Page 74 of Serpent & Saviors

“Did you read it?” I asked Marcus. He nodded. “Pass it to Pasha. He needs to know.”

Without hesitation, he did as I asked. Pasha glanced down at the paper, confused. He was probably reading the side Kinsley had written.

“Turn it over,” I breathed, trying to keep calm.

A few seconds in, he exclaimed, “No fucking way. Shit, this changes everything.”

Nik called once again, and I put him on speaker, and I filled him in. “Jesus, this is bad. I knew something had to be wrong when the coach told us there was some sort of emergency at home and they left early. There’s no way Alek and I will make it before any of you do. Brother, save them both, but be careful.” He hung up.

My mind raced as I tried to make sense of everything. I’d kill Cameron with my bare fucking hands. God, don’t let me be too late. If we couldn’t save them…I didn’t even want to think about it.

Losing my mother was the single darkest thing I’d gone through. With our complicated history and her dying abruptly in her sleep from a brain aneurysm, I never got to say goodbye, or that I forgave her. Not having closure nearly destroyed me.

That night in Ireland, walking on the beach, I swore angels were real. I’d had it fucking memorialized in tattoo form on my back so that I never forgot my life was spared. I was so drunk that night, and the waves from the raging storm would have easily taken me under if not for her.

Victoria was my real-life angel. And I was a father. To a six-year-old child. We had a child together.

But a new reality hit. I was amazing at guiding others through obstacles, struggles, and complex emotions, but if something happened to either of them, who would save me? Were guardian angels like soulmates, and you only got one in your lifetime? And what about my son?

While the thought of fatherhood had always been a sore subject for me, I would reconcile this new reality. My mind drifted to the little bit of conversation I’d had with Victoria about Declan.

What kind of life had he led? What kind of influence had Cameron had on him up to this point?

I could already feel my mind shifting and my life being redefined. I knew everything could change in the blink of an eye, but this was the biggest change I’d ever been through.

Turning to Marcus, I said stupidly, “We have a kid.”

“Indeed, we do, Boss. Now what’s the plan when we get there?” he asked, a steel edge entering his voice.

“Depending on his household staff—we’ll be dealing with him, Nigel and potentially whoever else was with him this morning. We need to secure the boy and find Victoria. Beyond that, we won’t know until we get there. But nothing is standing in my way. We are going in.”

As the house came into view, I switched my mind off, trusting my instincts. The police hadn’t arrived, which was going to make it that much easier. I brought the car to a screeching halt in front of the house. We jumped out, and the three of us exchanged a look; the urgency pulsed between us.

This mission wasn’t like any of the ones we’d done as a group before. Pasha was likely to have blood on his hands at the end of it. The stakes were high. My eyes lifted, and my mouth opened to warn him.

“Don’t bother asking. I’m all the way in,” he hissed.

A warmth spread through me as I clapped him on the back. The three of us burst through the door. Adrenaline coursed through me. Then a child’s anguished cry, gut-wrenching and haunting, had all of us racing toward the sound.

“Mummy,” he screamed, this time louder. “No, Daddy you’re hurting her.”

The fear in his voice made my stomach lurch. Who knew what the fuck he was witnessing? The house was a labyrinth of shadows and eerily silent, except for the screams. Our footsteps loudly echoed through the hall. The closer we got, the banging grew louder. Marcus was the first through the door. He and Nigel immediately went at it, with Marcus subduing him. With a warrior’s cry, he quickly snapped his neck.

I pushed around Marcus and froze for two seconds. Pasha bumped into me, and I startled. Directly in front of me was my son. He was staring at an ornate, framed mirror on the wall. A two-way mirror. Pasha moved around me, heading for the child.

Thank God for his quick thinking, or I may have just stood there and stared.

“Go. Find her Counselor, you and Marcus. Save her,” he barked.

It was just enough to get me moving, that and Marcus’ hand on my shoulder. We shot out the door without a glance at Nigel.

As the guys clamored out of the room, I turned my attention to the little boy. His banging and crying drew my attention, and the sight before me sent a jolt of sympathy tugging at my heart. He was no older than six, standing in his football uniform. His small frame trembled violently. Tears streamed down his face as he banged against the glass.

I moved on instinct, wanting to shield him from the horror that was taking place on the other side of the mirror. Stepping in front, I blocked his view. What I had seen sickened me. Victoria was doing her best to fight off Cameron, who was in a rage.

Although I couldn’t hear him, he was screaming and looked completely unhinged. He shoved Victoria’s head into a tub of water. Another woman lay motionless on the floor, her blonde hair covering her.

“Mummy,” Declan sobbed. His breath came in short, panicked bursts.