Page 28 of Empire of Savages
We were close to the gate now, and the prospect on guard rushed forward to open the gate. I waved him off, opting to exit through the security door at the far end. Sliding out of Isla’s grip, I slid the bolt on the fence across and pushed open the smaller door. Isla and Lucifer walked through, waiting for me to join them.
Walking together in silence, sweat started to roll down the side of my face, the sun’s heat oppressive. Isla’s sundress floated above her knees, the small breeze catching the light fabric every now and again. And for the briefest of moments, I wonder what my life would’ve been like if I hadn’t joined the Hunt. If I’d gone to college after high school like Dimitri had. If I’d met a nice girl.
It wasn’t that I wanted Isla. I wanted the idea of her. I wanted someone who knew all the sides of my life—all the dark places I sometimes fell into—but still liked me enough to stick around. To maybe join me in the darkness and become one of the monsters with me.
I shook my head. “Rixon told me the funeral was nice.”
“It was,” she replied softly. “All our friends from college came. And the club was there, too.”
Clearing my throat, I said the words that had been plaguing me for too long. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I only…” I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. My emotions were crowding the back of my throat, making speaking difficult. “I found out he was dead the day before his funeral. I couldn’t get a furlough. I couldn’t get…” Gripping the back of my neck, I pulled, trying to massage the guilt out from under my skin.
“Hey.” Her soft, warm hand was on my back as I doubled over, the sick feeling in my stomach rising. “Just breathe, okay? I got you.”
Sucking in deep lungfuls of air, I tried to pull myself back together. Tried to wrestle my grief back into the box I’d locked it in while I was still in prison. Lucifer whined and licked at my balled fists, staring at me with those dark-brown eyes that seemed to see right through me.
When I felt I could, I straightened, Isla’s hand falling from my shoulder. “You loved D,” I said.
She shook her head. “No. Ilovehim.” She touched her stomach. “And a piece of him still lives.”
My mind turned razor-sharp, and I stared at her hand. “You’re…”
“I’d only just told Dimitri.” She peered down at her flat stomach. “I’m only nine weeks along right now. It’s early days, but I know how much D wanted to be a father.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I’d been blindsided. She was carrying D’s baby. She was going to be a mom, but she was going to be doing it alone.
“I’ll support you, Isla.” The words were out before I could truly consider them. “And the baby.”
She shook her head. “That’s not why I came here today. I wanted to see you and let you know that you’re going to be an uncle, not a stand-in father.”
“But…”
“I’ve already thought everything through. I can do this. My parents will help.”
I licked my lips. Processing. Knowing there was a piece of D out there in the world had done more to ease my mind than I thought possible. “I want to help.”
She smiled at me, and I knew in that instant that she was going to make an amazing mother. “The only thing I need from you, Nick, is for you to know your niece or nephew when they come along. I want you to be in their life, just like D would’ve wanted.”
Glancing down at Lucifer, I said, “That’s why you gave me the mutt?”
“I gave you Lucifer because I won’t be able to take care of him along with a newborn, as well as get through my last semester. And I knew you could do with the company.” She smiled gently at me, like she knew that sentence was utter bullshit. “Then, I needed to know he’s with someone who will look after him just as well as I can. How about that?”
I grunted, knowing exactly what she was doing. Looping her arm through mine, she turned us around and started back to the clubhouse.
“I’d better go and rescue Quinn. She wouldn’t let me come alone.”
“Yeah, I could tell she wanted to bolt when we were talking at the bar.” We walked a few more paces. “That’s something D would’ve done for me. Given up his sense of safety to help me. I’m glad you have someone like Quinn on your side.”
She flashed me another one of those cryptic smiles.
“Will you finish your degree before the baby comes?”
“I will, as long as everything else goes to plan. I have no intention of becoming one of those women who forget all about their degree as soon as they get pregnant. I worked too damned hard for all these years to give up now.”
“Good.”
The prospect guarding the entrance slid open the lock on the security door and held it open. Isla walked through with Lucifer again, and I followed behind. But when Isla made a small, distressed sound, I reached around for the gun I’d tucked at the small of my back. But following her line of sight, I dropped my hand again when I saw what she was looking at.
Vox was close to the passenger side of the Hummer, his intense stare on the woman inside. Our road captain wasn’t an unpredictable person, but he wasn’t exactly Martha Stewart either. As if sensing our eyes on him, he turned his head briefly in our direction before looking back at Quinn. I saw her mouth moving, but in true Vox style, he only cocked his head at her, then turned around and strode to his bike.