Chapter 1
Turningthe phone over in his hand, Titan stared at the picture of the smiling child, his emotions filled with regret. His old friend Mitch had taken to sending him sporadic updates on Maggie, his stepdaughter. He wasn’t meant to have contact with the man who held every secret from his past. He was supposed to be dead to everyone who knew him, but Jack, the man who’d saved his life when he brought him into Shadow Elite, had relented when it became clear they would need to work with Eidolon. The secret black ops team worked directly with Her Majesty the Queen, and Jack was their leader and the man responsible for setting up Shadow. As part of the Eidolon unit, Mitch and he would have to work together.
It should be easy, but every time he looked at Mitch, guilt had bile burning up his throat. That Mitch could even stand to be in the same room as him, let alone work with him and send him updates on the child he’d kidnapped, showed the heart of the man he was.
A fine drizzle coated his skin as he walked the hills and breathed in the fresh, clean air. He liked it here, the wide-open spaces making everything feel small and insignificant, where the only risk to him was a twisted ankle or a lecture from one of the ladies in the pub about his single status. It was calm here where the clouds met the mountain peaks. Nobody would ever guess that, below the moss and clover, was the secret base that was now his home.
Glancing at the picture again, he felt a smile tug at his lips. Maggie had captured his heart from the first time he’d seen her. With chubby cheeks and wide trusting eyes, she’d cracked open something inside him that had been rotting with anger and hate and allowed the poison to bleed out.
Taking her and her mother hostage had been an act of desperation and his biggest regret among a sea of them. Now she was a happy child and Mitch and Autumn, her mum, had added a baby brother to her family.
Family.
It was a strange concept. People born with the same blood were supposed to be family, yet he felt more kinship with the people below these hills than he ever had his own. Except his big brother, Devon. He’d hero-worshipped Dev, but his older brother had been slowly sucked into the life of the gangs until he was so deep he got himself killed. Titan knew that he’d sacrificed himself to protect him and keep him away, and he tortured himself wondering how disappointed Devon would be to know that he’d ended up running the gang until he was literally dragged out half-dead by his best friend.
Pain churned in his belly, but unlike the cold, sharp sting it was when he was younger and angry at the world. Now it was more of an ache that filled his chest and stole his breath when he least expected it. He’d done some horrific things to try and avenge Devon, almost ruining his own life and that of so many others in the process. Mitch had been Devon’s best friend and, for so long, Titan had blamed him for abandoning Devon to the life. But he saw it clearly now. Mitch’s mother had dragged her son away from a life of crime and danger, which mostly resulted in death or prison for the members of the Cobras. She’d done what his own mother couldn’t.
As he neared the entrance to the mountain rescue facility that was the cover for the team, he saw the red flash of taillights heading down the hill. He watched for a second to see if he could get a licence plate on the vehicle he didn’t recognise, but the blur of the rain obscured his vision. It didn’t matter. Watchdog would have footage, and probably the driver’s inside leg measurement before they made it down from the hills.
A noise that sounded like a small, wounded animal made him still, his senses prickling as he cocked his head to listen. Silence greeted him, but the tingle on his skin told him something was off. The air was shifting and, after everything the team had been through lately, he was not about to ignore his instincts. Walking slowly toward the entrance to the mountain rescue centre, he scanned the area, looking for a clue as to the sound. He almost missed it, but then his gaze locked on a small bundle of cloth poking out of what looked like a duffel.
His first thought was ‘bomb’, but he quickly dismissed it and edged closer as the noise came again. Crouching, he moved the blanket away, expecting to see a puppy or kitten, and his entire body froze.
Inside the duffel, wrapped in a cream blanket, was a tiny baby. Its little face was screwed up angrily, a fist in its tiny mouth. A fuzz of silky black hair and soft brown skin were the only things he could see.
“Hey, little one, what are you doing out here?”
As gently as he could, he lifted the baby out of the duffel and into his arms. Wide, knowing brown eyes met his gaze and the fussing stopped for a moment. Mesmerised, Titan pulled the baby closer, and a piece of white paper fluttered to the ground. His arm secure around the tiny bundle, he bent to pick up the note with his name on it. The hair on his neck lifted and the overwhelming feeling that everything would change when he opened this slip of paper came over him.
He turned it over, noting it was cheap, lined notebook paper that could be bought anywhere, the indents of the penned script taunting him. The baby wriggled and his gaze moved over the wet cheeks and the bow-shaped mouth.
“Shh, shh. It’s okay. I’ve got you. We’re gonna find your momma or daddy and get you home okay. Quick as.”
The baby seemed to understand his words, the tiny body relaxing in his arms. Pulling open the door, Titan grabbed the duffel with his free hand and went inside. The desk was empty and he wondered where Snow, who was meant to be covering the desk, had gone. She was his closest friend. For a while, he’d had a crush on her but that lasted about a minute before he realised he loved her like a sister, not anything more, and then she’d met the love of her life and he’d been happy for her. His attention came back to the note in his hand, and he knew the clues he might need to get this child home might be there.
Flipping it open, he began to read.
The blood in his body felt like it slowed, his heart almost stopping as he read the words and then read them again.
No.
It couldn’t be.
A high-pitched cry snapped him out of the stupor and his hardly beating heart began to gallop inside his chest, as if trying to make its way out through his skin. He glanced at the baby, really seeing him for the first time and a sudden clarity dropped the shield of fog from his eyes.
So many questions raced through him, each louder and seemingly more urgent than the next. He needed help. He needed his team around to tell him he was wrong.
Heading into the secure lift that would take him underground to the compound that served as a home for the team, he tried to get a handle on his emotions, but he was failing. Reaching the lower level, Titan rushed into the room with the baby held safely in his arms, feeling as panicked as fuck. “Help!”
They all stood staring at him like he’d grown two heads until he thrust the baby at Duchess. As soon as the baby left his arms, he felt cold, the need to steal him back and protect him was like a breathing force inside him.
“Jesus, is that a baby?”
Titan stared at Duchess as she shifted the baby in her arms and smiled. It was like watching a scene from a movie; he was part of this but not. He felt removed and wondered if this was what shock did to a person.
“I found it outside the doors of the rescue centre with this note.”
Lotus grabbed the note from his hand and flipped it open.
Please take care of him.I wish I could, but he isn’t safe with me. Tell my baby boy I love him and always will, but I’m leaving him with people who can protect him.
His name is Tyrique.
xx
“Holy hell. Someone call Bás.”
As Lotus rushed out to get their leader, a strong unpleasant smell wafted around him, making him gag.
Bein began to cough, and Reaper held his hand over his face.
“What the fuck is that smell? I’m gonna puke.”
Duchess wrinkled her nose and walked towards him with the baby outstretched. “I think this belongs to you.”
Titan began to back away as the stench got closer, and he realised it was coming from the baby.
“Why me? Just because I found him, doesn’t make me responsible.”
Reaper patted him on the shoulder as he walked past. “Well, he sure as fuck ain’t mine.”
Bein smirked as he followed. “Me neither.”
Duchess wrestled the baby into his arms, cooing at the little guy as she did before her gaze came to his. “Well, it’s definitely not mine.”
Titan looked up hopefully at Hurricane, who shook his head.
“No fucking way. Just because I’m the only other black man, doesn’t mean he’s mine either. The only woman I’ve been with in the last two years is Peyton. Can you say the same?”
Titan frowned, as he tried to breathe through his mouth and ignore the warmth coming from the butt area of the baby’s blanket.
“You can’t leave me. I don’t know what to do.”
Duchess rolled her eyes but took pity on him as she grabbed the duffel and began pulling stuff out. “Nappies, wipes, nappy bags, clothes, formula, bottles. This kid doesn’t travel light, but you have everything you need here.”
“Hey, we haven’t established this kid is mine.”
Duchess shrugged. “No, but if I was a betting woman, and I am, I’d bet my husband’s bank account that he is.”
Titan growled. “Why? Because I’m the team fuck up?”
Duchess punched his arm lightly. “Don’t be a dick. No, because he has your dimples and nose.”
Titan looked down at the smiling baby, who had no clue he was currently making the room smell like toxic waste. He tried to see what Duchess was seeing but all he saw was his own fear staring back at him. He couldn’t be a father. He was no good. He hurt people. He couldn’t be trusted to care for something so breakable and innocent. Not after what he’d done to Maggie.
“What the fuck is that smell?” Bás covered his nose as he strode into the room and glared at everyone.
Duchess grinned and pointed at the baby in Titan’s arms. “That would be our new house guest.”
“The fuck it is. Jesus, do something about that smell. My eyes are melting.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that?”
Bás pointed at the nappies. “Change it or whatever.”
Titan glanced at Duchess hopefully, but she backed away.
“No way, just because I have a vagina does not mean I’m on nappy duty.”
“Fine, I’ll do it, but don’t leave me.”
Placing Tyrique on the table, he pulled the blanket apart and saw he was wearing a onesie with little lions printed all over.
Duchess caressed Tyrique’s tiny head. “He looks well cared for.”
Titan frowned, feeling protective of the innocent baby who had been abandoned. “He does, which makes this even more confusing.”
“Who knows what’s going on behind closed doors. God knows we aren’t what we seem.”
“True.”
“Can you finish up with this?” Bás waved his hand at the nappy area. “Then we can figure this out.”
“Now what?”
“Pull the poppers open around his butt and get his legs out.” Duchess waved in the direction of the poppers from a safe distance away. Hurricane and Bás looked on in fascinated horror.
As gently as he could, he pulled them open and instantly the smell grew worse. His gag reflex kicked in and he began to heave as he turned away.
“Pull it together, Titan.”
Giving Bás a ‘fuck you’ glare, he faced the task at hand. Tyrique kicked his legs in the air without a care, as if being free was the most fun ever. Gently pulling his feet out of the onesie, he tucked it up out of the way and peeled the tabs on the nappy apart. Opening the nappy released the smell and revealed the horror of the contents.
Turning his head away, he heaved again as Hurricane tucked his nose into his t-shirt and Bás gagged.
“Jesus fucking Christ, what is he eating? It smells worse than a three-week-old corpse in the middle of the jungle.”
Titan wanted to disagree or at least defend his potential child’s honour, but he couldn’t because Bás wasn’t wrong.
Duchess waved at the contents of the nappy. “Just hurry the fuck up.”
“What do I do?”
“Clean him up.”
She shoved the wipes at him and he grimaced at the thought of getting up close and personal with the sewage stuck to the kid’s little tooshie. Grabbing a handful of wipes, he attacked the mess as best he could and pulled the full nappy out of the way. He was immediately covered in piss as the little guy peed straight up, catching him all over his forearms.
“Urgh, gross.”
Duchess laughed. “What? He’s enjoying having some air. I’m sure you boys are the same.”
“I’ve never pissed straight up, I can tell you that,” Bás denied.
Titan smirked. “Yeah, well, this boy is probably hung more than you.”
“Fuck you, Titan. I have no complaints.”
Now most of the stench was gone, he slipped a clean nappy under the baby and fastened it like he’d seen Snow do with her baby. Doing the onesie up was fiddly as fuck though, and it took him a few goes to get the poppers to line up. Lifting the kid straight up, he held him against his chest and breathed him in. He had that scent of milk and powder that all babies seemed to have, and he felt his heart kick up with a feeling he couldn’t name.
“So now what?” He looked at Bás as Valentina walked in with Watchdog on her heels.
Watchdog’s gaze flicked to the baby and, for the first time in months, there seemed to be a flicker of life behind his friend’s eyes.
“Now we find out who this little guy belongs to and why the fuck they left him on our doorstep.”
“I’ve already traced the car.”
Titan’s eyes widened in surprise. That was quick, even for Watchdog.
“Yeah, to a woman called Maya Sharp. Ring any bells?”
Titan stilled as he raked his memory for a clue that felt just out of reach and then it came, and he had his answer as to who the baby belonged to.
“Maybe. I spent the night with a woman called Rose Sharp early last year.”
“Well, let’s go find out why this Maya dumped this poor kid on our door.”