Chapter 24

Justice got out of the car and approached the metal stairs leading up to the door of the missile silo. He then realized he had no way to get in as he remembered the Saviors punched in a code on the keypad he now stared at.

The door opened, and Abby stood on the other side. She grinned, her hands protectively resting on the slight bulge of her belly. “Hi Justice. We were just getting ready to send out a search party.”

“Hi, Abby. Sorry about that. I got caught up in something.”

“You should have called,” she chastised.

“Yeah … well, I forgot a phone.”

“Come on in and get something to eat.”

“Thanks, but I really need to speak to Noah first.”

She stepped aside, and he walked in. Up a couple more stairs, then down a few, and he strode into the kitchen where Beverly tried to calm her son, Killian, and Faith and Liberty bustled around the space.

“He’s in the War Room,” Abby said.

“Thanks,” he called over his shoulder as he made his way down the hall.

He pushed open the glass door and Noah looked up from the papers scattered in front of him. Once the door shut, Killian’s cries muted somewhat.

“What’s up, man?” Noah asked. “Where you been?”

“I need some help,” Justice said, taking a seat at the big, glass table.

Noah set down a piece of paper and stared at him. “What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, he started. “I went back to the bunker.”

“How come?”

“I’m just not used to being around a lot of people and I needed some time alone in a quiet place.”

Justice turned to see Killian running down the hall, screaming at the top of his lungs. Hudson followed and grabbed him, which only made Killian cry harder.

“Yeah, it can get pretty loud around here sometimes,” Noah mumbled.

He stared as Hudson tried to calm the wiggling, screaming boy. Kids really didn’t look like much fun.

“Anyway, when I got there, Holly was also there.”

Noah’s eyebrows arched. “Really?”

“Yes. She’d slept on the floor in the entrance area covered in blood.”

Noah shut his eyes and rolled his neck. “And?”

“I took her down to the main living area and we talked.”

After a brief pause, Noah spoke. “So what are you going to do when she lets her superiors know that she went down there?”

“She won’t. Besides, she thinks I’m her superior, remember?”

“Why don’t you think she won’t talk to others at her job?”

“Because she’s in trouble, and we need to help her.”

Noah stood up and began to pace the room. “What kind of trouble? Although, I’m not even sure I want to know …”

“Her brother was murdered and the killer framed her.”

Noah stopped behind the high-back, black leather chair, placing his hands on it. “Justice, why the fuck did you agree to help her?”

Taken aback by Noah’s response, Justice stared at him for a moment. “Because that’s what an honorable, decent male would do.”

Noah glared at him, his nostrils flaring. “Let me make myself clear, Justice. Don’t you ever question my honor. Ever. Are we clear?”

He’d apparently pressed a little too hard with Noah. “Yes.”

“Good. Now listen up because I’m only saying this once. Holly’s problems aren’t part of my circus.” He pointed at the papers in front of, all detailing deaths from around the world. “That’s part of it, and so is that.”

As he pointed toward the door, Killian came running down the hall again, this time giggling uncontrollably with Hudson on his heels.

“Those people out there count on me to keep them safe. I never asked to be the ringmaster, but this is his seat.” Noah pounded on the back of the chair with his fists. “I don’t have room in my tent for another circus act. I’m sorry Holly’s brother is dead. Maybe she did it; maybe she didn’t. It doesn’t matter. If you were using your brain instead of your cock on this one, you’d run as far and fast away from that mess as you could.”

Anger rolled through his body, tensing his muscles. Although Noah was in charge, he certainly wouldn’t be talking to Justice like that again. “Excuse me? What exactly does that mean?”

“Which part? The part about your cock or getting away from Holly?”

“My cock has nothing to do with me wanting to help her, Noah, and for you to say otherwise is rude and condescending. It’s also—”

“Oh, bullshit, Justice. I could see it in your face when we met her at the bunker. You’ve got it bad for the little blonde.”

Certainly, his brain would explode at any moment. Who did Noah think he was? Justice had been very high up in the SR44 military. No one talked to him the way Noah did.

“You’re out of line, Noah,” he whispered, standing.

“No, I’m not. And if what I said didn’t hold a ring of truth to you, it wouldn’t upset you. That little girl has you by the short and curlies and you don’t even know it yet.”

Justice lost his cool and lunged at Noah, taking him down to the ground. He landed a fist in Noah’s gut, but received one in return to his jaw.

Noah grabbed him around the neck and squeezed, forcing Justice off of him. Faster than he could track, Noah now straddled him. As Noah pulled back his arm to hit Justice again, their gazes locked. Justice could see the anger in Noah’s dark look, and his own rage swelled within him. He’d kept his emotions so tightly wrapped for so long, they all seemed to be surfacing in this instant. Fury he’d been sent on a bogus mission and hadn’t been home to help fight off the Miladrids; that he’d basically been living off those crappy MREs for two years while the Saviors lived in comfortable opulence. His temper exploded at the fact that he’d had his life on hold since landing on this rock, and that he no longer had any men to lead. Noah and the Saviors had been the cause of it all, if not directly, then indirectly.

Mostly, Noah’s words rang true, and he hated that Noah may be right and he may be blinded by Holly and it would get all of them killed, or taken by the government. Yes, he cared for her. He was attracted to her, and it pissed him off it was so damn obvious.

He prepared to take the punch, but then Blake appeared above Noah’s shoulder. As he grabbed Noah’s arm, he pulled him off Justice.

As he sat up, Kade entered the room and stood in between Noah and him. “Everyone stay exactly where they are,” he murmured. “If either one of you tries to get at the other, I will personally knock you the fuck out.”

Justice got to his feet, feeling the pain for the first time in his jaw as his adrenaline ebbed.

Noah shook off Blake.

“What the hell was all that about?” Blake asked.

His breath sawed in and out of his burning lungs as he eyed Noah, waiting for him to give an explanation.

“Justice has stepped in a pile of shit, and he really needs to clean off his shoes before he gets any dirtier and tracks it into my house.”

He shook his head and sat down at the table. Maybe Noah was right. Maybe helping Holly would prove to be a huge mistake, and he’d find himself locked up in some bunker under Army control. However, he didn’t have it in him to walk away from her. He cared about her, and he wanted to help.

“Let’s just sit down and discuss this, okay?” Blake said. “No need to beat each other over it.”

Noah sat down, as did Blake and Kade.

“So, let’s hear it,” Blake said.