Page 113 of Savage

“I heard that,” King said. “And you know why.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

As much as I was dying to know what the “why” was, all I could feel was relief that Lachlan and the others were walking back here alive and breathing.

And as total fucking badasses.

37

LACHLAN

COOPER STUMBLED OUT of my bedroom close to noon the next day, eyes barely open and wearing my track pants low on his hips. He’d been up all night finishing his story so he could send it to the media of his choice—courtesy of Shep’s connections—and then he had a million and one questions for me.

Couldn’t blame him. I’d left him in the SUV after a surprise reveal, and I could still see his shocked look in my mind.

That’d been risky. It could’ve gone badly, could’ve ended with my coming back to an empty car.

Thank fuck he’d still been there. If he hadn’t, I wasn’t sure that I could’ve stopped myself from going after him anyway.

“Why…do I feel…like I have…a hangover.” Cooper groaned and sank into the couch beside me, resting his head on my lap.

“You had a big night.”

He yawned. “Long night.”

I couldn’t resist touching him and ran my hand along his bare back and into his mess of hair.

“Mmm, that feels good.”

Was this what contentment felt like? It was strange, how unfamiliar but right it felt. Like we did this every day, Cooperbreaking a story, me rising with the dawn to get a start on the day. Then coming together in these quiet moments where all I wanted to do was be close to him. Touch him. Kiss him.

I leaned down, planting a kiss on his temple, and that inner voice inside practically roared,Mine.Cooper Patterson was mine, and not even the revelation that I was the psycho from the night in the alley had done anything to dissuade him from that fact.

My phone vibrated on the arm of the couch. Alessio.

“Yeah?” I answered.

“Rumor has it you should turn on the news.”

“Which station?”

“Any of them.” He hung up, and Cooper rolled onto his back, looking up at me.

“You don’t have to leave, do you?”

“Wearen’t going anywhere,” I said, flipping on the TV and scrolling through the channels until the first news station came up.

“Breaking news at the top of the hour, authorities have taken down a massive drug-smuggling ring in the shipping district?—”

Cooper shot up off my lap, eyes going wide.

“It appears an anonymous source tipped off the FBI to a warehouse late last night, where hundreds of pounds of the drug Rapture were found being prepared for distribution. More than two dozen fatalities across the U.S. can be traced back to the drug, with many more hospitalized from its effects. Authorities confirm fifteen men were arrested in connection with the sting, including rumored drug boss Mick Shaughnessy, who reportedly sustained nonfatal injuries.”

“Thanks, King,” I muttered, wishing I’d been able to do more than injure the fucking guy.Even if I understood the why of it all.

“The story was first reported by Cooper Patterson via New York News Now?—”

“Oh my fucking God,” Cooper shrieked, jumping to his feet, suddenlyveryawake. He fisted his hands on top of his head as he watched the rest of the story play out, his mouth wide open.

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