CHAPTER EIGHT
Gideon
The moment Alexhad informed me that Lorcan had Penn cornered in a convenience store, I’d ordered him to get him out of there and to my house. If Lorcan had hunted him down, he either knew it was Penn or that Penn had lied about not knowing.
Paul texted me when they were on the way back, explaining what had happened and that Penn was hurt. My rage wasn’t a foreign feeling, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly was angering me so much. Was it that Penn was hurt or that he was hurt because of me?
His green eyes met mine as I leaned against the doorjamb while Rita finished up.
“He really should rest, Gid.” She scowled at me.
“Uhm, actually, while I appreciate your help, Mr. Hendrix, and Rita, I’d like to call a ride share and get home, please.”
“Ha!” Rita’s voice echoed loudly. “If you walk out that door alone, it’s gonna be bad news for you.”
“Hm…” Penn tilted his head. “Lorcan will kill me, you think?”
Rita snorted. “A man like that, he’ll extract information out of you first, slowly, painfully. Afterward, yes, you die.”
“I see.” Penn scratched his eyebrow, a thoughtful expression on his face. He didn’t look scared by what Rita was saying, and that was odd. “I think he’d end up disappointed.”
Now it was my turn to chuckle. “And why is that? Everyone has a breaking point, it’s rare that pain doesn’t pull information out of someone.”
He pursed his lips and stood. “I agree that pain is a good motivator for a lot of people, but I’m not one of them.”
“Regardless.” Rita kicked the first-aid kit under the sink. “You’ll still be dead in the end.”
He glanced at her, then back at me. “And what exactly do you want from me, Mr. Hendrix? Why am I here, and why did your men save me?”
“You’re joking, right?” Rita huffed. “You risked your life for my boy, for my niece and nephew, who are Gideon’s children. Of course we’re going to keep you safe.”
Penn hummed. “And Lorcan wants me dead because I saved children?”
I shrugged. “More that you foiled his plan to leave me completely broken. Like I explained, Penn, everyone has a breaking point, and my children are just that.”
“Understandable.” He motioned toward me. “Can I at least leave the bathroom?”
Rita laughed and pushed me out. “You can. Go sit on the couch and relax.”
“Mom?” Matteo called out as we exited the bathroom. He was coming down the stairs.
“Hey, baby, what do you need?”
Matteo looked from his mom to me and finally to Penn. “Oh my God,” he whispered. “It’s you.”
Penn’s face scrunched up and he scratched the nape of his neck, which I noticed was quite pink.
“Hey,” he mumbled.
“It’s your eyes,” I said, and he glanced at me as if I were weird. “They are very green, it was what gave you away to Dean…that, and your voice.”
“Really? I tried to mask my voice.”
“Are you okay? You were on fire!” Matteo inched closer.
Penn waved him off. “Yeah, no problem.”
“Has anyone checked those burns?” I gestured to his neck, where he was still scratching.
