Page 29 of Savage

“But this time you’re in charge,” Harper says gently, a small smile on her lips.

As we weave through the streets, I no longer feel nervous. There was tension twisting in my gut all night. But after leaving the gala, I’m more at ease, even with the woman who gave birth to me in the car.

Harper is right. This time I’m in control, and I know as soon as we get her back to the house, we’ll have her bound to a chair and ready for questioning in the outbuilding situated in the grounds of the rental.

I’m still not sure I want to hear what she has to say, but I’m hoping it will offer me the closure I need. This moment has been years in the making, and it’s all her own doing. I keep telling myself she brought this on herself, but I don’t know if I’m trying to justify what I know I have to do.

There are no doubts in my mind, though, my mother must die. River and I were nothing but pawns in her game, and she played it well. But now it’s going to come to an end.

We all have choices to make in our lives, and there are times when we must decide whether to do good or bad. No one is born one way or the other. It’s a decision we all make consciously. My mother chose to be bad.

When Dante finally pulls up the drive and we come to a stop outside the front porch, I push open the door and exit the car as quickly as I can. I didn’t realize just how stifled I’d been feeling in there.

“Hey.” Dante is at my side, his arm wrapped around my middle. “We’re going to finish this together. Harper and I will be by your side throughout,” he promises, and all I can do is nod. “Take Rayne inside, Harper. I’ll be there in a minute.”

I make my way into the house with Harper. My heart thuds against my chest as I glance at the woman who’s come to mean so much to me. I know I’ve fallen in love with her. I haven’t told her yet, because the realization is still fresh in my mind. It’s the same emotion I get when I look at Dante. When I think of either of them getting hurt, it brings out a rage in me I didn’t think I was capable of feeling.

We both settle on the sofa in the living room. Her eyes are on me, watching me and waiting for me to speak. There’s been this unspoken communication between the three of us since we first met. We know when one of us needs space or time. It’s a wordless understanding involving occasional glances and small smiles. I can read their emotions in their expressions in the same way they can read mine.

“It’s real,” I finally whisper as I consider what Dante is doing at this very moment—tying my mother to a chair in the outbuilding.

“It is.” Harper nods. “I think I’ll feel the same way when we finally capture Bane. I wanted so badly to do it tonight, to finally close the door to my past.”

I look at her and nod in understanding. “I get that. And we will. We’ll kill my mother and Bane. We’ll shut down their vile businesses for good and save as many innocents as we can.”

For a moment, Harper’s expression changes, and I can read the sadness in her eyes. “I’m worried that it’s just a small drop in the ocean,” she admits.

“It is,” Dante says as he walks into the room. “But after we’ve dealt with those two, we’ll just keep going,” he tells us as he settles in beside me. “We can continue our work and help The Fallen. They’ve been doing this for as long as we have, and their focus is the same as ours. Crow, Falcon, and Hawk have wanted to form a partnership with us for a while now. If we keep doing what we’re doing, it will make a difference.”

I know Dante is right about working with The Fallen. Most people would call them vigilantes, but they’ve proved, time and time again, they are a force for good, and most of the law enforcement agencies they encounter end up enlisting their help.

“They have a good reputation,” Harper responds.

“And they have resources we don’t,” I add, knowing that Falcon can find anyone, anywhere. “I’m just wondering how much of a difference a small handful of us can really make.”

“Perhaps we won’t be able to save the world, but we can fucking try,” Dante says as he takes my hand and brings it to his lips.

For a long while, I couldn’t stand anyone touching me. But Dante has something compelling about him that I can’t quite pinpoint. He doesn’t scare me, and he doesn’t make me fear he’s going to hurt me, even though he’s taller, stronger, and bigger than me. I’ve watched him kill people in cold blood without flinching, yet when his fingertips make contact with my skin, I feel safe.

“We fucking can,” I agree, offering him a smile. “I need something to drink,” I announce before pushing to my feet. “I want to be ready for her when she wakes up.”

“Let’s make something to eat as well,” Harper says as she joins me, and we leave Dante in the living room as we make our way into the kitchen. “He’s worried about you.”

I look at her and nod. “I know, but I can’t change how he’s feeling. Even if I tell him I’m okay, I don’t think it would help. He’s worried about much more than just me.”

“He is. Once we’ve got all the information we need from that woman,” Harper sneers, and I’m thankful she doesn’t refer to her as my mother. “We can move on from here.”

“The sooner we finish this the better. As much as I want revenge, I also want Rae Atwood to look me in the eye and tell me she hates me,” I say softly, trying to quell the churning in my gut. “There’s no way she has any motherly love in her heart for me. There’s far too much darkness in her soul, but I need her to admit it to me.” When I utter the words, a wave of sadness hits me, and I have to hold onto the counter to steady myself.

“Hey,” Harper gasps as she rushes to my side. “What’s wrong?”

I take a few deep breaths before I look into the eyes of this beautiful woman who’s also suffered heartache and pain, and I whisper, “What if I turn out just like her?”

“You are nothing like her,” Harper grits through clenched teeth. Her gaze sparks with vehemence as she stares at me. “You were born with a beautiful soul, pure and innocent. That woman in the outbuilding doesn’t have one. No mother should be inclined to do what she did.”

There’s a heavy silence in the room. While I was in captivity, I was nothing but a pawn in an ugly game. But now I have my freedom, the fear I’ll turn into a monster, just like my mother, has been lingering in my mind.

“What about my genes? My DNA is partly hers,” I whisper while trying to swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat. “I’m her daughter. I know she chose to be like that, but what if something pushes me to behave the way she does.”

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