Chapter 26

It felt odd riding with Blake. He glanced over at the male and found it hard to believe he held the same genes as the man who’d killed Holly’s brother so brutally. Yet, Blake did seem like good people.

Jovan followed behind them so that he could drive Blake back to the silo and leave the Escalade with Justice.

“So, what do you think the deal is with Titus?” Blake asked as they cruised down the highway.

Damn. He’d been so wrapped up in his own shit, he hadn’t even checked on the male. After the incident in the War Room, he’d gone and packed some clothes, then taken out his contacts, rinsed them, then put them back in. If worn too long, they burned as if his eyes had caught on fire. Yet, he wouldn’t take the chance of Holly seeing his eyes glow. Then, he’d left.

He felt awful for not even speaking to Titus.

“He’s still just lying there like a sack of crap,” Blake said. “At some point, he’s got to get up and start earning his keep.”

He rubbed his face, tired of the drama that seemed to be constant with the Saviors. Or maybe it wasn’t drama, but just life on Earth? Or perhaps he had become so accustomed to military life, he didn’t even recognize a ‘real’ existence any longer.

“But something tells me there’s more to his story than he’s letting on,” Blake continued. “What do you know about it?”

He didn’t feel comfortable discussing Titus, especially when he didn’t have any hard facts to back up his theory. However, he couldn’t leave Blake hanging.

“I have a guess, but that’s all it is. I don’t have anything to prove it.”

“What’s that?”

He exhaled heavily. “I feel like Titus is a male without his mate.”

Blake nodded. “I can see that. But, who was it?”

Here’s where things got dicey for him. He didn’t want to be the birthplace of gossip. “I don’t know.”

“Well, you have to have some idea.”

“No, I don’t.”

They rode in silence for a long time, then Blake spoke. “I’ve talked to Nico. He doesn’t know of a time where Titus was with a woman.”

Justice shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“I think you do.”

Sighing, he decided to change the subject. “So I understand you’re to be mated soon?”

“Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

“A typical SR44ian mating, I assume?”

“Yes. Nice dodge and deflect, by the way.”

Justice chuckled and returned to the original conversation. “I don’t know for sure, and I don’t like to speculate on things.”

“Not a gossip-monger, huh?”

“I guess not. I prefer to deal in facts.”

Blake grinned. “But gossip can be a lot more fun.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure it can, but for right now, I won’t indulge.”

“How about if you call it an educated guess instead of gossip?”

“Shut up, Blake.”

They merged onto another highway.

“You know, Justice, telling us what you think may be the problem can actually help us help Titus. Right now, we’re going on theories as he’s not talking to anyone.”

He sighed. He wanted to help Titus, but at the moment, Holly needed him more. Titus was most likely in mourning, but Holly’s life sat on the precipice of disaster. However, maybe the Saviors would find a little sympathy for the male and try to assist him to get back to wanting to live this life.

“I think his mate was Simon,” he said, his voice quiet.

Blake remained quiet for a moment, then let out a slow whistle. “Wow. I didn’t see that one coming.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me, as SR44 males don’t mate each other, but it’s the only explanation that seems probable.” Justice turned to him. “Did you know Simon?”

“Yeah. A little bit. I had a couple of encounters with him, and then I saw his dead body after Micah blew out his brains.”

“That’s rough.”

“Definitely, but I had no idea he and Titus had a thing going.”

Justice looked out the window again. “I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s a guess. After we found him, figured out he was a SR44ian and Macy healed him, he rested for a long time. We’d find him in the middle of the night screaming Simon’s name with tears rolling down his face. After waking him, he’d curl into a ball and just cry.”

“It sounds like your guess is right on. That’s really too bad.”

“I agree.”

“I’ll talk it over with the Saviors and we’ll come up with a plan to get him back on his feet.”

“So you trust him now?”

Blake shrugged. “Don’t know about that, but I’d rather have him up and around and trying to kill us all than in his current state. He’s a fucking downer.”

They pulled off the highway and drove up a narrow road into a neighborhood. The farther upward they went, the bigger the houses became. He marveled at the monstrosities that lined both sides of the street, each fenced off from the other on sprawling parcels of land covered in large trees and cacti, as well as well-manicured lawns.

Blake hung a left into the steep driveway. At the top, Justice let out a low whistle.

Large white columns spanned up in the air, and the wooden front door looked as though a fifteen-foot giant lived in the house.

Jovan pulled in behind them as Justice removed his duffel bag from the Escalade.

“Man, this house has some memories,” Jovan murmured, shaking his head as he got out of his car. “Remember that, Blake? With Alaina?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“And when Noah sent Liberty and me here when I found her in the alley?”

“You found Liberty in an alley?” Justice asked, surprised.

“Yeah. It was crazy. She forgot her bag in a strip club, and I went out to give it to her.”

Shock almost knocked him off his feet. “Liberty used to be a stripper?”

Jovan laughed. “No, she didn’t have the chops for that back then. I’ll tell you the story sometime. It’s pretty funny now that’s it’s over. But back then …”

“Yeah, you weren’t laughing too hard, back then,” Blake said as he moved toward the door.

Justice stepped in after Blake unlocked it, then moved to a keypad on the adjacent wall and punched in some numbers. He strained to hear an alarm, but silence reigned.

“It doesn’t go to the police like a normal house alarm would,” Blake explained, as if reading his thoughts. “It goes back to the silo.”

“And I suppose I’ll be getting that code?”

Blake nodded and handed him a piece of paper. “Of course. Noah would be livid if someone didn’t activate the alarm when leaving … or staying. Make sure this thing is on at all times.”

“Got it.”

“Why don’t you head back and get Holly?” Jovan said. “Blake and I will make a run to the grocery store and get some eats. What do you want?”

Justice shrugged. One thing he did know was that he didn’t want any MREs, but he craved fresh vegetables. “Just get whatever, but stock up on the greens.”

“So, Frosted Flakes? Krispy Crème donuts? Those are my faves.”

He chuckled as he looked around again. “I don’t even know what those things are, but they sound like they’re loaded down with sugar.”

“’Goodness, my friend,” Jovan replied. “I prefer to think of it as ‘goodness.’”

“Come on. I’ll show you around, and have no fear. I’ll get the groceries. If I left the shopping to the garbage gut over there, you’d have Diabetes within a week,” Blake said, taking his arm.

“What’s Diabetes?”

“Shit you don’t want.”

Justice realized each and every day that he spent with the Saviors how little he knew about life on Earth, even though he’d been schooled on all things human before leaving SR44.

Blake led him through the house, pointing out the huge kitchen with the silver appliances and granite counter tops.

“The upstairs has the master bedroom over here,” Blake said as he led him through the foyer again. He noticed a room to the right with nothing in it but a white couch. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the whole valley. He imagined at night, the view would be even more spectacular with the city lights twinkling below. He veered off their path for a closer look.

“This room is called a Solarium,” Jovan said. “Personally, I don’t get why it needs a special name. It’s a room with a couch and some windows. But you know those humans … they need to put a label on everything.”

Justice imagined sitting on the couch with a whiskey, staring out over the view, and a sense of calm overcame him. Yes, he’d be spending some time in the Solarium.

“Let’s get to the master bedroom,” Blake said. “Or as Jovan may call it, a big room with a big bed, because God forbid a room actually has a name.”

A king-sized bed draped in white covers sat in the middle of the room, while pillows hid half the surface. Long taupe shades hung over floor-to-ceiling windows while thick white carpet muffled their footsteps.

“I wouldn’t recommend you stay in here,” Blake continued. “I think downstairs is probably the best bet for both of you.”

Justice followed him down the sweeping staircase just outside the master bedroom. They came to a family room with a towering red-brick fireplace and oversized brown couches that looked as if they’d swallow him up if he sat in them. To his left sat a pool table and a bar, and beyond that, sliding glass doors led out to a patio and pool.

“The bedrooms are this way,” Blake said, motioning for him to follow.

They went through the living room and down a small hall. Five bedrooms sat next to each other.

“See what I mean? This way, you’re close to each other, but still have your privacy. You can keep an eye on her.”

Yes, although the big bed upstairs looked inviting, he definitely could see how sleeping downstairs would be far more practical.

Opening the door to the second bedroom, he found it comfortable enough with a king-sized bed, light brown carpet, and an amber colored bedspread that reminded him of whiskey.

“This is great,” he murmured.

He walked into the other bedrooms, and all were furnished just as nicely.

“Yeah, you should have seen it when Noah first bought it,” Jovan said. “These bedrooms had all this flowery shit … it looked like tulip farmer threw up in here.”

He chuckled and felt good about the house, the security system, and having Holly here.

“I guess I’ll take off and get Holly, then,” he said. “You’ll call me when you know something about her neighbors?”

“Yup. While you’re gone, we’ll get some grub for you. Like I said, the program will take a while, maybe even into tomorrow, but I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

“Thanks, Blake. Thanks for everything.”

“No sweat. We’ll talk soon.

Justice shook both their hands and then headed out the door.