Savage Ending (Savage Trilogy 4)

I blink and straighten. I knew he’d planned this but not that he’d made it official. “He did?”

“Oh, damn it.” She cringes. “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to tell you. Maybe that was a surprise.”

Tension uncurls in my shoulders. “A good one, too, considering I spent most of my adult life fearing he was dead. And well-timed. I’m glad you told me. It helps.”

She loads another slice of pizza on my plate and another on her own and despite feeling quite a bit better right now, I can’t help but ask, “Has Luke, or the other brothers, heard from Savage?”

“Blake was actually at our house when Asher called him. He had him try and track down a property owner. That’s all I know.”

My brows dip. “That sounds like trouble.”

“That sounds like Savage’s team ensuring there are no surprises. Relax. He’s got good friends, skilled friends, with him. They’ll make sure he’s at the church, looking pretty in a tuxedo.”

“God, he does look pretty in a tuxedo,” I say with a sigh.

She grins and then starts talking babies. For the rest of the meal, I relax into the night, thankful Julie talked me into this. I’m getting married. She’s starting a family. We are both at a place in life we can call a new beginning.

Once we’re next door, we both order two huge scoops of Oreo ice cream in cups and head outside to a heated patio to eat. Julie takes one bite and sets her cup down. “I think I need to go to the bathroom.”

“You okay?”

“The price of making babies,” she says. “Eat. I’ll be right back.” She stands up and rushes away.

I hesitate, feeling as if I should follow her, but she’s left her purse behind. Reluctantly, I grab my spoon, and that’s when a strange sensation of being watched overtakes me, little prickles teasing the back of my neck.

My gaze scans the few people around us, all in deep conversation and ignoring me. I further my search with a glance around the immediate area beyond the ice cream parlor. Still, I see nothing, but that sensation hasn’t gone away. Furthering my reach, I glance across the street and find a figure in the shadows. Just standing there, looking in this direction, but I really can’t make out much about the person.

Uncomfortable, I slide both purses over my shoulder and pick up the two ice creams. Once I’m inside, where seating is limited, I head toward barstools and a bar in the rear, near the restrooms. I’ve just set everything down again when Julie exits the bathroom. “Did you get cold?”

“More like spooked. There’s some creep standing across the street staring at me. And how are you?”

“I’m fine now,” she says, “but I don’t like how that sounds. I’ll call one of the guys to walk us home.” She’s already dialing her phone and I appreciate how much she respects my concerns.

My mind flashes back to a moment when Savage and I had just arrived in New York City. We’d been cooking breakfast in what had become our kitchen but he’d suddenly gotten serious on me, turning me to face him, hands on my shoulders.

“I made a lot of enemies,” he says. “You know that, right?”

“After all we just went through, you know I know.”

“We’re going to spend a lot of time at the firing range. And I want you to take karate. And if you ever get a gut feeling that something is wrong, do not ignore it. Understand?”

I laugh. “You’re being too intense. I get it. I’ll be careful.”

“Candy, baby—”

“I will not ignore a gut feeling, I value my ability to handle a gun, and will happily learn to fight and kick your ass.”

He kisses me and I end up naked on the counter, but that’s another part of that story.

“Done,” Julie says, snapping me back to the present. “Luke was actually done with his work and he’s coming to walk us home.”

And he does. Forty-five minutes later, we’ve eaten ice cream and even stayed around for Luke to have some for himself. And he and Julie have dropped me at my apartment. Luke even does a little walk-through for me to be sure all is well.

When I’m alone, I lean on the door and stare at the apartment that feels so damn empty right now. I squeeze my eyes shut and I’m back at that ice cream parlor, staring at the man across the street. Or I think he was a man.

I consider calling Savage, but if he’s in danger, distraction will only muddle his mind, and perhaps his position. Luke knows what’s going on. If this is a problem, he’ll tell Savage and he’ll tell him at the right time.

Besides, perhaps that encounter wasn’t an encounter at all. Maybe that man was just waiting on someone. Or waiting on a cab, or a movie, or a reservation. I don’t know, but I think I’ll stay close to home until Savage returns.