Heart of a Savage

by Lashanta Charles

  They argue valiantly to get Connor to leave me alone and go with them, but he refuses.

  “She’s mine ta do with as I see fit. Her mathair promised that when she rejected you. T’was her way of bringing the family back tagether. Her way ta right her wrongs.”

  What? What does my mother have to do with any of this?

  “True enough, lad. I loved her mathair dearly, but she was never meant fa me. She agreed ta be with me out of obligation for us taking her in, keeping her out of that awful orphanage. When she wanted ta go ta school in the US I knew I’d lost her for good. Just as ya lost Bailey when ya didn’t cherish her. When ya decided ya knew what was best for her and beat on her like this. Tisn’t what she meant by bringing the families back tagether. She wouldna want her baby girl treated like this, lad. Ya have ta know that,” his uncle argues.

  “She betrayed me! She chose another man over me. She carries his bairn. That right was supposed ta be mine. She’s supposed ta be mine. She gave away what wasn’t hers ta give and for that she will suffer whatever I deem necessary,” Connor says.

  “Aye, she comes with us, lad, but she willna suffer more from your hands. I willna allow ya hurt her anymore.”

  Kaelen’s cries drown out Connor’s response, but one thought rings heavy in my mind. My dad isn’t to blame for me being with Connor. My mom is. Just when the argument seems to be winding down with Connor getting his way, the door bursts open, rocked from its hinges and nearly splintering. I cocoon Kael within my arms, refusing to look up. But then . . . Then I hear a beautiful sound. A sound that fills me with just as much terror as it does relief because it symbolizes untold horrors, demands submission, and promises retribution. I’ve only heard it once before. Just before he delivered the crushing blow that obliterated his opponent and maintained his heavyweight champion status. Nico has found me.

  I GROWL AT the sight that greets me when I kick the door open. Bailey and Kaelen cowering on the floor in the corner. She doesn’t even look up to see who has entered. Three men, including Connor stand in a loose semi-circle around them, arguing about some shit that’s most likely irrelevant right now. They grow quiet at the sight of me. Good. I feel the presence of Cade, Jax, and East at my back.

  “If he tries to leave, hold him.”

  I watch Connor as I speak. I know nothing about him, but I know his type. He won’t stay and fight me. The other two will. They have that glint in their eyes. They may be older, but there are two of them and both are in good shape. I step further into the house and see that Bailey has finally looked up. None of them will leave here alive tonight. If they do, it’ll be a miracle. Just as I’m about to take another step, movement from my right catches my eye. A bat swings at me and I toss a hand up to catch. Shit, that hurt. After yanking it away, I turn it on the person who swung it, not holding back at all. It connects with his temple and his body drops into a pitifully limp heap. One of the other men roars out his anger and they both charge. I kick out at the silent one, his knee snapping back at an awkward angle. The other I let get closer, waiting to take him with a jab to his nose. I do. His head snaps back and he drops. Busted kneecap guy attempts to rise so I hit him until he’s no longer moving. The other doesn’t roar this time, but he comes at me again. Bending at my waist I let him run into my shoulder before lifting him and flipping him behind me. He lands with a grunt and just as I predicted, Connor takes off. He pulls up short when he realizes the door is blocked. I grab the hand of the guy on the floor and holding it up straight, I kick at the elbow. It snaps. I give the other arm the same treatment. And because I have absolutely no chill, I grab the bat and use it to blow out the other kneecap of the first guy. I glance over to Bailey, expecting her to be . . . scared? Nope. She’s not even watching me. Her nose downward is covered in blood, smeared across her mouth and cheek from her attempt to wipe it away. Her left arm looks as though it hangs limp, but she uses her left hand to cradle her stomach. Her right arm cradles Kaelen, his face buried in her boobs. Lucky kid. She looks beaten, but not broken. She wants to see this finished, but I can’t let her.

  “Jax, get her out of here. I’ll meet y’all at the hospital.”

  He moves toward her, but she shakes her head.

  “Do not touch me, Jax. I’ll leave when Nico leaves.”

  Stubborn ass woman. She’s in pain. I need to make sure she’s okay. Clenching my fist against the need to kill Connor, I move toward her.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” she asks.

  I pause and look to Jax before realizing she’s talking to me. What am I doing? She has me confused. Kaelen shifts in her arms and she winces when his arms move around her waist. He broke her fucking rib.

  “You’re not done,” Bailey says.

  And they call me a savage? I need no further prompting. I turn to Connor, glad that he has that fucking ponytail. I grab it and he actually fights back. I imagine the blows landing anywhere on Bailey and that thin thread snaps. It hurts me, so I know it must have been excruciating for her. Tightening my grip on his ponytail I punch. Then again and again. And again once more until he goes limp. I follow him down, hitting him everywhere I remember seeing an injury on Bailey, especially his ribs. Both sides. I only stop when Cade and East pull me off of him.

  “Nico, stop. Leave him. They’re here and they want him alive,” Cade yells.

  Fuck them. He put his fucking hands on her. He came to my gym and made her leave with him. He needs to die. My need for his blood is visceral. Nothing will stop me.

  “Nico?”

  Ah, shit. Except that. That voice, calling out to me. Especially when it’s tinged with fear like it is now. That will always break through. I look up and see the reason for the tremble in her voice. Four men dressed in dark military style clothing stand silently watching us. One of them smiles at me. I don’t know his real name, but they call him Muerte Sangriento. Bloody Death. I really don’t need him smiling at me.

  “Deja un poco para mí, amigo mío,” he says. Leave a little for me, my friend.

  And that about does it for me. I have my share of crazy ass friends. I need no more. Doing my best to wipe the blood from my hands onto my jeans, I make my way to Bailey. “Eyes on me, little mouse. I’ve got you now.” I lift her as gently as I can, but she still whimpers in pain. “I’m sorry. Just a little more.”

  “Pequeño ratón . . . esto me gusta. No te preocupes, sufrirá más,” Muerte says. Little mouse . . . this I like. Worry not, he will suffer more.

  “Gracias,” Bailey answers.

  Because, of course she speaks Spanish, too. I kiss her forehead and carry her and Kaelen away.

  Three months later . . .

  “ARE WE READY?” The technician asks.

  I nod my head, giddy with excitement, and look at Nico. He smiles—still a rare sight—and nods with me. After a few movements of the ultrasound wand, a clear image pops up. The technician and I both gasp in surprise, but Nico laughs. Legs spread wide and genitals on full display, there’s no question that I’m having a boy.

  “He takes after his dad,” Nico says before kissing me.

  The technician clears her throat and with a smile, moves the wand around more. After some prodding, baby number two finally shows himself. It’s evident that his brother is the bigger of the two.

  “Two more boys, little mouse.”

  We left Kaelen with Uncle Van for this appointment, but usually he’s glued to Nico’s hip. After Connor and his uncles disappeared, Malia vanished too. I can’t say that I made any attempts to find her. A new judge was assigned to the case and when Malia didn’t show up, I was awarded custody. Nico and I immediately requested to adopt him. It’s a work in progress. Nico never told me what happened between Connor and the cartel, although I’m sure he knows. I’m okay with that though. Connor’s out of my life for good and that’s all that matters where he’s concerned.

  As for Connor’s dad, Killian, he was found guilty of embezzlement and is currently in prison. I haven’t heard from a
nyone in Connor’s family since Killian’s trial and that’s the way I want it to stay.

  These days, I spend more time at Decadence than I do at the gym or the firms. I keep a closer eye on the money though. I’ll never have another incident like I did with Connor. I no longer fight, but I do as much as I can to workout and stay fit with the babies. It’s hard, but it’s worth it. Fighting was never a goal of mine. Only defending myself and I’ll never stop learning to do that. Decadence let’s me release the internal strife I hold on to from so many years of abuse with Connor. I decided to see a therapist once a week, but I’m more comfortable baking my woes away. Somehow, Benny has materialized again. I’m not complaining. It makes me feel safe and it keeps Nico sane when he’s not around me. Speaking of Nico, he put a ring on it. We’re engaged and while he wanted to get married before the babies come, I chose to wait. At least a year. I’m still working on me. I love him, but I won’t rush into something until I know I’m truly ready. It helps that he accepts that with no qualms. No pressure. Just understanding. I know he would never try to control me, only guide me. There’s a big difference between the two.

  I look at him and give him my sweetest smile.

  “You mean four stubborn, brooding, assholes?”

  He barks out a laugh and I join him. I’ll send the rest of my life laughing with him.

  Thank you so much for reading Heart of a Savage. Your support means the world to me! This is the a new baby for me and I appreciate the love you’ve given it. Feel free to leave a review! I love you guys! To keep up with what I’m doing – new releases, giveaways, general updates – subscribe to my blog Randomly Me . . . & You or follow me on my social media sites, Facebook Twitter Instagram

  A special shout out to my Betas, Shewanda Pugh, Sharonda Harris, and Tyresha Tyler. Shewanda has the uncanny ability to make me second-guess myself and adjust accordingly. Sharonda is incredibly critical and always outside the box. Tyresha is unwaveringly reliable and will side-eye the hell out of my thoughts that go too far. I wouldn’t change or trade any of them for the world. These ladies are integral to my success and I appreciate them more than they’ll ever know.

  LaShanta Charles was born and raised in the small town of Orangeburg, SC. She has always been an avid reader of all genres, but Romance has always been her true love and is what inspired her to pursue a writing career. In high school, she began letting her classmates read the short stories that she would write and based off of their feedback, her passion for writing pushed her to become a published author. She published her debut novel, Lovely Lies, in 2013 and released the sequel, Lovely Lies 2, in February 2014. Her third novel, Splitting Karma, was released in October 2014.

  She lives in Tacoma, WA, with her husband and three children and also serves in the US Army. She's a home body who enjoys SLEEPING, reading, SLEEPING, eating, SLEEPING, white chocolate mochas, SLEEPING, sexy alien romances, and of course, writing. Oh, and she hates spiders; they're extremely creepy, why do they need eight legs??