His Reluctant Savior (The District #3)

27. Chapter 27

Sid pulled into the private parking garage underneath The District. Apparently, they owned the entire building but only used two floors. He explained that in the basement, there was the firing range, sparring room, weapons room, and a big office with servers, where Layla did her deep dives into the net.

The main floor held their library, research rooms, lounge areas, break room, and two offices that belonged to him and Malik.

When he put the car in Park, he made no move to get out, still gripping the steering wheel, staring at the elevator in front of us as if half expecting the doors to open up to a barrage of bullets.

“You ready, Sid?” I asked him.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s too late to back out now. They already know we’re here.”

He glanced back in the rearview mirror at Easton. “Be ready for anything. When we go in, I want you behind Dalton and Owen. I’ll take the lead.”

Easton gave him a quick nod.

“Our main concern is Sully. Everyone else will wait for Malik’s orders.” Sid glanced at me with a tentative smile on his face. “Everyone but Luca. He may hug you to death.”

That made me smile and feel better about all this. If they could take care of an innocent young man in need like Luca, they could eventually accept us.

I made the first move by unbuckling my seatbelt and getting out of the car, since Sid wasn’t moving, and Easton was waiting on Sid.

By the time I opened the backseat door to get Owen out of his car seat, Sid and Easton finally got out.

“Do you want me to carry him?” Sid asked.

“I’ve got him.” He was worried about my concussion, but I needed to hold Owen and keep reassuring him that all was okay and I was fine. My face had scared him when he finally saw me.

A little disappointment and jealousy clawed at me as Owen clung to Sid yesterday. I understood why, but it hurt all the same.

“Oof, I think you’ve grown two feet and fifty pounds since I saw you last,” I said as I picked him up .

That finally brought out a smile and a giggle from him. “I didn’t get that big, Daddy.”

“Well, you’re definitely growing. I’ll miss these days when I won’t be able to carry you anymore.”

“I can’t be small forever, silly.”

“You can’t? Too bad!”

Fuck, I loved how Owen could still smile and giggle, even after everything he’d gone through. It was reassuring.

I caught Easton watching our interaction carefully. I tried not to be wary of him, but he didn’t make it easy. Sociopaths are impulsive and reactionary, but he seemed quite taken with Sid and would probably follow his lead—hopefully.

“Let’s go,” Sid said, leading the way toward the elevator.

We traveled up a couple of flights, and I instinctively held Owen tighter as the elevator doors slid open to a massive area filled with wood and books flanking on either side. The bookcases stood on ornate wooden platforms, along with tables and chairs. In the middle was a hardwood pathway leading further back into the offices. There were enormous windows that looked out at our nation’s capital with a clear view of the Capitol building and the Washington Monument.

“Follow me,” Sid said as he strode forward with me close behind.

I looked up to see a Vietnamese man sitting in a chair, honing the blade of his sword, watching our every movement without an expression on his face, his black bangs falling in his face. Next to him was another gentleman, who was larger and had long, wavy hair. He sat in a chair with his feet resting on another chair in front of him. He appeared calm and relaxed, but I was sure he was anything but.

As we walked forward, a tall, red-headed man in a full three-piece suit in charcoal gray stopped in front of us. He wore a smirk, and his copper-colored eyes looked as sharp as the small blade he twirled in between his fingers. This must have been Sully.

“Oh, you’re such a fucking dead man,” he said much too calmly to Sid, his eyes twinkling in humor.

“Back off, Sully. I’m here to see Malik.”

Sully suddenly frowned and stood toe to toe with Sid. “You’ve upset Mal. You need to be punished.”

I pressed Owen’s head down on my shoulder to make sure he didn’t see Sully putting his blade to Sid’s throat.

Easton rushed by me and stood in front of Sid. “He’s mine!” he snarled. “Touch him, and we’ll see who’s better with knives.”

Sully threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, Easton… you’re a toy poodle in a den of wolves. You were family until you betrayed us, too, little pup.”

“He. Is. Mine,” Easton said, punctuating each word, not to be deterred.

“Enough!” someone suddenly yelled, making Owen and me jump. He clung to me tighter, not looking over there, as if sensing the danger.

An older man, shorter than Sully and Sid, approached them. He had tawny skin and wavy black hair that fell just below his bearded jawline. I assumed he was Malik.

His black eyes under thick black brows watched the three men and their little standoff before they landed on me and Owen, his face giving nothing away .

All these men excelled at masking their emotions, except for Sully, who didn’t care.

I looked behind him to see another man with black hair and straight bangs falling in his face walking toward us. He was the most casual, wearing jeans with holes and a black T-shirt paired with combat boots.

Behind him peeked out a young man of about twenty with a poof of long, blond curls, looking timid and angelic. That must be Luca, so the newcomer should be Dante.

Suddenly, Luca emerged from behind Dante with a big smile and ran toward Sid, holding a large, old stuffed rabbit.

“Sid!” he yelled, dodging between Sully, Malik, and Easton as if unable to sense the tension and danger. He stood in front of Sid and pulled him into a hug. “I knew you would come home! I told everyone you wouldn’t hurt us and would be back.”

Sid chuckled and held the young man back. “We still need to talk, but I hope so, kiddo. Come. Let me introduce you to Owen. I think he’ll like you.”

Luca grabbed Sid’s hand, much to Dante’s dismay, judging by the angry brows and look of shock on his face, and tugged him toward me. He let go of Sid and rested his hand on Owen’s back, leaning behind me to see Owen’s face. Luca’s eyes were large, blue, and innocent. He was so out of place among killers.

“Hi, Owen. I’m Luca. What’s your dinosaur’s name?”

“Danny.”

“I like that. My rabbit’s name is just… Rabbit.”

Luca looked at me with questioning eyes, which were even bluer than Sid’s.

“I’m Dalton. It’s nice to meet you, Luca. Owen is my son. ”

“Hello.”

“Luca?” Sid said to get the young man’s attention. “Why don’t you take Dalton and Owen into the lounge area and find something Owen can watch on the TV? Maybe he would like some juice, too.”

Luca lit up like a light, eager to please and be busy. “Oh, yes!”

Luca held out his arms, and to my shock, Owen fell right into Luca’s embrace. He carried my son off, leaving my jaw dropped. After everything Owen had been through, he instantly gravitated to the young man, despite being afraid of being here.

Sid wrapped an arm around me. “Go on. Let me talk alone with Malik for a while.”

I looked at him, worried about leaving him alone with these killers, who clearly were not happy with him.

He smiled, reading my mind. “If they wanted me dead, I would be.”

“And after you talk to them?”

Sid shrugged and kissed the top of my head. “It’s always been a risk. We knew this going into it, Boy Scout.”

He walked off, following Malik, leaving me in fear for his life and worried about what was to become of me and Owen if he did. Hell, what was to become of us, leaving us alone with these men?

Luca still held Owen, who seemed perfectly content in his arms. The young man looked back at me and smiled. “The TV is this way.”

With a deep breath, I tried not to look at the other men, who were watching me closely as I followed Luca into a lounge area past the library. It was an open space with comfortable leather seating, tables, and a full surround system with a large television .

Luca set Owen down on the sofa and sat next to him. “Rabbit isn’t as pretty as Danny, but he’s been my friend for a long time. How long have you had Danny?”

Owen looked at me for the answer. “Uhm, he got Danny last year for Christmas.”

“Daddy’s going to get me a brother for Danny,” Owen said, remembering my conversation with him from weeks ago when I promised to bring him a present and never did. I had to make a mental note to get him one for Christmas this year, since it was only a few months away.

“Oh, I love Christmas!” Luca yelled, bouncing on the sofa. “I had my first Christmas that I can remember ever last year! Angel got me a new bow, uhm… some clothes, and we got to go to the beach again! I love the beach. I’d never been until my Angel took me. He even let me decorate a tree! Then we put Cleo in a big bow and gave her elf ears… Uhm, Cleo is our dog. Christmas is the best. I missed out on all my Christmases growing up.”

I ached for the young man who had been held in captivity since he was a young child. The world had too many sick people in it.

I glanced at Dante, propping himself up against a wall with folded arms, watching us carefully with intense pale green eyes. What compelled this killer to save a young man? And Luca appeared to be thriving because of Dante’s care. The assassins probably appeared less scary to him than the men who held him as a sex slave.

“You should come to our house. We have the best Christmases,” Owen told him.

Luca smiled shyly at me. “Uhm, maybe. ”

Movement suddenly caught my eye, and I looked over at Sully, who sat casually in a chair across from us. “You don’t belong here,” he said to me.

“Tell me something I don’t know. Please leave us alone. My son doesn’t need any more trauma.”

While I put on a brave face, the nerves threatened to make my body tremble and sweat. Sully reminded me of the man who’d beaten me, so I was still raw from the tension.

“Sid should be dead.”

“It’s a good thing that it’s not up to you, then. Your jealousy doesn’t change the fact that Sid and Malik are still friends and partners.”

Sully’s coppery eyes narrowed, showing the first signs of anger, as small as it was. I studied about psychopaths years ago in Quantico. They could be highly manipulative. Most weren’t dangerous, but men like Sully held no remorse or empathy. It wasn’t his fault, but that didn’t make him less dangerous.

Easton suddenly appeared and stood in front of Sully, twirling his small blade between his fingers, much as Sully had done.

“You will leave them alone.”

Sully’s penny eyes gleamed up at the young man, smirking. “Ah, Easton, our second betrayer. I used to think of you as part of our little family.”

“Sid belongs to me, and I will protect what’s his.”

Sully remained cool and aloof, cleaning his fingernails with the tip of his blade. “Self-serving doesn’t mean you care, East.”

“As if you’re any different. As if you wouldn’t burn this building to the ground with all of us in it if Malik were harmed. ”

Sully’s smile turned crooked. “Hmm, true, true. That’s why you and Sid need to go bye-bye.”

“Sid had his reasons, as I had mine. That will be up to Malik,” Easton said calmly, but his hands were fisted at his sides, the anger starting to reveal itself, his calm beginning to crumble.

“Malik is emotional and not using good judgment.”

Dante soon ambled over to us. “Leave them alone, Sully. It doesn’t matter how anyone feels about this or what Malik’s decision is. He’s the boss. Not you.”

Sully soon stood, towering over both Easton and Dante. “As if you aren’t partial to Sid,” he said.

The black-haired man shrugged. “He saved my life, yes, but at the end of the day, this is up to Malik.”

It was the first time I had a real grasp of how Sid’s betrayal truly affected his family. They were splintering, taking their frustrations out on each other. Coupled with men who had no compunction to death and killing, which could lead to someone getting hurt or dying. They outwardly appeared calm, but the danger crackled like electricity in the air. The only thing holding all of them back was their respect for Malik.

I stood and looked at Luca. “Can you take Owen to find him a snack or something?”

The young man nodded, blond curls bouncing. “Yes.”

He stood and held out his hand for Owen, who took it, and both walked off toward the kitchen, I presumed.

I turned to face the arguing men. “I apologize for disrupting your family or… being the cause of it. Sid decided to come to my aid, and I took it, being alone and having not only killers against me, but my own government. Sid and I have a tumultuous past, bu t I chose to trust him for the sake of my son. Now, I love him. It’s fast, but being on the run and not knowing if you’re going to die or live another day does that. Emotions are strong and desperate. I’m willing to give it all up for him, so I am no danger to you all.”

Sully stood close to me, intimidating and threatening. “You’re a fucking Fed.” His tone was calm, but his threat was clear.

“I was a Fed. Not anymore.”

“So, what? You just suddenly accept a killer and his family?” Dante asked, and rightly so.

I looked at him squarely in his green eyes. “Yes, and for many reasons. Reasons that, for now, belong to Sid and me.”

All the men watched me warily, but none moved to hurt me. My life hung in the balance. It all depended on whether Sid could get through to Malik.

“Now, if you’re done threatening me, I’m going to check on my son.”

With that, I walked off with fisted hands to control their trembling. I wasn’t intimidated easily, but fuck me, being surrounded by killers wasn’t for the faint of heart.