The last two days have been a whirlwind of emotions, but this final revelation undoes me. I don’t even have time to think about the fact that Lorelei kept him from me all these years. That even now, she didn’t tell me the truth. The van door slides open.
I have my gun out, pointed and ready to fire, when I see Blake Weston, and a few other members of his team outside.
“Area is clear.” He glances over my shoulder at Nolan. “The boy?”
“Uninjured.” I wince as I move to get out. “And Sara?”
“Medics are on their way. You’re hit.” He nods at my leg. “I’ll have the paramedics–”
“No. I’m fine. I’m staying with the kid.”
He frowns. “Bullshit, Savage. That looks deep. I can take–”
“No,” I growl out. I can already hear the wail of sirens in the distance. “He stays with me.”
Blake’s lips thin, but he doesn’t argue. “You still need to have that leg checked out.”
I will. Once Nolan is with his mother.
“Stubborn bastard,” I hear him mumble, rubbing the back of his neck.
He has no idea.
“How many casualties?” I ask, sitting on the edge of the van and unbuttoning my shirt, using it to wrap my thigh. I push through the nausea sweeping through me as I tighten it. The bleeding has slowed, so I know it didn’t hit any main arteries, and I’m pretty sure the bullet went clean through. Still, it hurts like a son of a bitch. But I can feel the kid watching me.
“None on our side,” Blake says. “We took out five of Farkas’ men who were positioned around the perimeter.”
I motion for Nolan to come to me, which he does instantly, sliding beside me and taking my hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I swallow hard. “Call Lorelei for me. Have someone bring her to the hospital.”
“Sure. Anything you want me to tell her?”
“Yeah.” I glance at Nolan, then say to Blake under my breath, “Tell her she has a hell of a lot of explaining to do.”
Chapter 10
Lorelei
“Hey,” Quinn says, reaching out from the driver’s seat of her Wrangler and grabbing my hand. “Everything’s okay now. We’ll be at the hospital soon.”
I give her a weak smile, my emotions warring inside me.
Nolan is safe. That’s all that matters.
But the call I got from Blake Weston wasn’t exactly reassuring.
“Why didn’t Damon call me?” My knees had gone weak as I held the receiver to my ear, Quinn watching me from across the kitchen. I’d put it on speaker so she could hear.
“He’s with Nolan. They’re taking him to Harristown General–”
“Oh God.”
“The boy is fine. It’s just a precaution. We’re sending someone to pick you up and bring you here.”
“I’ll drive her,” Quinn had offered without hesitation.
I gave her a grateful smile. “But they’re fine?”
There was a slight hesitation on the line before Blake said, “Yeah.”
“And...Farkas?”
“I think it’s best if Damon tells you everything.”
“Okay.” I chewed on my bottom lip. When he didn’t say more, I asked, “Is there anything else?”
He sighed. “Apparently you have some explaining to do. Not sure what that means.”
He knows.
Of course he knows. One look at Nolan and anyone could see the truth.
I shiver now, not sure how I’m going to face the man. The anger and betrayal I know I’ll see.
“I’ll drop you off at the front,” Quinn says as we turn into the roundabout in front of the hospital. “I’ll come up once I park.”
“Thank you.” I squeeze her hand, grateful she stayed with me for the past few hours, knowing I probably would have pulled my hair out if I’d been alone.
My entire body feels numb as make my way through the lobby, then talk with the receptionist, who doesn’t seem to want to give me any information.
“My son is here. Nolan. He’s ten years old. I was told he was brought here. He was–”
“I’m sorry. I’m under order not to give any–”
“Lorelei.” Blake is walking towards me, his expression hard. He’s still in uniform, and I notice dark stains on his shirt that look like blood.
Oh God.
“Come with me.”
“What’s going on?”
He holds the elevator door for me, then presses six when he gets in. “Everything’s fine.”
Everything doesn’t seem fine. I don’t know the man, but it’s clear he’s upset. He doesn’t say anything until the doors open again and he leads me down the hall, where more than a dozen officers sit in an open waiting room, all with the same grim look Blake wears.
I suck in a shaky breath, fearing the worst and knowing there’s something the man isn’t telling me. But when he opens a door, and I see my boy sitting on the bed with Damon beside him, the two of them laughing at some secret joke, all I feel is relief.
He’s okay.
Both of them.
And I realize that, until I saw his face, there was a part of me that believed I would never see my son again.
I must falter, because from behind me Blake places his hands on my shoulder and a small cry leaves my lips.
Nolan looks over, then, and with the resilience of a child, his whole face lights up and he jumps off the bed, running towards me, almost knocking me backwards when his arms wrap around me. “Mom.”
I lose it. The tears I’d been holding back stream down my face. “I’m so sorry. So sorry, baby.”
He’s wearing a hospital gown, and other than a few bruises, he looks fine. But I have no idea the psychological damage the last several days have had on him.
“I’m okay, Mom. They didn’t hurt me.”
I choke on another sob and bury my face in the top of his head, wetting his hair with my tears.
I’m aware of Blake leaving the room, knowing it’s now just the three of us here. I can feel Damon’s eyes on me.
“Mom, you’re getting snot in my hair.” He pulls back, scrunching his nose.
“Sorry. I was just so worried.”
“You should have heard all the gunshots. And then I thought Grandma shot you, but it wasn’t you, it was a police lady. But she’s going to be okay. Right, Damon?”
He gives a hard nod, and Nolan turns back to me.
“It was so scary. But I didn’t cry. I was brave. Even when Damon got shot.”
“You got shot?” I didn’t notice until now his pant leg has been cut away, and white gauze covers a large area of his thigh.
“It’s nothing. Just a flesh wound. They already stitched me up.”
“I watched it.” Nolan looks both disgusted and fascinated. “It was really gross.”
I hold Damon’s gaze, not sure what he’s thinking. He’s pissed, that’s easy to read, but he also has full control over whatever emotions he’s feeling.
“Can we go now?” Nolan tugs on my arm.
“I’m...not...” I glance at Damon again. “I’m not sure.”
There’s a knock on the door before it opens, and Quinn peeks her head in. “Can I come in?” She doesn’t wait for an answer, because she must see the bandage on Damon’s leg, and she rushes towards her brother. “Oh my God, what happened?”
“He got shot.” Nolan says it proudly, like it’s some kind of badge of honor and not evidence that both their lives were just in jeopardy.
Quinn glances over at Nolan, and her brows shoot up when she takes him in. But whatever conclusion she comes to, she keeps it to herself and turns back to her brother.
“You’re all right? I freaked out when I saw all the police in the waiting room.”
“One of our officers was gunned down. She’s in surgery now. They’re just waiting–” He hesitates, glancing over at Nolan, and I can tell she’s in more critical condition than he’d told him. “They just want to be here when she get
s out.”
“But you’re okay?” Quinn asks.
“Yes. So don’t even think about calling Mom or the others.” He grunts as he sits up, tossing his legs over the side of the bed. “There’s a vending machine at the end of the hall. Would you mind taking Nolan and getting him whatever he wants?”
I swallow hard, knowing what’s coming.
Quinn looks at me, and I give a small nod, then watch as the two of them disappear out the door.
When it shuts, I start to explain. “Damon–”
“Stop.” Even with his injury hindering him, I don’t have time to contemplate the hard look he gives me before he’s pushing himself off the bed and stalking towards me.
His body is massive, features tight with tension, but he’s still the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. Powerful. Dominant. And even though I know I’m in a shitload of trouble right now, I can’t control the butterflies that take flight in my stomach.
When he is only a few inches away, I think he might swoop me down and wrap those strong arms around me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he hovers above me, his expression unreadable.
“About Nolan–”
“We’ll get to that,” he growls out. “But right now, you need to know what happened today.”
“Okay.”
“Farkas wasn’t there. Or, if he was, he got away.”
All the fear I thought was gone returns like a blow to the stomach and I suck in a shaky breath.
“His men opened fire, and we took down a lot of them. Others are still in custody. We believe at least one will talk in exchange for a plea deal.”
But he’s still out there. Free.
He pulls a chair over. “Sit down.”
“Why?” My heart stutters in my chest, knowing whatever he has to tell me is bad. But what could be worse than Farkas getting away?
“Just sit, Lorelei.”
I do, blinking up at him and trying to prepare for whatever blow he’s about to deliver.
“What is it?”
“Your mother was there. She’s the one who shot Sara.”
Dread settles in my gut. Nolan said something to that affect, but I’d been so wrapped up in seeing him, it didn’t really settle in.
“No.” My mother was always a desperate, pathetic woman who only cared about herself, but she wasn’t a murderer. But then, how well did I really know her? Eleven years had passed, so there’s no telling how corrupt she’d become.
“You have her in custody?”
“Yes, but...”
I frown up at him.
“She was shot, Lor. They have her in surgery, but it doesn’t look good.”
It takes me a few seconds to process his words. But instead of the pain I know I should feel, there’s just numbness.
“I’m sorry. She’s still your mother.”
“No. My real mother died a few months ago.” Patty was more of a mother to me than Gretchen ever was. Gretchen gave up the right for me to grieve for her when she allowed Farkas to sell me.
I want Damon’s arms around me, need his strength. But he stays back, and I can feel the walls he’s resurrected around himself.
His gaze is hard, searching, and for the first time, I see distrust staring back at me.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
I drag my palms across my jeans, shriveling under the condemnation in his voice. “I...I don’t know.”
“Jesus Christ, Lorelei.” Indignant anger flashes in his dark eyes, then he drags his fingers through his hair and turns his back on me. I can see him trying to hold back his anger.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“Sorry.” He gives a harsh laugh. “You kept my kid from me for ten fucking years.”
“You think I wanted that? I thought...I was doing the right thing.”
“The right thing would have been to tell me.”
“Farkas–”
“Is not an excuse. And if you have even the faintest thought of running again, I promise you on my life, I will track you down. I won’t let you keep him from me.”
The pain in his voice twists my heart and I feel nauseous.
The door opens, and Nolan comes bouncing in, completely unaware of the tension in the room. Quinn, however, is more astute, and I see her eyes widen as she looks between us.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
A harsh breath of air leaves Damon’s beautiful mouth, and pain flashes once again across his handsome features.
I blink back tears. “It’s just been an emotional day.”
“Can we go home now? Please,” Nolan says, shoving a handful of Cheezies in his mouth. “Damon said we can stay at his place. Did you know he has a lake in his backyard, and a boat and a jetski? And he said he’d take me fishing and teach me how to waterski. Can we get ice cream?”
“I...” What am I supposed to say? Do? “I don’t know–”
“Ice cream sounds perfect,” Damon, who’s rigid with anger, interrupts me. The look he gives me dares me to argue. “We’re also going to have to stop and get some new threads for you.” He ruffles Nolan’s hair, some of his tension easing when he smiles down at him.
I swallow hard, weighing my options. Farkas is still out there, and after today he’s going to have an even bigger vendetta against me. But I currently have no money to my name, no car, and while my apartment is hopefully still standing, I have no idea how I’m going to pay next month’s rent.
Nolan is chattering on about some gaming system, Damon nodding, seeming to hear every word and react appropriately, despite the obvious emotional shrapnel inside him just waiting to burst.
Quinn is quiet, but I can see the questions in her eyes.
A nurse comes into the room with discharge papers and antibiotic cream for Damon’s leg, and even though I’m overjoyed that Nolan is safe, I sit in the corner twisting my fingers. knowing the real war is only starting.
Will he try and take him from me?
God, I wouldn’t survive it.
I watch the two of them together, talking, laughing, and it’s hard not to see how much they look alike.
How am I going to tell Nolan?
“I’ll bring the car around,” Quinn says when the nurse leaves.
Needing just a moment to breathe, I stand and start to follow her. “I’ll go with you.”
“No.” Damon is on me when I get to the door. “You’re not leaving my sight.”
Even Quinn looks shocked by his outburst, and a few heads turn in our direction, including Blake Weston, who stands against the wall a few rooms down.
“Go get the car, Quinn. We’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.”
She hesitates and gives me a sympathetic look, before turning with a sigh.
“What?” I hiss, my own frustration starting to build. But it’s also all the other chaotic emotions raging inside me with no outlet, heightening every one of my senses.
I want to cry.
Want to fight.
Want to run.
Want to kiss the damn man standing in front of me.
I shake my head and say low enough so that only he can hear, “You really think I’d take off without my son?”
He leans down, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know what you’d do, Lor. But that’s not why I want to keep you here. Farkas is still loose, which means you’re not safe. Until he’s in custody, or dead, you don’t leave my side. Understood?”
A hulking tower of muscle and brawn, he hovers above me, and even though I know he’s only trying to protect me, pride pushes me to puff out my chest, and I want to lash back.
“Mom? Are we going now?” Nolan saves me from whatever stupid comment I’m about to make.
“Yeah,” Damon answers for me, dragging a palm over Nolan’s head. “But I need you and your mom to follow some rules when we leave here.”
Nolan makes a face. “What kind of rules?”
Even though I know it causes him pain, Damon crouches so that he’s face to face with him. “
I’m going to tell you something, and I know you can handle it because you’re a brave kid. Probably the bravest kid I’ve ever met.”
Nolan’s eyes light up. “I am?”
“Yeah, you are. Which is why I can tell you that the man who took you–”
“Grandpa Farkas.”
“He’s not your grandfather,” I choke out.
At that, Damon takes my hand and gives it a small squeeze. “Your mom’s right. The man isn’t your grandpa. He’s a really bad guy, and he is still out there.”
“He wants to hurt me?”
“Yeah, kid. He wants to hurt you and your mom. But I’m not going to let that happen, okay?”
My throat cinches tighter, making it more and more difficult to breath.
“Okay.” Nolan nods, blind trust in his eyes as he looks at Damon.
“In order to keep you both safe, I need you to do what I say.” Damon glances up at me. “Both of you.”
“We will,” Nolan answers for me. “Right, Mom?”
I don’t trust my voice to answer, but I force a small smile and nod.
“Good.” With a grunt, Damon stands, his stance and voice both savagely protective. “Then let’s go home.”
Chapter 11
Damon
My heart still races and adrenaline courses through my veins as Quinn pulls her Jeep into my driveway and Nolan opens the door, racing towards the lake like it’s the greatest thing he’s ever seen.
Lorelei gets out of the car, calling for her son–no, my son.
Our son.
“God,” I mutter. It’s a total mindfuck.
Emotions burn through me.
Anger.
Protectiveness.
Love.
They overwhelm me, and I’ve barely been able to say two words since I got in the car. Which was fine, since Nolan had more than enough for all of us. The kid would rival my niece, Lola, in a talk-off. But it was good to hear his voice, his stories, and his quirky jokes.
“You okay?” Quinn asks.
“Leg hurts like a bitch, but I’ll be fine.”
“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” She looks ahead, and I follow her gaze towards the dock where Nolan and Lorelei are now. “Is he…I mean...God, he looks like you and the timing–”
Salvage (Savages and Saints Book 3) Page 10
