Page 102 of Delirium
“Do you think we will find her there?” I asked, looking at the buildings we passed as we entered the industrial area.
“I don’t know. The scouts reported movement inside the warehouse, but we have no idea whether they’re still there or not. If they’re not there, we will keep looking, Sunshine. I’m not going to stop until we find this person.”
“I just want it to be over before twins are born, you know? I want them to have a peaceful start in their life.”
“And they’ll get it, trust me. I’m going to do everything that’s in my power to give them the best life possible. Better than what any of us had.”
I wanted to believe him, I wanted it so badly, I could feel it within reach, but my conversation with Maya shook me to my core. The knowledge that someone out there would try to take my kids away from me didn’t sit well.
“We’re almost there,” Storm announced, slowing the car at the curb. I could see the warehouse in the distance, the lights shining brightly.
Sinister, sitting alone in the middle of nowhere, far away from the other warehouses, it sent a creepy feeling through my body, chills skating down my spine. I tightened my grip on the handle of the gun I kept in my lap as Storm exited the car, telling me to stay inside, letting the chilly winter wind enter inside.
We left Santa Monica yesterday, sleeping in a shitty motel we found not too far from Portland, since everybody needed to rest. The look on the receptionist’s face was almost comical when she saw more than fifteen bikers pulling in, with a couple of us in our cars. An entire entourage followed us, and I admired Storm for managing to pull it off on such short notice.
We didn’t have time to spare. If one of those guys ran away, then it was glaringly obvious that he would have informed them that we took one of their own with us. If Belladonna was as smart as she wanted to be, she probably wasn’t here anymore.
But maybe there was a clue as to who she was and what she wanted. I mean, it was obvious she wanted me gone, but the questions still stayed—why?
A knock came on the window on my side, and as I turned, I saw a grinning Atlas standing there, with a cap covering his head. The gloves he wore were hilarious—pink and fluffy, but it was the only thing he could find at the gas station.
“What are you doing?” I asked, opening the window, laughing as he kept jumping from one foot to the other, trying to warm himself.
“I’m freezing my balls off, obviously. Come on, get out of the car. I have a sandwich with your name on it.”
“A man after my own heart.” I chuckled, opening the door, and stepping outside.
I thought Croyford Bay was freezing, with the wind blowing from the Atlantic, but this… This was a whole new level of cold.
My nose was freezing, my cheeks turning into ice, and I could see my breath in the air, small puffs of smoke coming out of our mouths.
“I’m telling you,” Atlas started leading me toward their car. “I’m never moving north. I don’t care what they want me to do, I’m not doing it. I thought the place where Skylar and the guys were staying was cold, but nope. It definitely isn’t. This, right here, this I never want to experience again.”
“That makes the two of us,” I murmured, shivering as he opened the door of his car, taking out a sandwich from the bag on the front seat.
“Here.” He handed me the sandwich. “It’s that chicken Caesar wrap thing you like. Storm instructed me to buy a bunch of those, but they only had one.”
My stomach grumbled as soon as he mentioned the sandwich. As my fingers wrapped around the foil, I remembered how hungry I truly was. Tearing through the foil and the paper wrapping the sandwich, I all but drooled as the smell of the Caesar dressing snuck through my nostrils.
“I know it isn’t much, but right now this smells divine.” I practically moaned, biting down on the wrap. My taste buds were overwhelmed with the sensations, the soft tortilla bread melting in my mouth, mixed with the pieces of roasted chicken, salad, and the Caesar dressing.
I was in food heaven.
“Is that what you look like when you come?” Atlas suddenly asked, breaking through the haze of food heaven, chuckling at my facial expression.
“Fuck off, Atlas,” I grumbled. “This, right here, is a foodgasm.”
“Foodgasm?” He chortled. “Seriously? Don’t talk about food and orgasms in the same way.”
“This is better,” I moaned.
“What’s better?” Storm asked, coming behind me and wrapping his arms around my middle, his hands landing on my belly. “Hmmm, you got your food.”
“And we all know how much she likes to eat,” Atlas added, earning a glare from me, while Storm laughed along with him.
“Neither one of you has the right to say anything. You’re not a human incubator, carrying two human beings inside your body. I’m eating for three!”
“I hate to break it to you, Phee,” Atlas started, barely containing his laughter. “But even before this pregnancy, you ate for three people.”
