Page 94 of Judas (The Lito Duet #2)

“Yeah, he’s legit. Overbearing sometimes but when I’m cracking, he’s there.”

Joining her, I snag a bag of dried fruit and peel it open when she gets to work on beef jerky.

“What happens when we get out of here?” She asks, mouth full of dried meat like she has zero manners. I swear if she starts acting like her dad and barking, I might lose it between the both of them.

“I’m not sure what the entire plan is, but we are going to Pennsylvania next.”

“Why there?”

“That’s where home is now. Is that alright with you? We can get you back into school when you’re ready. So you can finish strong and do whatever you want to do in life. Which, by the way, what is it you’d like to do?”

Sadie slows her munching, looking down at her hands in an embarrassed sort of way.

Strikes my curiosity, what sorts of dreams does she have that may make her ashamed?

Oh god, don’t tell me she wants to do something that costs more money than sense.

If we have to buy a ship or some other type shit because she wants to sail the seas—we may have to revisit the gameplan. Like, simulations or something.

“I want to be a psychologist. Help people like me.” She sounds so timid and that angers me. Fuck whoever told her she couldn’t, or wouldn’t be good at it, or what the hell ever—whoever put doubt into her head.

“I love that idea, Sadie.”

Scouts honor, Mario Andretti just dropped into my kid, with how fast she whipped around and looked at me.

Doe-like blue eyes nearly brimming with tears stare at me.

The way her nose turns pink when she’s getting ready to cry is so damn endearing.

She’s perfect in my eyes, I wouldn’t change a thing about her that she wouldn’t want to change.

“Really?” She asks with a near choked breath.

“Yes, Sadie. I think you’d be a fantastic Psychologist. People need someone who understands, and if there is anyone who does, it’s you.”

“I love you, mom.”

“I love you more.”

We wrapped up lunch soon after that and I knew if I didn’t come down a few floors and see Kace he’d likely send up a SWAT team to get my ass.

Since he couldn’t be patient enough for me to visit Sadie, I made him wait longer.

Also didn’t announce myself when I walked into his hospital room, where I am now staring at him as he drags his jeans up over that bubbly backside of his.

I school my gawking and look at the bruising on his ribs and neck.

Thankfully the neck tattoos hide some of the damage, but the ribs are all me. I did that.

You saved his life.

No I didn’t. I cursed him to a life with me, just like he promised all those years ago.

“You’re impatient as hell, you know that?”

Kace scowls when he turns to look at me, the darker colored brows he has pinching between his eyes, lips set in a tight line.

His hands don’t cease their movements, buttoning his jeans, dragging the zipper up and into the place as they sit perfectly at his hips.

Not too tight, not too loose, just a smidge of the waistband of his boxer briefs poking out at the top.

If I keep checking him out like this—you know what, no.

I’m going to look. I’ll look at him every damn day until we’re both blind or dead.

Everything that he is, is all fucking mine.

There’s just one more task standing in the way but we will get to it later.

The charge nurse let me know he’s free to go.

No punctured lungs, his esophagus isn’t damaged, voice box is strained and he’s in pain but that’s about it.

He drags his shirt on next, and I finally close the distance. If he’s bare chested under my fingertips, I may eat him alive.

“Not talking to me today?”

The crybaby doesn’t respond, of course. Reaching for his bag, I slap his hand away and snag it for him.

No heavy lifting for him anytime soon. That means anything over twenty pounds, including his bag of what the fuck ever Babel threw in here.

Between the two of us, there’s probably four firearms, gun oil, and ammunition.

Underneath the shit he stole out of the bathroom—saying that we’re already being charged for it, might as well take it.

“Speak ass, mouth won’t.”

“Where in the hell did you hear something like that?” He finally rasps out.

“A friend, now, you ready to get the hell out of here?”

“Yeah, I’m sure the nurse is trying to kill me.”

“She better hope I don’t kill you first.”

“You promise?” This time I hear a teasing lilt in his voice.

“Yeah, I’ll avoid everyone else’s mistakes though. You better watch out.”

We start to the door when Kace pulls me back, pushing it closed before I can get it far enough open.

Tenderly he cups my face, brushing his thumbs over the bruising that mottles my skin.

It’s still pretty tender but thankfully there was only a fracture in one of my eye sockets and nothing more than that.

Samael beat the shit out of me. No doubt about it.

There’s no telling if he is looking at me with pity or admiration anymore.

It’s almost as if they’re the same expression, that or he can only look at me in one way—outside of annoyance that is.

With a tilt, I lean into his left hand since there’s less bruising on that side of my face.

It’s only a flicker, but I see relief in his blue eye, then he breathes deeply.

“When I saw you step into the apartment, I was elated that you came back. I didn’t look at the tracking app either, hoping and praying you wouldn’t take Sadie and disappear.

Even though I would have hunted you down, I was happy to see you walk in.

For a moment I got a glimpse of being with you forever.

Then, when Lucien attacked, everything changed.

I willed for you to leave, to abandon me, to take our girl and run.

But, you fought for me, Nadia. I’ve been sitting here for days thinking about that and have nothing to say other than thank you. ”

“There’s no reason to thank me, Kace. You’ve done the same for me.

You’re mine, I’m yours, and protecting our family is what we do.

It took us a long time to get to this point, but know, I’d make the same choices all over again.

Every single one. From starting at Darkwater, to nearly killing Lucien. All of them.”

“You mean—“ he starts, smirking at me “—you mean you love me?” Trying to get me to say it still. It’s like a little game at this point, how long I can hold out and if he can get me to say it by teasing me.

“I’ll get back to you on that. I haven’t decided if it’s because the dick is good, or if you’re actually cool enough to keep around.”

“Fucking brat.”

Kace pushes a faint kiss to my lips. If he gets too overzealous, we may both end up hurt—his ribs, my face, you know.

“We springing Sadie out of this shit hole, too?”

“The Doctor hasn’t come by to see her yet, we will have to come back later. Babel left her with plenty of snacks, so she will be okay until we relieve him and send him up here.”

“Sounds good, let’s kick this popsicle stand. If that wretched bitch of a nurse comes back around, I might shoot her.”

“Watch your mouth, that can get you put in jail.”

“Would be the least of my concerns.”