Page 5 of Wolf's Son
Aries and Rory were having a baby of their own, but the two of them had been through hell because of their pasts. My brother will do anything to make sureRory is happy. One thing that seems to make her just that is spending time with Kale. She, Jade, Noelle, and Rosemary are all great with my kid. They weren’t exactly thrilled I moved us out of the clubhouse, but at the same time, they were.
Noelle agreed to watch him for me when I was busy for the club, though she had a slight fight on her hands with the others. With Noelle being just down the street, it’s easier for her to come and watch him here. Plus, she can bring Bride with her when she wants to.
In the kitchen, I gather the steaks and take them out to the grill. Aries joins me outside and leans against the railing.
“Did Viper tell you about the meeting set up with Cordova?” he asks.
“Yeah.” He told me Cordova had wanted to meet up with us to discuss possibly setting something up along the lines of an alliance rather than just a truce. He’d taken over running the fight club ring in the area. It wasn’t a regular fight club, either. It was a death match fight club. The fighters fought each other until one of them was dead, and the other went on to fight the next person with the hopes of not dying in the process.
We’ve had our own go in the ring in order to free Rosemary. Each member ended up fighting to thedeath to save her. It wasn’t something she took well, knowing the consequences of what we did for her. But she’s family. We’ll do anything it takes to protect those who we see as family.
“What are your thoughts on meeting Cordova?” I ask, glancing his way before adding the steaks to the grill. They won’t take long, and I knew the sides would be ready when I got back in the house. Mostly, that’s because Aries and Rory brought a couple sides over with them. All I had to do was cook up the steaks I’d already bought at the store.
“I don’t trust him,” Aries remarks, not hiding his opinion about the man. He’s not a fan of Cordova, and I get why. He told Aries how he wouldn’t mind being in his place and having Rory at his side. “Why now would he want an alliance rather than just the truce? Some things had to have changed.”
“Agreed.” I nod and flip the steaks, making sure they’re seared to perfection. If there’s one thing I know about cooking, it’s how to make sure my steaks are the best of the best.
One thirty in the morning . . .
Kale wakes up at his usual time. Sighing, I get him out of his crib, change his diaper, and give himhis bottle. Unlike any other time, he doesn’t settle back down and go to sleep. He’s fussy and won’t let me put him down.
In the living room, I rock him in the recliner, letting him lie with his cheek against my chest. Noelle explained to me the importance of newborns and young babies having skin-to-skin touch with their parents.
Rocking him, he finally settles, though if I try to move, he’ll wake up. It’s what he’s done twice now already.
A light shines through the front windows, and I glance through the opening and see the limo pull back into my neighbor’s driveway. She gets out before the door can be opened for her. She’s out of view in seconds, and the limo pulls back out.
The sight of her reminds me I want to talk to Vulture about her. Make sure living next to her isn’t going to cause problems.
I should do this, but I’m not going to. It’s not my business. I don’t need the headache of what could possibly be found in whatever she’s about.
Settling more into the recliner, I glance back at the TV and allow myself to drift to sleep, holding my son protectively to my chest. He’s all I need to worry about. Nothing else matters.
Not even the pretty little neighbor.
CHAPTER 3
JACQUELINE
The next few days, I’ve stuck to my house without going or doing anything. I’ve avoided the phone like the plague. All I’ve done is binge serial killer documentaries.
Why?
I don’t even know.
Mostly, I just wanted to get out of my own head for a while.
I was mad.
Furious, in fact.
Completely enraged.
There was nothing I could do about it.
On the way home from the Gala the other day, I’d gotten into it with Izaiah over the fact he attempted toset me up with a suitable suitor. A man he thought would be a good fit for me. Definitely not a good fit. I hated the guy upon setting eyes on him. Mostly because I knew who he was, along with the reputation he had for being an asshat to women.
I refused to give him the time of day after Izaiah made introductions. I spent the entire evening avoiding the man, along with making sure everything about the event went off without a hitch.
