Page 45 of Savage Devil
“What did he do?”
The corners of his mouth curl into a smile. “Crawled down almost every row in the library and yanked every book he could reach onto the floor.” He pats Luis on the head. “Our librarian might not be his biggest fan but we cleaned up the mess and it kept him entertained.”
“Did he eat anything?” I ask, hoping he drank the bottle I pumped for him earlier. I don’t remember if I gave Dominique specific instructions on that.
He nods. “Downed the entire thing and I changed his diaper. You’re welcome.”
“Thank you!” I tell him and I mean it. We fall into step beside one another, heading toward the cafeteria, when Emilio comes into view, a pretty blond standing close beside him. I give her a closer look and realize it’s Kaitlyn, the girl who sits behind me in second period.
My steps falter. They’re right beside the cafeteria doors so I’ll have to pass them if I want to go inside. I hesitate, assuming he’ll dismiss her after a moment, only he doesn’t. He laughs at something she says, and she twirls a piece of her hair, a come-hither expression on her face.
Dominque see’s what I’m looking at and his brows pull forward. “I thought he was—” He shakes his head. “Whatever. Come on.”
My heart plummets to the bottom of my stomach. Is she… are they… no. I’m getting ahead of myself. For all I know, she’s just asking for his notes or something from class. It’s harmless flirting. Right?
I force myself to move forward and follow Dominque when I see her press her hand against his chest and lean up on tip toe to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek. He shakes his head and says something to her I can’t hear before turning around and going through the open double doors, leaving her behind, but still not noticing me.
I swallow hard.
It’s nothing, I tell myself.
When I get to the table, everyone is already there. Roman, Allie, Aaron, Kasey, and Dominique.
“Hey, momma,” Emilio says, a wide smile on his face as he shifts to the side and makes more room for me. I accept the seat and he plucks Luis from my arms, handing him a french fry off his tray. “How was your time with Uncle Dom?” Emilio asks him, to which Luis gurgles and grins. “That good?” He turns to Roman. “Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” he tells him.
Roman rolls his eyes, but it’s Aaron who surprises us when he holds his arms out and Luis immediately reaches for him. “Hey, what’s this?” Emilio says in mock offense. Luis grips Aaron’s cheeks and gives him an open-mouthed kiss as he all but tries to eat his nose.
“Who were you saying was his favorite?” Aaron asks and all three of us girls laugh at the boys stunned expressions.
“He was over for girls' night,” I remind everyone and then wince. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Allie says, nudging my foot with her own under the table. “Girls' night was good. Besides, I needed the closure, you know?”
I nod, still unconvinced, but I don’t want to dig into the topic either.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out to see a text flash across the screen.
Jae: He made bail. They’re releasing him today.
I gasp. What? It’s too soon.
“What is it?” Emilio asks. I turn wide eyes toward him, not wanting to say anything, but everyone’s eyes are on me, waiting.
I lick my lips and chance a furtive glance at Allie. “Miguel made bail.”
She visibly swallows and nods. Roman tucks her into his side, his jaw tight and his hand fisted on the table.
“I’ll call my dad. We’ll figure out—”
I block out the rest of his words as my fingers fly over the keyboard.
Me: When?
Jae: This afternoon. Bibi…
I wait.
Jae: Let me come get you. Help you pack. You can’t stay there.
