taking a sip and ignoring her brother.
“Fuck off, Maverick,” Ezra says. “Don’t ruin the family walk.”
“I wouldn’t have to if my fuckingfamilyactually wanted to speak to me every once in a—”
“Don’t do this.” Brooklin’s words.
I feel a little guilt, like a pressure on my chest, being caught between them. Brooklin and I aren’t exactly good friends. She’s amazing with Rain, and she gets along better with Lucifer, surprisingly. Something about her getting caught up in an addiction she’s working through. Although hanging out with Ezra probably doesn’t help, but they’re both adults.
Regardless, she won’t talk to Maverick at all.
I think, maybe, she feels some kind of comradery with me because of the shared pain of Jeremiah, and Maddox. But she’s angry and hurting because Maverick sided with their—our—dad to upend her entire life when Atlas had sex with her on Lover’s Death years ago.
It was a betrayal, Maddox Astor believed.
She was set on the streets as a teenager, cut off from the wealth of billions. Most people don’t understand just how much moneybillionsmean. I’m only starting to grasp it myself, and I realize it would have beennothingfor Maddox to toss her a few million to look after herself, but he left her with absolutely nothing.
“Moving on…” Ezra says the words with an edge. He and Maverick seem to get along fine, but I can only imagine there’s some tension there too. “Heard any more about the initiate, Lucy?”
Lucifer doesn’t react as we all loop the cul-de-sac, heading along for our third and final circle of the street. For long moments, we just walk in silence, and I catch Ella peering around Maverick’s tall form every few seconds to look at Lucifer, waiting for him to speak. She seems confused and I wonder what Mav has told her.
I jut my hip into my husband, wanting more of me touching him. Wanting her fucking eyes off him.
I tighten my fingers on the handlebar of Rain’s stroller, dropping my gaze to him to ensure his cheeks are still just a little pink, his neck isn’t compressed. He’s still alive. Breathing.
