Page 53 of Savage Devil
The possibility of that happening is getting to my baby sister and it shows. Not in a good way either. She’s pale and acting skittish. She inches back every time this Morgen lady asks her a question, as if she is trying to sink into the furniture, and she flicks her eyes toward me and Antonio before she answers. It makes her look guilty as hell. If I were Patricia Morgen, I would be concerned too. But she doesn’t know us. Dropping in on people and putting the fear of God in them in your first meeting isn’t a great way to make someone comfortable.
Antonio jumps to his feet to walk her out and I stay on the couch, pulling Sofia into a hug. God knows she needs it. Her tiny body shudders against mine and I tuck her head beneath my chin. “She’s going to take me away, isn’t she?” she whispers, tears lodged in her throat.
“Nope. This is all just protocol, baby sis. No one is taking you anywhere.” My voice is firm, but inside I’m reeling. They could take her from us and there isn’t a damn thing we could do about it.
A few hours pass and the mood in the house is decidedly grim. Sofia’s retreated to her room to read herMeet Josefinabook—they really need to come up with a Honduran girl for that shit—and Antonio are I are sitting in the garage. He’s drinking a Modelo while we both stare out across the street, lost in our separate trains of thought.
A car I don’t recognize rolls up and I lean forward in my seat. The passenger door opens, and a man steps out. Dressed in combat greens, my brother turns to face us, a military duffle slung over one shoulder. The driver takes off as Roberto stands there, waiting to see his reception.
Antonio is the first to stand up. He meets our brother halfway across the drive and the two embrace. Roberto has filled out since I last saw him. He’s both taller and broader, damn near engulfing Antonio in his arms.
They separate and walk together to the garage, Roberto stopping a few paces in front of me, a quirk in his brow. “Long time,hermanito.” Little brother.
I nod and push to my feet. “Four years,” I remind him. Four years with damn near zero contact, I might add. But I don’t bother saying that out loud. He already knows how long he’s been away.
Roberto ducks his head and releases a harsh breath. “I’m back now.”
Obviously. He’s standing in front of me. But the question is, for how long?
He flicks his gaze to the side, his jaw stiff before returning his hard hazel stare back to mine.
“Cut him some slack,” Antonio asks.
Before I can respond Roberto adds, “I’m out now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
He’s standing stiff, shoulders squared, and feet almost perfectly spaced. “It means I was eligible to re-enlist when Antonio called. He told me about your kid.” A smile splits his face, one of the few genuine smiles I’ve ever seen on my brother’s face. “I decided not to. Even before I knew about Raul.” He hesitates, his voice dropping low. “I know I left you. Left like mom. I don’t blame you for being pissed off with me. I should have called. Or written.” He huffs out a breath. “Look. I’m sorry. But—I’m here now. I want to be here. For Sofia. For you. I want to put our family back together the way it should be.”
I work my jaw and give him a stiff nod. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he questions, as if he doesn’t believe me. I hold my hand out and he clasps it.
“Yeah, man. Okay.” I gave up my grudge years ago. He did what he needed to, and I can’t say I wouldn’t have made the same decision in his place. Okay. Lie. I know I wouldn’t have, but still. This, I can let go. For family. For blood.
twenty-five
“We’re going to a party this weekend,” Kasey says as soon as I sit down for lunch.
“Uh, you do know I have a kid, right?”
She nods, blond hair bobbing around her face. “Yup. I already took care of it.” I look at Allie and she shrugs.
“And how exactly did you take care of my child?” I ask just as Emilio and the rest of the boys join us.
“What’s this about our child?” Emilio asks, plucking Luis from my arms. He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and then turns his attention to our son, making faces and blowing raspberries on his neck.
“I got you a sitter,” Kasey adds, and I frown. I’m not going to leave Luis with just anyone. “Relax, it’s Monique.”
Oh. My shoulders relax. “I didn’t know you two talked.”
Dominique grunts and a wicked smile spreads across Kasey’s face. “All the time,” she says with a pointed look toward Dominique. “I’m learning so much. That girl is a wealth of information.”
I snort, but quickly smother my laugh. I can only imagine what these two are getting up to. “Okay. I’ll bite, since I trust Monique, why are we going to a party this weekend?”
At the mention of party, four scowls greet me. Emilio, Aaron, Dominique, and Roman.
Kasey ignores all of them. “The guys have the state championship game this weekend.”
