Page 130 of Wicked Savage Wolves
“Let me handle it, okay. What’s his name?”
“César,” I tell him.
Antonio nods to himself for a second before a wide grin splits his face. “So, I’m an uncle.”
I muffle my laugh with my fist. “Yeah, fucker. You’re an uncle.”
Silence stretches between us, both of us thinking of all the things that have gone wrong and all the possible things that can still happen. It’s times like this when I can’t breathe. When the pressure builds too much and I need to find a release. I’m tempted to call some random. It’d be easier if I called Georgia, worked out some of my frustration while Antonio is here, but that’s not a tree I want to be barking up right now. Fucking her holds zero appeal right now for man or wolf. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but obviously something is. Maybe it’s just her. Our last fuck was awful. But…whatever. I can’t leave Antonio and Sofia to deal with Raul on their own whenever he wakes up anyway.
My family might be fucked up, but we do what we can for as long as we can. Let’s hope we all have enough fight left in us to deal with whatever comes next.
55
Jo
Iwake to César’s garbled baby jabbers and roll over to find the space beside me empty. I glance at the bedside clock. It shows that it’s just past nine. Jordy must have left sometime after I fell asleep. I pick up César almost as though I’m on autopilot and go through our usual morning routine.
Nurse. Fresh diaper. New clothes. When he’s all set, I put him down on the floor with some of his toys and get myself ready, taking a five-minute shower with the door open to try and wash away some of the strain of last night.
Clean and feeling more awake, I straighten up the small mess César made before we head downstairs. I pass my mom’s room on the way, her door open and the bed empty. I wonder if she ever came home last night. I need to talk to her but I’m not sure what to say.
The entryway and kitchen are a disaster. A lamp is laying on its side, shards of glass scattered in the general area. There are blood smears across the floor. Chairs toppled over and dirt from a potted plant strewn about.
I sigh, already knowing I can’t leave it like this. I deposit César on the floor in the living room with a few of his favorite toys and turn on some cartoons. “Mommy will be right back.”
I grab a garbage bag and the broom, cleaning up all of the dirt and glass, and throwing away anything not salvageable. César wanders into the kitchen a few times, so the clean-up process takes a little longer having to go back and forth and pause long enough to play with him for a few minutes before he’s distracted enough for me to slip away and finish my task.
The blood has stained the off-white tiles, leaving them tinged with pink. I’ve been scrubbing at them for close to an hour, so it’s as good as it’s going to get. I’m just about to go dump out the blood-tinged water when there’s a knock at the door.
I dry my hands on my pants and head over to it to answer, surprised when I find Jae standing on my doorstep. “Hi,” I say, opening the door wider for him to come in.
His hair is disheveled. Instead of being neatly pulled back into his usual bun, it hangs over one side of his head, and a sprinkling of scruff covers his jawline. “Hey. Sorry. I would have come sooner, but I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Is everything okay?”
César chooses that moment to crawl into the kitchen. His eyes light up when he sees Jae and he stretches his little arms up in the air. His way of demanding to be picked up. Jae complies, bouncing César in his arms for a second. “Hey, little man,” he coos, and I don’t bother fighting my smile. Jae has always been great with César. It’s why I always felt like a jerk for never giving the guy a chance.
“So, what brings you by?”
He turns to face me, and his expression grows stony. “I was at the local Seethe all night. I know the Pack took Diego.”
“Oh. That.” I’m not sure what else to say. He works for Diego. They were kind of friends despite the age difference between them. I know Jae looked up to him almost like a mentor, so I have no idea how he feels about all of this. “Did you see my mom?”
He nods his head. “Yeah. She called me for help, but when I found out what he was being accused of…” He hangs his head. “Has he ever tried to… “
“No. He’s never hurt me.” I shake my head. “But he’s dangerous.”
He exhales a relieved breath. “Your mom seems to think he’s inno—”
“He isn’t. He all but admitted it in front of me. He tried to kill a girl. My friend. And his only reason for doing so is because she’s a shifter and he thought he could get away with it. She moved to the area as a lone wolf. She had no protection and he took advantage of that.” Hell, he could do the same to me if he really wanted to. Psykers aren’t organized like the other factions. If I was killed, the only person who’d take issue with it is my mom and she’s human. What can she do?
His jaw clenches. “I’m not surprised.”
“You’re not?” I ask, taken aback. He and Diego always seemed close.
“Diego is slick like oil. He’s good at making people believe he’s this open-minded visionary, but the way he talks sometimes when it’s just the guys,” a shrug. “I brush it off as just talk. But…” He takes a steadying breath. “It must seem odd, right? A druid working with a vamp. We’re not natural enemies like the vampires and shifters, but it’s still strange, right?”
My brows furrow and I nod. “Yeah, I always wondered, but it wasn’t my place to ask.”
