Page 79 of His Reluctant Savior

“He. Is. Mine,” Easton said, punctuating each word, not to be deterred.

“Enough!” someone suddenly yelled, making Owen and me jump. He clung to me tighter, not looking over there, as if sensing the danger.

An older man, shorter than Sully and Sid, approached them. He had tawny skin and wavy black hair that fell just below his bearded jawline. I assumed he was Malik.

His black eyes under thick black brows watched the three men and their little standoff before they landed on me and Owen, his face giving nothing away.

All these men excelled at masking their emotions, except for Sully, who didn’t care.

I looked behind him to see another man with black hair and straight bangs falling in his face walking toward us. He was the most casual, wearing jeans with holes and a black T-shirt paired with combat boots.

Behind him peeked out a young man of about twenty with a poof of long, blond curls, looking timid and angelic. That must be Luca, so the newcomer should be Dante.

Suddenly, Luca emerged from behind Dante with a big smile and ran toward Sid, holding a large, old stuffed rabbit.

“Sid!” he yelled, dodging between Sully, Malik, and Easton as if unable to sense the tension and danger. He stood in front of Sid and pulled him into a hug. “I knew you would come home! I told everyone you wouldn’t hurt us and would be back.”

Sid chuckled and held the young man back. “We still need to talk, but I hope so, kiddo. Come. Let me introduce you to Owen. I think he’ll like you.”

Luca grabbed Sid’s hand, much to Dante’s dismay, judging by the angry brows and look of shock on his face, and tugged him toward me. He let go of Sid and rested his hand on Owen’s back, leaning behind me to see Owen’s face. Luca’s eyes were large, blue, and innocent. He was so out of place among killers.

“Hi, Owen. I’m Luca. What’s your dinosaur’s name?”

“Danny.”

“I like that. My rabbit’s name is just… Rabbit.”

Luca looked at me with questioning eyes, which were even bluer than Sid’s.

“I’m Dalton. It’s nice to meet you, Luca. Owen is my son.”

“Hello.”

“Luca?” Sid said to get the young man’s attention. “Why don’t you take Dalton and Owen into the lounge area and find something Owen can watch on the TV? Maybe he would like some juice, too.”

Luca lit up like a light, eager to please and be busy. “Oh, yes!”

Luca held out his arms, and to my shock, Owen fell right into Luca’s embrace. He carried my son off, leaving my jaw dropped. After everything Owen had been through, he instantly gravitated to the young man, despite being afraid of being here.

Sid wrapped an arm around me. “Go on. Let me talk alone with Malik for a while.”

I looked at him, worried about leaving him alone with these killers, who clearly were not happy with him.

He smiled, reading my mind. “If they wanted me dead, I would be.”

“And after you talk to them?”

Sid shrugged and kissed the top of my head. “It’s always been a risk. We knew this going into it, Boy Scout.”

He walked off, following Malik, leaving me in fear for his life and worried about what was to become of me and Owen if he did. Hell, what was to become of us, leaving us alone with these men?

Luca still held Owen, who seemed perfectly content in his arms. The young man looked back at me and smiled. “The TV is this way.”

With a deep breath, I tried not to look at the other men, who were watching me closely as I followed Luca into a lounge area past the library. It was an open space with comfortable leather seating, tables, and a full surround system with a large television.

Luca set Owen down on the sofa and sat next to him. “Rabbit isn’t as pretty as Danny, but he’s been my friend for a long time. How long have you had Danny?”

Owen looked at me for the answer. “Uhm, he got Danny last year for Christmas.”

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