Page 80 of His Reluctant Savior

“Daddy’s going to get me a brother for Danny,” Owen said, remembering my conversation with him from weeks ago when I promised to bring him a present and never did. I had to make a mental note to get him one for Christmas this year, since it was only a few months away.

“Oh, I love Christmas!” Luca yelled, bouncing on the sofa. “I had my first Christmas that I can remember ever last year! Angel got me a new bow, uhm… some clothes, and we got to go to the beach again! I love the beach. I’d never been until my Angel took me. He even let me decorate a tree! Then we put Cleo in a big bow and gave her elf ears… Uhm, Cleo is our dog. Christmas is the best. I missed out on all my Christmases growing up.”

I ached for the young man who had been held in captivity since he was a young child. The world had too many sick people in it.

I glanced at Dante, propping himself up against a wall with folded arms, watching us carefully with intense pale green eyes. What compelled this killer to save a young man? And Luca appeared to be thriving because of Dante’s care. The assassins probably appeared less scary to him than the men who held him as a sex slave.

“You should come to our house. We have the best Christmases,” Owen told him.

Luca smiled shyly at me. “Uhm, maybe.”

Movement suddenly caught my eye, and I looked over at Sully, who sat casually in a chair across from us. “You don’t belong here,” he said to me.

“Tell me something I don’t know. Please leave us alone. My son doesn’t need any more trauma.”

While I put on a brave face, the nerves threatened to make my body tremble and sweat. Sully reminded me of the man who’d beaten me, so I was still raw from the tension.

“Sid should be dead.”

“It’s a good thing that it’s not up to you, then. Your jealousy doesn’t change the fact that Sid and Malik are still friends and partners.”

Sully’s coppery eyes narrowed, showing the first signs of anger, as small as it was. I studied about psychopaths years ago in Quantico. They could be highly manipulative. Most weren’t dangerous, but men like Sully held no remorse or empathy. It wasn’t his fault, but that didn’t make him less dangerous.

Easton suddenly appeared and stood in front of Sully, twirling his small blade between his fingers, much as Sully had done.

“You will leave them alone.”

Sully’s penny eyes gleamed up at the young man, smirking. “Ah, Easton, our second betrayer. I used to think of you as part of our little family.”

“Sid belongs to me, and I will protect what’s his.”

Sully remained cool and aloof, cleaning his fingernails with the tip of his blade. “Self-serving doesn’t mean you care, East.”

“As if you’re any different. As if you wouldn’t burn this building to the ground with all of us in it if Malik were harmed.”

Sully’s smile turned crooked. “Hmm, true, true. That’s why you and Sid need to go bye-bye.”

“Sid had his reasons, as I had mine. That will be up to Malik,” Easton said calmly, but his hands were fisted at his sides, the anger starting to reveal itself, his calm beginning to crumble.

“Malik is emotional and not using good judgment.”

Dante soon ambled over to us. “Leave them alone, Sully. It doesn’t matter how anyone feels about this or what Malik’s decision is. He’s the boss. Not you.”

Sully soon stood, towering over both Easton and Dante. “As if you aren’t partial to Sid,” he said.

The black-haired man shrugged. “He saved my life, yes, but at the end of the day, this is up to Malik.”

It was the first time I had a real grasp of how Sid’s betrayal truly affected his family. They were splintering, taking their frustrations out on each other. Coupled with men who had no compunction to death and killing, which could lead to someone getting hurt or dying. They outwardly appeared calm, but the danger crackled like electricity in the air. The only thing holding all of them back was their respect for Malik.

I stood and looked at Luca. “Can you take Owen to find him a snack or something?”

The young man nodded, blond curls bouncing. “Yes.”

He stood and held out his hand for Owen, who took it, and both walked off toward the kitchen, I presumed.

I turned to face the arguing men. “I apologize for disrupting your family or… being the cause of it. Sid decided to come to my aid, and I took it, being alone and having not only killers against me, but my own government. Sid and I have a tumultuous past, but I chose to trust him for the sake of my son. Now, I love him. It’s fast, but being on the run and not knowing if you’re going to die or live another day does that. Emotions are strong and desperate. I’m willing to give it all up for him, so I am no danger to you all.”

Sully stood close to me, intimidating and threatening. “You’re a fucking Fed.” His tone was calm, but his threat was clear.

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