AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maybe before, in some past timeline where she never crossed my path, she would’ve stood a speck of a chance. Now? There was nothing she could do to be free.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Their conversation was far shorter than ours. Santiago returned without Judas to tell me bye. As we stood in front of one another I wasn’t sure if I should give a wave or simply say goodbye, take Theo, and walk away.
“I have something I want you to have.” He reached into the pocket inside his suit and withdrew a slightly wrinkled, wallet-sized photograph.
I accepted the photo and studied it. The woman in the picture was wearing a simple white dress. She looked so much like me that it was eerie.
The man in the suit beside her was clearly Santiago. He was just as strikingly handsome then as now.
“We wanted something small and spontaneous,” he explained. “She agreed to do a big wedding later, but we never got the chance.”
“She was beautiful.”
“Like you.”
I gave him a small smile and went back to studying the photo. It looked like Gemma and Zacharias were there too, looking nearly the same as they did presently.
“Thank you.”
“There’s plenty more where that came from, which is why you must visit often. Trinity is in my ear non-stop about wanting to meet you and so are your brother and sister.”
“I’m sure I will,” I replied fully meaning it.
He stepped forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. I was stiff for all of two seconds before transferring the picture to one hand so I could return his embrace. It seemed like the right thing to do for him at this moment.
“I look forward to getting to know who you are too, gordita. Welcome home.”
Judas was there by the time he had let me go and stepped back.
“Are you ready?” he asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I wanted to snuggle into his side but restrained myself.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“I’ll call you,” he said to Santiago as he guided me away. “And so will she,” was added as we walked down the pathway.
“Are you alright?”
I tilted my head back to see his face. “I’m fine. I don’t know if all has sunk in yet--.”
“It hasn’t,” he flippantly assured me.
“Thanks for the words of encouragement.”
“Would you prefer I lie to you?”
“Please don’t.”
“Scouts honor, principessa.”
I laughed and focused on watching where I was going. “That doesn’t count, Judas. You were never a scout.”
“I was,” Gavin’s reply came from behind us.
I grinned and looked back at him. “Were you really?”
“Hell yeah. I still have the badges.”
“Oh, my god. I can see it.”
“He can be a scout, but not me?”
“Yes, Gavin earned badges. You’d probably earn bodies.”
He laughed loudly, sending a jolt right to my heart.
“I think you might be right.”
We started down the ridiculous amount of stairs that led to where our rides were parked.
Once we hit the second set I just happened to glance back and notice a girl with long dark hair staring at us from the balcony alongside Charlie.
The redhead had split the second Santiago reappeared and waved her off. I think my presence bothered the woman. Odd considering it was my man’s cock she was craving, and I didn’t have an issue with her. Well, as long as she didn’t picture him naked when she stared I didn’t.
“Is that Janessa?”
Judas slowed us to a stop and followed my concentrated stare. “That’s her.”
His flat tone told me he wasn’t a fan.
“Don’t like her very much?” I teased.
“Let me just say, she could never in a million years be any of the women I respect, especially you.”
“Hm.” I tugged on him to keep moving.
If I went off Santiago’s recollection, she was two or three years younger than me.
I wasn’t bursting at the seams to meet my siblings, but I knew one day it would happen.
We made it down the final set of stairs and I swore I’d never wear heels to come here again.
“Where are we going next?” I asked once we reached the SUV.
Theo came around from behind and opened the door for us.
“To eat.”
I almost wept at those two simple words. My stomach was close to rioting after teasing it with a granola bar. I thanked Theo and then hoisted myself into the backseat, sliding over so Judas could sit beside me.
Gavin gave us a two-finger salute as he passed by the open door and returned to the ride, he’d come in. No one had gotten out of the third vehicle at all. Come to think of it, they both walked around with guards the entire time.
What a wild world I’d found myself in, where you needed an armed guard to enjoy a mimosa. Judas was busy on his phone before we finished pulling out of Santiago’s driveway. I started to slide away from him and was promptly stopped by his hand tightening around my thigh.
