Page 20 of Locked Souls
“Okay, I have been patient, but move aside, I need to see my girls,” Tempest snaps, shoving me out of the way, and pressing a kiss onto Chas’ head.
“You are so loved, baby girl. You are going to have all these men wrapped around your tiny finger, aren’t you?” she coos, and I grumble, but it’s true.
All these big bad Society members are going to lay down their weapons at her feet, so to speak, and we wouldn’t change a thing.
Chapter 6
“Idon’t know if she’s going to want to see me,” I tell Otto while we sit in the waiting room. It’s not as busy anymore, thank fuck. I already have a splitting headache, and the crying toddlers that were here before didn’t help.
Otto bounces Romeo on his lap while he’s sucking his thumb. This little boy runs our home, and I adore every minute of it. We have been in Romeo’s life since the moment Tempest gave birth in our living room.
She wanted a home birth, and we were happy to oblige. I never pictured taking in a teenager, but it was one of the best decisions of our life.
“Chastity loves you, Jacob. You guys have a lot to talk about, but she's going to want to see you. Always,” Otto says with a yawn.
We are all exhausted, but I hope what he said is true. I don't want to lose my sister. There have been many times in the past where I thought I would.
She's overcome all of the trials and obstacles that have been thrown her way, and she's stronger than ever now. I just hope that whatever comes next doesn’t break her.
Slouching in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, I spread my legs and cross my arms. Otto yawns again and I smile.
“Here, give me Rome and close your eyes. As soon as possible, we will go meet our new niece, and then we can head to our new place.”
Rome jumps into my arms and wraps himself around me like a spider monkey. I know we aren't his daddies, but we are the closest thing to it. We love him as if he were ours.
Snake walks back into the room with a soft blanket and a tray full of good coffee. He hands a drink to Otto and me, and gives Rome the blanket.
“How is she?” I ask, because I know he's been sneaking in to check on the baby. Grunting, he leans against the wall.
It took an hour of Otto talking to him to convince Snake to change his clothes, but I'm glad he did. He looks less like a walking horror movie, and isn’t scaring the hospital staff anymore.
“She's like a miniature Chastity and Levi,” he mumbles, and I smile.
“Bet you didn’t think you’d be a grandfather, huh?” I tease him as I play with Rome’s soft hair. Snake pulls a face at me, making me chuckle softly. Rome is cuddled against me, beginning to fall asleep, and I don’t want to startle him too much.
“I don’t think that anything about my life was on my bingo card,” Snake grumbles. “God, she scared the shit out of me. Chastity was talking to me one second, and the next, she was bleeding everywhere. I think I need to go wash my hands again.”
Abruptly, he shakes his head and storms out, staring at his hands, as if he can still see her blood.
“That’s going to bite me in the ass later,” I grumble, taking a sip of coffee.
“Snake is feeling things he’s never had to before,” Otto murmurs, mindful of Rome’s deepening breaths as his weight gets heavier on my chest. He’s definitely falling asleep. “I’m glad he wants to have some kind of relationship with Chastity, but he’s so…”
“Intense,” I finish for him. “I thought I’d run The Society, continue to be a grumpy fucker, and that would be it. You’ve been the only good thing in my life for a long time. And now…”
“You have all of these people you’re responsible for,” Otto teases me. Rolling my eyes at him, he shrugs. “I, personally, love it. The house isn’t as quiet, we have little screams of joy echoing around the place now, and Tempest talks our ears off constantly, but it’s so much better.”
“It is,” I agree, knowing how lonely he gets while I’m working. I’m trying to be better about coming home earlier, and not being on the phone outside of emergencies.
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the emergencies will be more frequent now.
“I’m worried,” I sigh. “Isabella is still out there gunning for Chastity. Things are probably going to get worse.”
“The war is coming,” Otto mutters, repeating what he’s heard Snake say. “You need to stop hiding things from your sister. She allowed you back in after the first time you lied to her about our relationship, because you thought she’d judge you for loving me, but how many more chances do you think she will give you?”
His voice is sharper than it usually is with me, and I force myself not to flinch as I nod. He’s right. Chastity adores Otto. Sometimes, I think she likes him more than me.
“I’ll tell her,” I promise. “Do you think she can handle it all? There’s so many moving parts to this, between the auctions, and what The Society still wants from her. Plus, she just had a traumatic birth.”