55. Fifty-Four

I was reluctant to leave Keres or the others, but there was paperwork to be done and Keres insisted he handle it. Instead, I was led to another room that had been made up to resemble a residential living room to wait for him, but the room wasn’t empty. Annie was there.

I teared up as soon as I saw her and rushed to put my arms around her. In that moment, it didn’t matter that I didn’t know Shepherd’s mother all that well. I was just so happy to see another familiar face, so desperate for comfort after the whole ordeal.

Annie hugged me back just as fiercely, rubbing soothing circles on my back as I cried into her shoulder. “Shh, it's okay now, Eli. You're safe,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “I'm so sorry you had to go through that, honey. But you're okay. We got you out.”

I clung to her like a lifeline, my hands fisting in the soft fabric of her sweater. Everything hit me hard and I couldn't stop shaking. Annie just held me, whispering words of comfort until my sobs slowly quieted to sniffles and hiccups.

When I finally pulled back, wiping at my snotty nose with my sleeve, Annie smiled at me sadly and brushed a strand of hair off my forehead. “How about some hot chocolate? I think we could both use a cup after today. Theo, dear, could you bring us some?”

Annie guided me over to the plush beige couch. As I sank down into the cushions, I realized we weren't alone. The young man she’d addressed before—Theo—came over with two steaming mugs. He was probably about my age, with a head of shaggy red hair and warm eyes.

Annie gestured to him. “You haven’t met yet, have you? Eli, this is Theo, River's fiancé. Theo, meet Eli.”

Theo handed me one of the mugs with a gentle smile. “It's nice to meet you, Eli. I'm glad you're okay.”

I wrapped my hands around the warm ceramic, letting the heat seep into my cold fingers. “Hey, uh, nice to meet you.” My voice came out all raspy. I cleared my throat, feeling awkward as hell. “Sorry, I'm not exactly at my best right now.”

“It’s all right,” Theo said, sitting down across from me. “Believe me, I know how it is. Integrating into this family is a trip for everyone.”

Annie patted my knee. “Theo has been through an ordeal himself not too long ago. Similar to yours in some ways.”

I glanced over at Theo, curiosity piqued despite my exhaustion. “Yeah? What happened?” The question popped out before I could stop it. “Shit, sorry, you don't have to tell me...”

“It's fine," Theo assured me, his voice soft with understanding. “I was kidnapped by human traffickers, held captive for years. River and the Laskins rescued me.”

“Fuck,” I breathed out, stunned. “That's awful.”

Theo nodded, his eyes shadowed and gaze distant. “It was. I'm still healing from it, honestly. But I'm getting there, day by day. Having River helps a lot.” He smiled a bit at that, his gaze fond as he mentioned his fiancée.

I’d only met River briefly, and the guy scared the hell out of me. It was difficult to imagine the cold, violent killer I knew as River Laskin having any affection to give anyone, let alone the softhearted young man across from me.

I took a sip of the hot chocolate, letting the rich sweetness coat my tongue. It was damn good, and the warmth spread through my chest, easing some of my frayed nerves. I couldn't remember the last time someone had made me hot cocoa like this. Probably not since before my parents kicked me out...

I shook my head, trying to dislodge the painful memories threatening to surface. I didn't want to think about my shitty childhood right now. “So, what happened to you guys? What day is it?”

Theo and Annie exchanged heavy glances.

“We’ve been trapped here for almost ten days,” Theo answered.

“Though the conditions under which we were kept were much gentler than yours, I believe,” Annie added, gesturing around her. “Algerone wanted to turn us all over to the government for processing, but thanks to Xavier and Xander’s efforts, the worst we experienced was being confined to these rooms and not allowed to leave.”

“We’ve been under guard, though,” Theo said, lowering his head. “And they wouldn’t tell us where everyone else was. I was so worried about River.”

“Don’t be,” I grunted. “He’s tough.”

Theo offered a tired smile. “Don’t let that tough exterior fool you. He’s got a sweet side once you get to know him.”

“But it’s over now, right?” I gave Annie a pleading look. “He’s going to let everyone go?”

“He had better,” Annie scoffed. “Agent Valentine isn’t the only pressure Algerone was facing to end this peacefully. Several of Nikita’s associates have been parked outside the building for days now. We had distant family fly in from Moscow to ensure things went our way. Algerone knows better than to try anything with all of us watching. He’ll keep his word. For now, at least.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

The door opened and a familiar face walked in, one I hadn't seen in far too long. Dani stepped into the room, looking exhausted but relieved, a tiny baby swaddled in her arms.

“Holy shit,” I breathed out, my eyes widening. “Dani?” I set my mug down with a clunk, nearly sloshing hot chocolate everywhere in my haste to stand up.

Dani's gaze met mine and the worry lines in her face softened. “Hello, Eli,” she choked out, tears spilling down her cheeks.

I rushed over to her, pulling her into a fierce hug, mindful of the baby between us. Dani sagged against me, her shoulders shaking with sobs. After a long moment, we pulled apart, both of us wiping at wet cheeks and runny noses. I glanced down at the baby nestled in the crook of Dani’s arm.

“This is Noah,” Dani said gently.

I stared down at the tiny face peeking out from under the blankets, my heart doing something funny in my chest. Noah. Shepherd’s nephew. Shepherd was going to be beside himself with joy to see them both safe.

I reached out with a shaky hand, gently brushing a finger against Noah's soft cheek. He was so small, so fragile. Hard to believe something so innocent could come out of a place filled with such evil.

“He's beautiful, Dani,” I said hoarsely. “Shepherd's gonna lose his mind when he sees you both.”

Dani gave a tired smile. “I can't wait to see him. It's been so long...” She trailed off, her eyes filling with fresh tears.

I squeezed her shoulder. “He never stopped looking for you, you know. Never gave up hope that he'd free you someday.”

Dani nodded, blinking back the moisture. “About what happened before, at Point Pleasant…”

I shook my head. “You don’t need to apologize for that.”

“But I do, Eli. You were right there and I couldn’t do anything to help you. I was so afraid of him, so afraid of what he might do to Noah once he was born.” She closed her eyes, tears racing down her cheeks. “I managed to sneak a call to Shepherd, but I wanted to do more.”

“You did enough,” I told her, squeezing her arm. “You were brave in your own way, Dani. You survived. That’s enough for now. The rest…The rest you process with time.”

Dani nodded, pushing the tears away. She glanced around the room with a shuddering breath, taking in Annie and Theo still sitting on the couch. “Are these... Shepherd's family?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “That's Annie, his mom. And Theo, one of his brothers’ fiancées. They’re a big, close family.”

Annie stood up, coming over to pull Dani into a warm hug, baby Noah and all. “Welcome, Daniella. I'm glad to finally meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances.”

Dani hugged her back awkwardly with one arm, clearly overwhelmed. “Thank you for taking care of Dex…Shepherd. Of my brother.”

“Of course, honey. And we’re going to take care of you, too. Don’t you worry. You're family now,” Annie said firmly. She ushered Dani over to the couch. “Here, sweetheart. Have a seat. Theo, grab a snack from the fridge there. Did they treat you well, Dani?”

I sat back down on the couch next to Dani, our shoulders brushing. It felt surreal to be touching her again after everything. To know she was real and here and okay, relatively speaking.

“Well enough,” Dani said, adjusting how she held Noah. “When those men showed up at the compound in Malaysia, I was terrified. I thought we were all going to jail. But they brought me here and made sure I had everything in the world I could ever want. I had a nice room, a warm bed, plenty to eat. It was almost like staying in a nice hotel, except I wasn’t allowed to leave.”

“What about...” I swallowed hard, almost afraid to ask. “What about Father Ezekiel? Did they bring him in too?”

Dani's face fell, her gaze dropping to her lap. She shifted Noah in her arms, adjusting the soft blue blanket around him. “I don't know,” she admitted quietly. “We weren’t together when they came for me and Noah.”

My heart sank like a stone. Part of me had been hoping Ezekiel would face justice for all the fucked up shit he'd done, that he'd rot in prison for the rest of his miserable life. But if the feds didn't have him...

I ran a hand over my face, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the day weighing on me like a physical thing, dragging me down. My whole body ached, the cuts and bruises throbbing. The adrenaline that had been keeping me going was fading fast, leaving me wrung out and empty.

“I could sleep for a week,” I muttered, my eyes heavy.

Annie smiled at me sympathetically. “Get some rest if you need it. We’ll watch over you.” She glanced over at Dani. “All of you. You're safe here with us.”

I nodded gratefully, my throat feeling tight. I wasn't used to people being so nice to me, especially not after everything I'd been through. It was almost too much.

Theo returned from the kitchen area, carrying a plate of what looked like sandwiches and some chips. He set it down on the coffee table. “Here, you must be starving.”

My stomach growled at the sight of the food, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything substantial in God knows how long. I reached for a sandwich with a muttered thanks. I groaned as I bit into it. It was just peanut butter and jelly, but after not eating anything decent for so long, it tasted like heaven.

Dani picked up half a sandwich too, balancing Noah in one arm as she took a small bite. She chewed slowly, like it was an effort to even eat. I got that. Sometimes, even the basic shit felt impossible, especially the first few weeks after I’d gotten out of the cult. I wouldn’t have survived on my own if Cherry and Ketchup hadn’t taken me in.

“It gets easier,” I told Dani, reaching across to take her hand. “Having people there to back you up helps. Me and Shepherd will be with you every step of the way.”

Her jaw quivered, eyes shining with unshed tears. “Thank you.”

We lapsed into silence again, both of us lost in our own dark thoughts. I was just starting to drift off, exhaustion pulling me under, when the door suddenly burst open.

I jolted awake, heart pounding with terror. But then a familiar figure filled the doorway and everything else faded away. Shepherd. He was here. Larger than life and twice as solid, his broad shoulders straining against the fabric of his t-shirt, dark hair tousled like he'd been running his hands through it.

His intense gaze swept the room, landing first on Dani and then locking with mine. The raw emotion in his eyes stole my breath - relief, joy, pain, and half a dozen other things I couldn't even name.

“Dani,” he choked out, voice cracking. “Eli.”

“Shepherd,” Dani sobbed, struggling to her feet with Noah in her arms.

Shepherd crossed the room in two long strides, catching Dani up in a desperate embrace, mindful of the baby between them. He buried his face in her hair, shoulders shaking. “Thank God. I thought... fuck, I was so scared I lost you.”

“I'm here,” Dani murmured through her tears. “We're okay, Shepherd. We made it.”

Shepherd pulled back enough to cup Dani's face in his big hands, eyes roaming over her like he was trying to memorize every detail. “Are you hurt? Did they...”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. We’re both fine.”

Shepherd's gaze dropped to the baby and his breath hitched. With shaking hands, he gently brushed a finger over Noah's tiny brow. “Is this...?”

“Your nephew,” Dani said softly. “Noah.”

A wounded sound escaped Shepherd's throat, and he closed his eyes for a long moment, overcome. When he opened them again, they were wet. “He's perfect, Dani. Absolutely perfect.”

I watched the touching family reunion, my chest aching something fierce. Seeing Shepherd so vulnerable, so human...it threw me for a loop. This was a side of him I'd never witnessed before. The infamous Shepherd Laskin, brought to his knees by a woman and a baby.

After another long moment of just staring at Noah in wonder, Shepherd seemed to remember I existed. His eyes cut to me and I found myself pinned in place by the intensity of his gaze.

“Eli,” he said again, his voice low and rough with emotion.

I swallowed hard, my mouth going dry. “Hey.”

He released Dani and crossed over to me in two long strides. Before I could even react, he was hauling me up off the couch and into his arms, crushing me against his solid chest.

“Fuck, Eli,” he growled into my hair. “If anything happened to you, I would've burned the whole world down.”

I froze for a second, stunned by the intensity of Shepherd's words, his embrace. Then I melted into him, my hands fisting in the back of his shirt as I clung to him just as fiercely. I buried my face in Shepherd's neck, breathing him in. It was the most comforting thing I'd ever smelled. I couldn't stop the small, desperate sound that escaped me, muffled against his skin.

“I got you,” Shepherd murmured, one big hand cupping the back of my head. “I’m not letting you go ever again, Eli. I love you.”

I pulled back just enough to look up at Shepherd, meeting his intense gaze. My heart was pounding so hard I swear he could feel it where our chests were pressed together. “I love you too, Sir,” I whispered, my voice rough with emotion. “So fucking much.”

The words had barely left my mouth before Shepherd was kissing me, deep and desperate. I kissed him back just as fiercely, pouring all the fear and longing and relief I felt into it. His lips were chapped but soft, and he tasted like coffee and something uniquely Shepherd. I never wanted to stop kissing him.

But then Annie cleared her throat, and I remembered that we weren’t alone in the room and a proper reunion would have to wait. I pulled back from the kiss reluctantly, my face heating as I glanced over at Annie. She just smiled at us, her eyes suspiciously shiny.

“Don’t get too excited, boys,” she said, waving a hand. “I'm just thrilled to see my boys so happy.”

Beside her, Theo was grinning ear to ear. He shot me a wink and a thumbs up, the dork. I couldn't help but smile back, ducking my head shyly.

Shepherd kept an arm around my waist as he turned to face Dani again, pulling her and Noah into another careful hug. “I can't believe you're really here,” he murmured. “I don’t want you two to be out of my sight. I want you to come and stay with me. Please, Dani. At least for a little while.”

I frowned and clutched Shepherd’s arm. As good as that sounded, I was worried that having a new person and a baby in the apartment might upset the delicate balance of his life. Would they be safe with Keres? What if Dex came out? How would Dani handle suddenly having to deal with two kids, even if one of them was in the body of a thirty-something man?

I looped my arm around Shepherd’s. “Are you sure the others will be okay with it?”

Shepherd gave me a knowing look and nodded. “We’ll figure out a way to make it work. Won’t we?”

I nodded, and Shepherd turned back to Noah like he was enamored with the baby. I couldn’t blame him. As far as babies went, Noah was pretty cute.

“We should get going,” he announced. “It's been a long day for everyone and I'm sure Dani and Noah could use some rest in a proper bed.”

I nodded in agreement, exhaustion settling deep in my bones now that the adrenaline had faded. All I wanted was to collapse somewhere soft and sleep for about a week straight, preferably wrapped up in Shepherd's strong arms.

“You four go on,” Annie said, making a shooing motion with her hands. “I'm going to stay here a bit longer until Xander and Xavier are ready to head out.”

Shepherd frowned slightly. “You sure, Mom? I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone, especially after everything that’s happened.”

Annie waved off his concern. “I'll be fine. I'm a grown woman, in case you've forgotten. Xander and Xavier won't be far, and I still have River and Warrick around here somewhere. Besides, I want to catch up with Xion…If he wants to see me.” She smiled. “You focus on taking care of that sister and nephew of yours. And Eli too, of course.”

“Always,” Shepherd said solemnly, his arm tightening around my waist.

I ducked my head, feeling my cheeks warm. It was still a trip hearing Shepherd say stuff like that so openly. This whole situation felt surreal. Dani and her son were safe, me and Shepherd were together, and everyone was all right.

Shepherd exchanged a hug with his mother, who also got up to hug Dani and tickle Noah under the chin. I shook hands with Theo and we promised to catch up once all of this was behind us.

And then we left.

The hallway stretched before us, all bland beige walls and flickering fluorescent lights. The cheap linoleum squeaked under our shoes as we walked, the sound jarring in the tense silence. I couldn’t shake the feeling that anyone might step out to stop us at any moment, but no one did.

We reached the bank of elevators and Shepherd tapped the down arrow. We stood back in silence, watching the numbers light up as the car made its slow ascent. Every moment we were still in that place made my anxiety tick up higher, but I could only imagine how bad it was for Shepherd. Not only did he have to deal with that, but Keres was probably lurking close to the surface.

I remembered the sight of him covered in blood in that hallway, surrounded by all those corpses, his teeth stained red… There had been so much blood, painting the walls and floor in violent crimson. His face and hands had been coated in it, his eyes wild and feral.

I knew I should be horrified. Sickened. Any normal person would be after witnessing something so brutal. But I wasn't normal, was I? Living in a fucked up cult, enduring years of abuse, living on the streets… Those things changed a person. Twisted them up inside until they didn't know which way was up anymore.

Because the truth was, seeing Keres like that, knowing he would rip apart anyone who tried to hurt me... It didn't repulse me. It fucking turned me on. I was fucked in the head, but I couldn't deny the dark thrill that went through me at the memory.

Keres was a killer, a monster wearing human skin. But he was my monster. Mine and Dani's. He'd do anything to protect us, even if it meant painting the streets red with blood. There was something darkly intoxicating about that, about being loved so fiercely.

The elevator arrived with a soft ding and the doors slid open. We stepped inside, Shepherd positioning himself protectively in front of Dani and Noah. I stood close to his other side, craving his solid presence.

I snuck a glance at Shepherd out of the corner of my eye, trying to gauge if he'd picked up on my seriously inappropriate line of thinking. But he just looked tense and hyper-vigilant, his gaze locked on the floor numbers ticking down.

After what felt like an eternity, the elevator shuddered to a stop and the doors whispered open, revealing the polished expanse of the lobby.

I started and my breath hitched at the sight of a man with a red ponytail blocking our way forward. Before I could even process what was going on, Shepherd lunged forward and grabbed the man by the shirt, yanking him forward.

“What are you looking at, Boone?”

Boone? As in Boone Calhoun, the mercenary that had been hiding Xion all this time?

My heart pounded as I watched Shepherd yank the red-headed merc towards him, the dude's combat boots squeaking on the polished lobby floor. Holy fuck, Shepherd looked pissed. His jaw was clenched so hard I thought his teeth might shatter.

“Easy, Laskin,” Boone said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “I don’t want no trouble.”

Shepherd's grip on Boone's shirt tightened, his knuckles going white. “Then look elsewhere!”

The redheaded mercenary’s eyes slid past Shepherd to where Dani and I stood still in the elevator.

Shepherd let out a growl and slammed Boone’s back against the wall. Except it wasn’t Shepherd any more. I saw the switch, the change in his posture, heard the subtle growl deep in his throat. Dani let out a startled gasp.

I put a hand on her shoulder to let her know I’d handle the situation. “Keres!”

Keres’s lips curled back from his teeth in a snarl, a low growl rumbling up from his chest.

But I held my ground, meeting his gaze head on. “Keres, stop. He's not a threat.”

Keres bared his teeth at me, but I saw the way his shoulders twitched at the sound of my voice, the command in my tone. He was listening, even if he didn't like it.

I took a step closer, reaching out slowly to put my hand on his forearm, feeling the way his muscles bunched and quivered under my touch like a wild animal barely restrained. “Look at him, Keres. He's injured, see? Trapped in this place, same as us.”

Keres narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. The mercenary stood still, hardly daring to breathe as Keres's predatory gaze raked over him.

Now that I was looking closer, I could see that Boone was favoring his left side, his face pale and pinched with pain under his freckles. Dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes and there were more bruises of varying ages scattered around his neck, up and down his arms…

“He’s not worthy prey, Keres,” I insisted. “Let him go.”

Keres snorted and released his grip on Boone's shirt with a final shove, sending the mercenary stumbling back a step. Boone caught himself on the wall, wincing as the movement jostled his injured side.

I let out a breath as Keres stepped away from Boone. Crisis averted, for now at least. Keres was still radiating barely leashed violence, muscles coiled tight and ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

He turned his intense gaze on Dani, jerking his chin at her in a silent command to follow. Dani hesitated, clutching Noah tighter to her chest as she glanced between Keres and me uncertainly. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring nod.

Yeah, Shepherd was going to have to have a long heart to heart talk with Dani about his DID sooner rather than later. But for now, we just needed to get the hell out of there. The talk could wait.

I made to follow Keres, but a flash of bright color on the floor caught my eye. A little plastic bag of Dum Dum lollipops lay a few feet from Boone's scuffed combat boots. I bent over and picked them up, holding them out to Boone.

Boone's eyes widened in surprise as he took the bag of lollipops from me. “Thanks,” he said, his voice rough. He clutched the candy to his chest like it was something precious.

“You should be careful around here,” I warned him.

Keres growled from across the lobby, impatient. “Eli, come. Now.”

“See you around.” I waved to Boone and jogged after Keres.

Keres had one arm around Dani's shoulders, tucking her into his side protectively as we walked. She was paler than before, her face pinched with worry. Noah fussed in her arms, picking up on her distress.

“That was weird, right?” I said, looking up at Keres. “What’s Boone doing here?”

“I don’t know,” Keres ground out, “and if I ever see him again, it’ll be too soon.”