Inside the actual compound, off to the right, was the fleet of Savage vehicles, the sigil of Baphomet branded proudly—largely—on the sides. I pulled the Brabus past the small group waiting to greet us and parked.
In the rearview, I could see both mine and Lilith’s fathers, along with my uncle. Two acolytes stood a little way behind them.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.” I could sense her nervousness, but I wasn’t going to comment on it. That wouldn’t help her any. “If you need me, just say so.”
She smiled at me. “I know that, but thank you anyway.”
“The two of you are adorably nauseating and everything, but can someone please let us out of the car?” Addy asked.
Right. She and Ice couldn’t go anywhere until we did. I cut the engine and opened my door, stepping out into the heat. Jin followed my lead once Addy and Ice let him out.
I met Lilith at the back bumper, both of us looking towards the three men we’d left behind years ago. They were watching us just the same.
Third man in line—the one on the right. He looked like an aged version of myself. There were silver wisps in his beard, but everything else about him was the same. Good news for future me, I guess.
Cobra hadn’t taken his eyes off Lilith since she stepped out of the car. I wondered what his face would be like if he knew she’d had my dick in her mouth a few hours ago.
Thanks to Addy being beside me and dealing with her own ordeal, it saved us from any immediate awkward bullshit.
Romero looked at her with a smirk on his face. “I heard how you managed to get away.”
She shrugged and crossed her arms. “It was necessary.”
“How long do you plan to hide out here?”
“I’m not hiding.”
“You know he’s going to come for you.”
“You’re not going to let him take me,” she retorted matter-of-factly.
“You sure about that?” he questioned.
“It’s the least you could do. If you even think about it, I’m telling Mom,” she threatened with a glare. “Come on, Ice.”
She began to walk away and then paused, glancing back at me and Lilith with a smile. “Thanks for the ride.”
I watched her go towards the massive fucking building in the center of the compound. Not privy to the inner workings of their faction, I didn’t know what the fuck all that was about. I knew she’d left the Venom guy she fucked with, nothing more or why.
“I should’ve had all boys,” Romero stated, focusing his attention on me and Lilith.
I think I spoke for everyone when I said he didn’t mean that. Bella and Addy meant just as much to him as my cousin Luce did.
“Now that she’s gone, why don’t you come with me?”
He poised it as a question, but I knew it wasn’t something I could refuse. I did the same shit on my own turf.
“You can come with me,” Cobra said to Lilith.
When neither of us replied or moved, Romero laughed. He stared at Lilith, whatever he was thinking unknown to any of us standing here sweating our goddamn asses off.
“I know how this goes. I’m not going to kill him. I like him. And his dad wouldn’t approve.”
“Lilith,” Cobra implored.
“Okay. Let’s go,” she replied. “Don’t die, and don’t do anything reckless,” she tacked on for me, walking away with him.
Did she forget who she was talking to? I wasn’t carelessly reckless. I was always calculated with it.
The stares took me back to the old days. I didn’t give a fuck—the circumstances weren’t anywhere near the same. I’d find it more offensive if they didn’t watch my every move. Jin shadowed me, unbothered about the attention or the two acolytes on either side of him.
“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Romero said.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Women change everything.”
I interpreted that as his way of letting me know he knew how important Lilith was to me.
As we approached the grey stucco building in the center of the compound, I took in how large it was. The landscaping around it was immaculate—the greenest grass I’d ever seen in the Badlands with neatly trimmed shrubs full of bold, blue flowers.
“What is this place?”
“My house.”
“It’s more like three houses,” my dad said.
It was the first time he’d spoken since I’d gotten here. His observation wasn’t wrong. This place was fucking huge.
“You could’ve had one just like it,” Romero replied dismissively.
We went up a wide set of stairs, entering through a pair of double doors. Cool air surrounded us immediately.
Everything in his house screamed luxury and Savage. I looked at the high ceilings and swirled marble floor. In the center of the foyer was a massive Baphomet sigil. Another one hung in the center of the upper balcony in the form of a black and white tapestry. The dark fixtures were all adorned with symbolic Savage details.