He chuckles then, but he doesn’t understand how harshly I’m about to spiral.
“Maybe that’s because you alreadyknowwhat to call her.” I look back up to him, his words dawning on me. “I think you’ve known since the moment you found out you were pregnant. You just may not realize it.”
He is right, that asshole. I’ve thought time and time again about what to name our little girl, but I’ve always been nervous to mention it. Especially after what Damien went through, there was just never a right to time to ask.
“What if he doesn’t agree?” I look up at him. “What if it’s too much?” My brother just tilts his head.
“Does it feel right? Like youknowthat’s what her name is?”
Acceptance instantly washes over me, forcing a small smile on my face.
“Yeah…”
“Then he’ll love it.” He leans down to kiss the top of my head, and stands as Damien approaches us. “I’m winning all of thesedamn games,” Zeke shouts and steps away, knowing he’s going to start a war with all of the Hartley women.
“Like hell you are!” Sarah, one of Damien’s other cousins, yells from across the room. Damien hands me a plate topped with watermelon, other shaped fruit, and a cookie shaped like a onesie, with decorative icing to look like a skeleton.
“For you, my queen.” He bows dramatically, making me laugh even more.
“Oh, I see. Now I get the thrones.”
“Of course, only the best for my Goddess.” He leans in and kisses me gently before sitting next to me. Then he huffs. “Serena still won’t let me play the games.”
“Ugh, what a bitch,” I joke and lean against him.
“I heard that!” Serena yells back at me, then addresses the room to explain the first game. I’m not sure how I feel about standing in front of this room full of people and wrapping a tape measurer around my belly, but it’s all fun. A part of me is scared to know what else she has planned, knowing how over-the-top she tends to be. Then there’s that other part of me that is secretly so happy and excited that I can feel the energy charge beneath my skin.
Chapter 38
Damien
8 Days Later
Sheriff Woody (Tony)
Hey, D. I had that APB out on Macher like you asked. One of my officers reported that he saw him about an hour ago, close to the railyard. His partner said he didn’t see anyone, but I thought you might want to check it out.
I read over his text again, trying to decide ifI’ma lunatic or his officer is. We’ve all kept our eyes out for Satori, and there hasn’t been any sign of him. What are the chances that he’s been hiding under our noses this entire time, and this officeractuallysaw him? With how our luck runs, pretty high—which is why we’re scouring the area and checking under rocks for any trace of him.
It’s not often that we operate like this before dark, but it’s close enough and I don’t want to waste any more time. Satori isn’t stupid enough to wander around at night when we perform at our best. So, if we’re going to catch him, it’ll be when there’s still daylight out. It started snowing about an hour ago, and that makes it even more plausible that this officer is right. Satori could’ve been seeking shelter or returning to one he had already found. But now that it’s snowing even harder than it was, any possible tracks are going to be covered.
“I don’t know how legit this sighting is, D. There’s no sign of anyone breaking into the railyard, none of our ground guys are catching sight of him, and we’ve checked all of the unoccupied homes. If he’s hiding out in the city, it isn’t here,” Zeke says as he steps up beside me.
I scan the area below us like a hawk, eyeing between rail cars, overlooking the fence line, and checking light poles for security cameras. It looks like Zeke might get what he wanted, and our little peace bubble might explode after all. I didn’t tell Ashia what was going on, and I kept it out of the system in case she decided to look. She’s been having contractions on and off all day, and it’s starting to worry me. We've timed them, and they were very irregular and didn’t last very long, with ample time between them. But I hate how uncomfortable she is, and her mind is running wild with her nesting instinct. She doesn’t need to worry about this, too.
“If there’s even a possibility of that asshole being in the city, I want to know about it.” I clench my jaw, hating how my skin tingles. I feel useless, like I’ve gone soft, and damnit, maybe I have. Satori Macher tried to have me killed and take my organization—then he tried to kill my wife, but somehow, he made it out alive. He never should’ve evaded my sight. “Fuck, I should’ve found him… I should’ve just searched for him the moment he escaped. Why the fuck didn’t I do that?” I run myhand through my hair and turn away from the scene, looking down at the other side of the hill instead of at the train tracks.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, D. I get why you didn’t. Hell, we all do. You and Ash deserve some fucking peace. Ash has had enough health issues, and you’re getting ready to have a kid. There are more pressing matters.”
“But I shouldn’t have just ignored it. I’m sure there was some type of happy-medium, or ‘be calm this day and work hard the next’ type shit.” I fling my arms out and pace in the snow, focusing on the crunch beneath my boots instead of the violent thoughts running through my head.
“You and Ashia are happier than I’ve ever seen you be. It’s okay. We’ve all been looking for him and none of us have any idea as to where he is. He’s a sneaky mother fucker with maybe two people left in the world who are on his side. It’s okay to ignore him. He’s ruined—finished.” Zeke just shrugs it off and shakes his head. I appreciate his attempt to lighten the situation, but it doesn’t make me feel any better, knowing that he doesn’tactuallyfeel that way.
“Oh, is that how you feel about Avery?” I turn to him and raise a brow. His face falls in realization.
“Good point.”
I continue to pace, the urgency to find him churning my stomach.
