Page 158 of Desecrated Saints
“Brooke! Jude!”
That’s all it takes to free Brooklyn from her startled daze. She flies down the steps and drops her suitcase in a frenzied blur. Phoenix moves so fast, his chin-length, green hair waves in the autumn air. They collide somewhere in the middle, a tangle of limbs and gasping cries.
Watching them with a pleased smile, Hudson picks up her discarded suitcase. I meet him at the bottom of the marble steps, my own heart exploding with anticipation. He grabs a handful of my grey t-shirt and drags me close until our chests collide.
“Could’ve got my bag for me too,” I say with a smirk.
“Hey, ladies first. I ain’t your damn butler.”
Then his mouth smashes into mine. We reunite in a battle of teeth and tongue, fuelled by the unquenchable thirst that drives our intense connection. My relationship with Hudson isn’t like Phoenix and Eli’s close bond. They adore each other. Hudson loves to hate me. He fucks with the same rage that brought us together.
Kade is the last to join our group. His glasses are long gone after he had laser eye surgery last year. Working at Sabre in the intelligence department has led to far too many accidents, especially smashed lenses during an active operation. He slaps my back, grinning from ear to ear.
“Nice haircut, man.”
I run a self-conscious hand over my newly cut hair, buzzed on the sides while leaving some strands for Brooklyn to play with late at night. “Thanks. Figured it’s time for a fresh start.”
Next to us, Brooklyn is still being suffocated by the terrible twosome. She breaks Phoenix’s demanding kiss long enough to shoot us all an apologetic look. He’s struggled the most with irregular visitation and forced distance. I doubt he’ll be letting her leave his sight any time soon.
“I thought you were working today?”
Phoenix strokes her platinum hair, marvelling at the long length. “Change of plan, firecracker. The kids can live without me for a while. This was too good to miss.”
He finally surrenders her to the brothers waiting for their reunion. Hudson picks Brooklyn up in his broad, tattooed arms, twirling her around. He looks happier than I’ve ever seen him in the four long years of our messed-up family. She studies the new tattoos marking his throat and neck, tracing the dark ink.
“Is Hunter’s salary feeding your addiction, Hud?”
“Gotta spend my money on something, blackbird.” Hudson places her back down, scanning her from head to toe. “If you think this is a lot, wait until you see my back.”
“He’s gone full thug life.” Kade opens his arms wide. “Come here, love. Why am I always the afterthought?”
She throws herself into his welcoming embrace. “Because I know you’ll always be here to catch me, Kade. No matter how long it takes, it’s always you. That’s why.”
“You feel so fucking good. Welcome home.”
With our reunion complete, Eli leads the way to the awaiting vehicle parked nearby. Where I expected some slick company car that the brothers pilfered from Sabre, something else entirely awaits. There’s a cherry-red VW camper van in the car park. It’s been painstakingly restored to perfection.
Brooklyn stops in her tracks.
“Um, what the fuck is that?”
Hudson steals her, their lips smacking loudly. “That is our home for the next three months.”
Reaching inside the vinyl-covered cab, Phoenix pulls a giant paper map from the dashboard. He spreads it out across the bonnet, revealing layers of sharpie marks, pins and post-it notes. An entire route across Europe has been obsessively mapped out and thoroughly researched.
“Did Kade get a boner planning this shit to the last detail?” I whisper to Hudson.
He nods with an eye roll. “Even used Theo’s new surveillance drones to check out the local hostels for bad vibes. Enzo had to give him a formal warning, even though he couldn’t stop laughing.”
Gathered around the crazy map, we all study the route that will guide the next months of our lives. Phoenix is taking a break from the rehabilitation centre, while the brothers are on sabbatical from their jobs back at Sabre. Eli’s final year of university doesn’t begin until after Christmas, when he’ll finish his degree.
There’s nothing ahead of us but the open road.
Endless possibilities and, for once, a bright future.
Loading up the camper van, Hudson and Kade flip a coin for the driver’s seat. I can already see them butting heads every fucking day on this road trip. Phoenix and Eli crawl in the back, already snuggling and sharing headphones like an old married couple.
I stand next to Brooklyn, waiting for her to move.
