Page 130 of Reaper
“I don’t know,” I start to say but then Ma comes over carrying a plate of food and Devil’s behind her holding two coffee mugs.
“Python’s scrolling through the footage. They should be here soon,” he says as he sets down the mug in front of me and hands the other one to Khloe. “Let me know if you guys need more cream or sugar. I went off memory.”
I blink up at him, surprised that he remembers how Khloe likes her coffee, but then I remember all the times he came with Reaper when we were still living at Khloe’s house. Unless… I glance over at Khloe out of the corner of my eye, but she just gives Devil a small smile of thanks before taking a sip and nods in approval. She’s not blushing, so maybe they didn’t hook up recently.
The smell of the eggs and bacon makes my stomach rumble so I dig in. Igor looks up as I take a bite of bacon, but I shake my head. Darn dog thinks he should always get people food, but the most we do is let him have bones, so long as they aren’t too small that he could choke on them.
Within minutes I clear my plate and set it on the coffee table before picking up my coffee and taking a sip. I sigh and close my eyes. Yeah, I definitely needed this.
Opening my eyes, I notice Atlas looking over at me from where he’s sitting at the kitchen table. He looks away and then back at me. Shit. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.
Khloe pats my knee, pulling my attention back to her. “I think I’ll go help Emma and Lottie in the kitchen for a bit. It looks like someone needs to talk to you.”
When she gets up, so does Atlas. He picks up his empty dishes, following her into the kitchen before returning to the living room. He hesitates and I pat the spot that Khloe was just sitting.
He sits down, his knee bouncing and I set my coffee down on the coffee table. Turning, I place my hand on his arm, knowing a hug would probably be pushing things, and that’s the last thing I want to do. I’ve heard a little about his bitch of an ex and that he’d taken the brunt of her ire. He’d come out of the relationshipdeeply scarred and his trust in women had been damn near obliterated. Same with Cannon. They’ve both slowly started opening up to me and my friends, but I don’t want to push Atlas further than he’s comfortable with right now.
“Thank you.”
He blinks up at me, startled. “But I didn’t do anything.”
I huff, giving him a small smile and minutely shake my head. “You did a lot, and I’m extremely grateful for what you did. You were there with me the entire night. You called the guys and Reaper. You got into my car and got the doors unlocked when I couldn’t. You were there with me through it all. You might not have been at my side in the ER room, but you were in the waiting room the entire time and then followed us back here.”
He blushes slightly and nods shakily.
I swallow thickly, not sure how he’ll take this next bit if he doesn’t already know. “Did… Did Loki fill you guys in about the flowers?”
His muscles tense under my hand and I pull back, worried I might have pushed him too far with the touch.
“Yes. From now on, we want you to let us pick up anything that’s left on your car. Doc wants us to make sure we’re all carrying multiple pairs of gloves on us as a precaution, too.”
I nod, completely okay with letting them do that.
“I know I said this before but thank you again. If you hadn’t been there…” my voice trails off and my throat tightens as I blink away my tears. I’m already positive that I’ll be having nightmares of what could have happened to me if Atlas hadn’t been there.
He lifts his hand hesitantly before reaching over and placing his hand on my arm. “You’re family, Lark. We protect our own and that fucker isn’t getting his hands on you.”
My gaze snaps up to his and he nods. More tears threaten to fall, but I blink them away as I give him a watery smile.
I go to reply when the front door swings open and then I’m engulfed in a familiar embrace.
“Miracle?”
She pulls back, wiping her cheeks before she hugs Atlas whose muscles visibly go taut. I freeze, afraid of how he’ll react, but surprising, he slowly reaches up and returns her hug.
I stare at them in shock for a few seconds and I’m sure if it were possible, my jaw would be on the floor.
“Thank you for taking care of my sister,” I hear her quietly tell him. He replies to her, but it’s too quiet for me to hear.
Someone moves the coffee table and I turn to find Anthony kneeling in front of me, his eyes wild as he takes in my bruises. His hands come up, cradling my face and I can feel a slight tremble in them as he holds me. He kisses me and rests his forehead against mine.
“I’m okay, Hercules. Atlas, Loki, and the guys all made sure of it.”
Anthony breathes out harshly before lowering his hands, but then they hover over my legs like he’s afraid he might hurt me.
“My back, neck, and arms are sore from whiplash. Aside from hitting the steering wheel and a mild concussion, I have a few bruises but thankfully, nothing was broken.”
Gently, he wraps me in his arms, lifts me up, sits down, and then settles me down onto his lap. I sink into his embrace, needing to feel his arms around me. Miracle sits down next to us and then surprises me when she lifts my legs so that they are draped over hers.
