Unbroken (The Protectors 12)

“Come in and give it to them yourself,” Vaughn said.

But the man shook his head. “No, I need to get back. Work,” he said. There was no emotion in his voice. He’d turned back into the man who’d come with Con to the house in Nevada that first day.

“Hey, Aleks?”

I turned to see Remy heading toward us. I could see his car keys in his hand.

“Um, your brother wanted me to let you know they’re leaving soon… something about just a quick bathroom break and then they were going to head out,” Remy said in confusion when he reached us.

Vaughn laughed next to me and I shook my head. I was about to thank Remy when I saw how he was staring at Luca.

And Luca was staring at him.

But whereas Luca was looking at Remy with a mix of curiosity and something I could only classify as attraction, Remy looked… stunned.

“Remy, this is—” I began.

“Luca,” Luca interjected as his eyes stayed on Remy. He reached out his hand. “Have we met before?” Luca asked.

It almost sounded like a come-on, but not quite. There was a genuine question there.

I was just in the process of turning to ask Remy if he was okay, because he hadn’t moved or spoken, when he suddenly swung his fist and hit Luca square in the jaw.

Luca didn’t fall, but the blow had him losing his balance and Vaughn grabbed his arm to steady him.

“Remy!” I cried in surprise.

But it was like Remy couldn’t hear me. He cradled his hand against his chest. “Stay away from me, you asshole.”

“Remy,” Vaughn began, but my friend took another step back, like he was afraid Vaughn was going to try to grab him.

“You lied to me,” Remy whispered as he stared at Luca. I could see tears swimming in his eyes. “Do you know how long I fucking waited for you to come back for me?”

Luca stiffened, then shook his head as understanding dawned. But it wasn’t until he breathed “Billy?” that the pieces clicked into place for me.

Billy.

It was the name of the boy Luca had left behind so that he could find his son.

“Oh God,” I whispered. “You’re the boy Luca—”

“Forgot,” Remy said softly. “He forgot about me… just like everyone else.”

Remy turned to walk away.

“Remy, wait, please,” Luca called, but then Remy was running down the driveway.

“Remy,” I yelled, but he ignored me too and when I tried to go after him, Vaughn grabbed my arm.

“Let him go, Aleks. You won’t be able to reach him in time.”

Vaughn was right because Remy’s little red sedan pulled out of its spot where it was parked farther down the driveway. The front of the car hit one of the cars on the other side of the driveway as Remy tried to turn around. The two cars scraped together, but it didn’t stop Remy. His car tore off down the driveway and toward the road.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I repeated over and over.

But he didn’t.

Luca watched the car disappear, then he reached up to touch the bruise forming on his jaw.

“Luca,” Vaughn said, but Luca shook his head. “I need to get to work. Tell… tell whosever car that is” – he pointed toward the car Remy’s had hit – “that I’ll pay for the damage.”

Vaughn tried to reach for Luca, but he shook him off and went to his car. “I’m fine,” Luca murmured. “I’m fine.”

I knew he wasn’t.

Just like Remy wasn’t.

Once Luca’s car was gone, Vaughn put his arm around me.

“We should go after them,” I said. “I’m worried about Remy.”

Vaughn nodded. “Let’s go say goodbye to your brother and Magnus, then we’ll head to the city and check on him.”

By the time we got back to the house, Magnus and Dante were already in the process of saying their goodbyes to their guests. Both men looked mussed and I couldn’t help but smile. When Dante’s arms went around me, I squeezed him hard.

“Take care of yourself, irmãozinho,” Dante murmured.

“You too, meu melhor.” I didn’t wait for Dante to interject guesses as to what he was my best of this time around. I simply told him what I’d always known he was to me. “Meu melhor tudo,” I whispered.

My best everything…

He kissed my temple, then held me for a moment longer. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

I nodded.

“And tell that boyfriend of yours something,” he added.

“What?” I asked with dread.

“Tell him thanks for the wedding gift. Best present ever.” He kissed me again.

“Wait,” I said as I grabbed his arm. “What did he give you?” I asked.

“Ask him,” Dante said with a wink, then he took Magnus’s outstretched hand and they left.

My phone rang before I could say anything else. I sighed in relief when I saw that it was Remy.