Chapter 4

Justice glanced out of the corner of his eye at Noah who walked behind him and Titus, noticing the gun discreetly pointed at both of them.

Based on the conversation he’d heard back in the alley, it seemed that Noah and Titus shared a history, and with the fact that Noah wanted Titus dead, he could safely guess it hadn’t been positive.

A black SUV pulled up to the curb, and Noah opened the door.

“Get in the car, Justice,” Noah commanded. “Titus, get the fuck out of here before I put a bullet between your eyes.”

“I say this with the utmost respect, Noah, but Titus stays with me.”

Noah glared at him, and then glanced down the street at the cop car that had just pulled up only a block away, its lights flashing. They would come across the males writhing on the ground at any moment, and who knew what would happen then? Would they say they had been attacked, and then send the police after them? As far as Justice was concerned, they didn’t have time to argue whether Titus stayed or left—they just needed to get the hell out of there.

The two other males walked quickly across the street as Noah nodded. “Fine. Both of you get in the car. We’ll hash it all out later, but right now, we need to go.”

The car sped off after Noah climbed into the front seat while he and Titus sat in the back smashed between the two other males. Although the car was large, it definitely wasn’t made to sit many beings of his size.

They drove in silence for a moment, and Justice looked at the passing landscape. The lights, the tall buildings, the people bustling about reminded him of home, and an ache overtook his heart. He believed it would be considered the feeling of homesickness.

“Thanks for being so quick on the pick up, Nico,” Noah said to the driver, who nodded.

Noah turned around. “Hudson? You okay, man?”

“Yeah.”

“Blake?”

“I’m solid.”

Noah glared at him for a moment. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Justice nodded. “As do you.”

Blake, who sat next to him, began to wiggle, and Justice turned to see what he was doing.

“Sorry. Just trying to get my phone out of my pants. I’m not trying to play grab ass with you or anything.”

Justice moved slightly, and Blake found the phone, then hit a button.

“Hey, Rayner. Listen, we’ve got some company coming back with us, so make sure we’re in lockdown mode. Also, Hudson’s been stabbed, so Cohen will need to heal him, and you better tell Beverly, as well.”

“No, don’t tell Bev,” Hudson mumbled. “She’ll just worry.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “You’ve been stabbed, dumbass. Just because you don’t want to deal with your mate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. I’m not setting myself or Rayner up to take Beverly’s wrath when she finds out she wasn’t told.”

Hudson sighed. “Fine.”

Blake turned his attention back to the phone. “Yeah, I’m serious about the lockdown. We’ll see you in a bit.”

The other cars on the freeway flashed by; some of the lights almost seemed blinding. Justice’s heart pounded in anticipation at finally finding out where the Saviors lived, and to talk to Noah and hear his excuse as to why he hadn’t met Justice and the crew of Rescue One when he’d been the one to summon them.

He couldn’t wait to let the Royal Congress on SR44 know that he’d succeeded in his mission and that they would all be able to return home and their natural, smoky forms instead of residing in these cumbersome human bodies.

Blake squirmed again next to him, and he glanced over at him.

“I need to take off my jacket,” he said, and Justice sat forward so he could do so. Then the male removed his t-shirt, ripping it in half. He handed on half to Titus, and then the other to him.

“Wrap this around your eyes,” he ordered. “Neither of you can see where we go from here, especially you, Titus, you piece of shit.”

Justice did as he had been told, but again felt surprise at the way they spoke to Titus.

The car slowed, and then picked up speed again for a while. They came to a stop, sped up, stopped again, and then drove a couple hundred feet and Nico killed the ignition.

“I’ll run inside and make sure they’re ready for us,” Blake said as Justice heard the car door open.

“Where is he?” a female’s voice asked. “Hudson?”

“He’s in the back,” Blake answered. “He’s fine.”

“You let me be the judge of that.”

Justice sat still as he heard the door to his right open, and then a soft gasp met his ears.

“Are you okay, Hudson?” she asked.

“I’m fine, Beverly.”

“Who are these two?”

“Company,” Hudson said, “but not the good kind. Sort of like having bed bugs come for a visit.”

Justice remained where he sat, waiting for orders. Apparently, whatever Titus had done, he was now guilty by association to be compared to a bug.

“Let’s move,” Noah growled, taking his arm. “You’ve got three stairs, then a doorway where you’ll have to lift your leg about six inches so you don’t fall flat on that pretty face of yours. You’ll then have a few more stairs to maneuver. After that, I can take off the blindfold.”

Justice moved slowly as Noah guided him.

The echo of his feet moving up the metal stairs rang in his ears, and after a moment, he could see lights through his blindfold.

“Stay right where you are,” Noah said.

Someone brushed up against his left side, and he had to guess it was Titus, unless they’d shot him and taken him out to the desert to be buried. However, that would make him a little irritated as he’d worked hard to save the male’s life after finding him lying like a sack of crap in the sagebrush.

The blindfold was removed, and he squinted in the glare. After a moment, his eyes adjusted, and he took in his surroundings.

They stood in a kitchen, much different from the one where he resided. Black marble countertops gleamed while silver appliances shined. To his right, he saw a hallway with thick, plush dark brown carpet. He caught a glimpse of another room that looked like it may have a bar and some couches.

Obviously, the Saviors had been living in the lap of luxury during their time on Earth, and he thought of his underground quarters all painted the same color as the dirt it laid under. He slept in on a bed of rock, grew his own food, or ate meals out of a silver pouch.

It seemed to be quite the contradiction in lifestyle.

Noah moved into his line of sight, and Nico stood behind him, his gun at his side, as did Blake. He glanced over at Titus, who still had his blindfold on.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Noah said, his angry face just inches away. “You and I are going to sit down and have a little chat.”

“What will happen to Titus?”

“We’re not sure yet, but probably nothing good.”

Justice shook his head. “From what I’ve overheard, Titus has done some things that are not honorable of an SR44ian male. I understand your anger, but maybe we can come to some agreement on his fate.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Noah’s face. “And what would that be?”

“You and I talk, and you hear me out. Then perhaps, you can talk to Titus. It’s the sign of a good leader to hear all sides of a story before making a decision. And, Noah, you don’t strike me as the type to make rash decisions.”

Noah glared at him for a moment, then the corners of his mouth inched up just a little. “Oh, you’re good, Justice. You just pigeon-holed me there. Nice one.”

He turned to Blake and Nico. “Take Titus downstairs to the gym. You two watch him. If he so much as sneezes wrong, you put a bullet in his head. I’m taking the big guy into the War Room for a little chat. And go wake up Liberty and Jovan. I’m going to need them.”

“Maybe we should wait until morning, Noah. It’s after midnight,” Blake commented.

“Nope. This starts right now. Follow me, Justice.”