Page 25 of Savage Hunter

“Working graveyard at the Asylum is kicking my ass.”

Nova smirks. “I bet a lot of hot guys go through there. Have you met anyone?”

Nova is forever trying to get me out into the world. She’s a people person and someone who believes facing your fears will make them go away. She became tangled up in the Society when they plucked off the streets of New York City by the same men who collected me at my mother’s Spanish villa. It is scary how small this world is. Unlike me, Nova didn’t lose months of her life. She doesn’t understand the depth of betrayal like I suffered and thank God for that. Ares pulled her out long before she lost all her self worth. Long before anyone forced her too…

STOP!

I mentally scream and my mind suffers whiplash from how hard I slam on the brakes to my thoughts.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

Gears grind and my brain rocks with jolts as I mentally shift out of my head and focus on anything but my own shitty thoughts.

“Yes, I’m just shaking off a groggy sleep.” I peel off my real mask and slip into one that shows nothing in the world could ever be wrong. The disguise helps my friends feel like they do not need to walk on eggshells in my presence.

“You? The shadows under your eyes say you need a spa day. Maybe a week in a cabin in the mountains.” I infuse my tone with a bubbly happiness I don’t feel.

“Ugh, Avery. I don’t know how much more stress I can take with these men.” The weight on Nova’s shoulders looks heavy and I focus on my friend’s burdens instead of my own. I wrap her in a one-armed hug and we find a seat on the side of my bed.

I take Nova’s hand in mine and offer her my support. “Anything on Rage yet?”

“Ares called and said he and the crew are checking another spot where they think someone spotted Rage. Ares is going out of his mind and taking me along for the ride.”

We’ve all been on high alert for weeks now. The mysterious vice president to the Savages up and vanished in the middle of a takedown. No one has heard from him since. And if I’m dying to know where the man I think of as a brother is. On top of Rage gone rogue, the Savage crew are also searching for Ares’ twisted, murderous power hungry brothers from one side and my mother from the other.

Secrets are a nasty beast and I have mine like everyone else. For as long as I’ve been part of the Savage family, I’ve kept my blood ties to the notorious Society 69 buried. When I first arrived with the Savages, I didn’t know who to trust. It took me a few months to realize they had no ill will toward me and by then so much time had passed. Why open Pandora’s box?

So I said nothing. Not a truth I pride myself on.

I flick the thought out of my head and put myself in the moment. I can wrangle my demons later, along with my matted hair.

I brush away the knotted lengths and plaster a smile on my lips. It’s the least I can do for my friend.

Ares’ very pregnant baby momma, and my best friend, holds out a steamy mug of dark roast.

I take it with both hands.

“Thought you could use this.” She looks at my hair and her laugh is soft. “Hmm. Maybe I should go back for the pot. You doing okay?” Nova presses a hand to her back and I can tell she would rather be in bed than standing here. Buthereshe is, watching over her family. It helps fill the gap in my chest more than she will ever know.

I press a finger between my brows. “I drank too much with the club candy last night. A party at the Asylum got a little out of hand. Ugh, I never want to see another whiskey bottle in my life. Remind me not to spend my one night off with those two.” Which isn’t a lie, but I didn’t do a pint of whiskey each like Piper and Kendra. The club’s party girls hit back so much booze in a weekend my kidney hurts just thinking about it.

I hold up my coffee and blow across the top before sipping.

“You are an angel, but you didn’t have to bring this up. Those stairs, that belly. But thank you.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Three flights up is a nightmare but getting Ares to install an elevator before this kiddo pops out might take a miracle.”

“How long do you think this will go on with Rage?”

“I don’t know, honestly. Ares is exhausted. I’m exhausted.”

Happier topic needed. “Hey, what about your wedding? Have you made any progress in the planning?” It’s been in the making for seven months and at this rate it will be a group nuptial event for all the Savages if it takes any longer.

Sadness comes over Nova and I immediately wish I picked anything else to talk about.

“It will happen, I just… it’s been on hold since Dragon rescued Asena. And the subsequent shootout and remodeling of the compound. And then Riot’s wife came back to life. Who saw that coming? Ghost’s betrayal hit Ares hard and now Rage.” Nova sighs heavily. “I know what I signed up for with Ares, but I did not know it would get so deep so fast.”

“Yeah, it’s been non-stop chaos. I never expected that with Ghost. I feel bad about his little girl.”

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