Page 61 of Cruel Salvation

Chapter19

Less than an hour later,while Lotus and Damon were still waiting for updates on Andrea, Nate rushed into the house.

“What’s wrong?” Urgency was bleeding out of his every pore.

“We just got a call from Zack. There’s a fire at the Fortis training facility and both our wives are there with the kids for an event Ava is running. It’s bad and we can’t get hold of Skye or Celeste. Zack is on his way after getting an alert but we can’t seem to contact anyone there.”

The news was shocking and Lotus shoed them away without a second thought, seeing the fear in Nate’s eyes. “Go, get to your families. We have this covered.”

Nate looked torn and she knew he was a good man and would want to stay and fulfil his duty, but family came before everything.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you here two men down. We should stay.” He looked utterly torn between his duty and professionalism and his absolute terror for his wife and children.

“One hundred percent. Go make sure your families are safe.”

“Thank you. We’ll come back as soon as we know they’re safe.”

Lotus nodded and watched him back out of the house, his legs pumping as he ran to the car Zin already had waiting to go.

“Shit, that’s not good. I hope they’re all okay.”

Lotus looked at Damon who looked as shaken as she felt. “No, it’s not.”

“I know I’d do the same in their situation.”

Lotus smiled at Simon, who she knew adored his children and missed them every day. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Yet she couldn’t help the feeling that all the dominoes were falling into place, just not for her. The timing of the fire felt off but what options did she have? She’d never have stopped Nate and Zin from going after the people they loved, and she knew they would have if she’d asked but she couldn’t do that. Yet everything about it made her instincts scream. The feeling made ice skitter up her spine as Simon walked into the kitchen. She sent a text to Bás who confirmed the fire and said he’d send back up as soon as he could. That made her feel slightly easier knowing someone was coming.

“You okay?”

She looked tiredly at Damon, offering him an exhausted smile meant to reassure. “Yeah, fine.”

“Anything I can do?”

“No, read your book.”

Damon, she discovered, had a penchant for cosy mysteries and the book was lying open on the side of the couch arm.

Simon walked back into the room, a teapot and two cups in hand.

“I thought you might want some tea while we wait,” he said with a warm smile on his face, but Lotus was distracted. The looming feeling that something was wrong, coupled with Zin and Nate getting a desperate call that something was wrong at Fortis, left her feeling vulnerable and exposed. Her very veins pulsed with a warning that something bad was coming.

Lotus eyed him warily for a second, her suspicious mind unravelling before she shook her head. “Not for me, thanks.”

“I’ll have a cup.”

Lotus watched out of the corner of her eye as Simon poured the tea, taking one for himself too. A fine drizzle of rain had started to fall outside the windows, casting a cold feeling around her bones. It wasn’t cold, but the dark clouds and insistent rain made her feel chilled.

Damon seemed off as he placed the cup on the coffee table and pulled at his collar. His eyes flashed to her as he moved to stand, and she watched in horror as he stumbled and fell. She rushed to him, and his weight sank into her as his body went slack and his eyes closed.

Easing him to the couch, she turned to glare at Simon. “What did you do?”

“Just gave him something to help him sleep.”

He smiled at Lotus, but his eyes had turned cold as he watched Damon sleep soundly on the couch. Her hand smoothed over Damon’s brow, her fingers checking his pulse in his neck and finding it strong and steady.

Fear bubbled to the surface as he smiled a cruel smile at her. Lotus fought against the urge to run, but she knew that would only end badly. Instead, she swallowed down her fear and met his gaze head-on. “What do you want from me?”