Page 112 of Pride
“Fucking brilliant! But now your lust is killing me. Quick, I need innocent baby cuddles.”
She dashed to the kitchen where Wyatt stood watching with a sad look on his face, and Alice realized that, perhaps, singing about love was the wrong song choice.
“Dinner is ready,” he said, and handed the baby to Liza.
Alice turned around and found Mary, Flint, and Daisy had walked in. They’d just picked her up from the hospital. Alice glanced back at Wyatt in the kitchen, but he was busy dishing up.
“Will he be okay?” Alice asked Parker.
Daisy had tried to kidnap Misha when nine months pregnant, and hurt her. A fall had sent Misha into labor. Alice suspected the reason they couldn’t come back to Lazarus House after rescuing Daisy was because Wyatt had just returned home from the mission, already out of balance, only to find that Mischa was missing. He’d lost his temper and had taken it out on the basement.
“He’s fine. He’s calmed down,” Parker replied quietly. “He knows this time Daisy had nothing to do with it.”
“And last time?”
“He’s got Amari to worry about now. She’s keeping his sin in check.”
Evan and Griffin strode in wearing their Deadly gear, their hoods pooled around their shoulders. Griffin’s face was haggard, and Evan’s was bleak. A simple shake of Evan’s head meant they hadn’t found a sign of their mates. Griffin didn’t make eye contact.
Parker sighed. “Let’s head to the dining room.”
“Good idea. You need to say a few words while everyone is here.”
“I do?”
“Absolutely.”
“But I messed up.”
She flashed him a smile. “Exactly. Now, you think about what you’re going to say, and I’ll go help Wyatt with the plates.”
A few minutes later, they all sat around the family table in the private dining room. A few table place settings stayed vacant, a visual reminder of the missing family. Daisy stood at the doorway, hesitant to come in.
Parker took her to her seat. “Your place has been set since we found out you were alive.”
Silver hair covered her face as she looked down. Parker pulled out her chair for her and then stood at the head of the table behind Mary and Flint.
“And we will leave Grace’s, Lilo’s, Misha’s, Max’s, Bailey’s, and Joe’s place as a reminder we will see them again. They’re family. They’re also Lazaruses. And they won’t quit.”
Murmurs of agreement around the room. Amari made a cooing gurgle. Wyatt retrieved her from Liza, much to her annoyance. Parker cleared his throat, recapturing everyone’s attention.
“I just need to say a few more things. First, I apologize for my behavior over the past few weeks. I’m sure you all know I was reckless, proud and, for lack of a better word—”
“A dickhead,” Liza finished for him.
Parker nodded. Wow. When Alice had asked him to say a few words, she didn’t think he’d be so humble doing it. There was more. He put his hand on Alice’s shoulder.
“Second, Griff, you need to slow down. You’re no good to anyone if you run yourself ragged. We will take turns out on patrol and sweep the city, above and below ground in a methodical manner. Evan, you need to sleep. We need your visions and you don’t dream them if you’re awake.” Evan nodded sleepily. “And you should work with the psychic at the Sisterhood to compare notes.” He looked in turn to each of the glum faces around the table. “We’ll find them safe, I promise. And I’m not saying that from some prideful, conceited place. I’m saying that because I have faith in all of you. We’re finally together as Gloria intended. The only way for us to fail now is to lose hope.”
“Easy for you to say,” Griffin grumbled. “It’s not your pregnant wife missing.”
Wyatt narrowed his eyes at Alice. “In fact, your mate just happens to be the only one still with us.”
“Be careful of what you imply,” Parker warned. “I’ll let your attitude slide because I understand what you must be feeling. But if it wasn’t for Alice and her Sinners, the Syndicate would still be ready to deploy thousands of replicates around the world, and Daisy would be dead. We had a loss, people, but we also had a big win. I’m not detracting from the loss but I think it’s important to remember we’ve also done good.”
Griffin scrubbed his face, and shook his head, but settled down.
Parker pulled out his seat and sat down. “We’ll start the hunt for Daisy’s mate tomorrow.”
