Page 8 of Savage

I got them drinks and then hauled my ass inside to make sandwiches and raid my refrigerator for other snacks. I discovered some packets of finger food and decided they’d do; they were in date, and Harper and Isla could eat them easy enough. Carrying them back out with a gigantic bag of chips, I found the girls sitting quietly at my table.

Shit, this wasn’t natural. If they’d been Hellions, they’d have been tearing the place up. Kids of these girls’ age did not sit so still. I was starting to get the sense there was more happening than what was obvious. Especially when Harper freaked out when I put her plate down first, and she instantly shoved it at Isla. My gut told me these girls had known hunger at some point and not just from the bitch over the fence. I was out of my comfort zone here and needed help.

Quietly, as I chewed my own sandwich, I sent Drake a message, knowing Phoe would have already contacted him. I updated him on everything and put the phone down.

Uneasiness settled in my gut as I watched how neatly and slowly the girls ate as if they were savouring every bite. That merely confirmed my feeling. They’d been starved in the past—something I was familiar with myself.

I shook myself quickly; I wasn’t going to dwell on memories today.

Chapter Two.

Savage

I finished my sandwich before the girls.

Isla looked at Harper and nudged her with an elbow, and they both instantly put their food down when I rose to my feet.

Puzzled, I stared at them. “What you doing?”

“Aren’t you going to clear the table?” Harper asked, ducking her head.

“No, you haven’t finished eating,” I replied.

“You have to stop doing that,” Harper whispered to Isla and picked Isla’s sandwich back up and gave it to her.

Isla sent me a wary look as she bit into it and chewed slowly. It hit me that Isla was ready to spit it out if she needed to.

Unsure how to handle any of this, I grabbed my plate, walked into the kitchen, and texted Phoe.

Phoe replied instantly, whereas Drake hadn’t and told me I was doing well, and she had Mac on the case to find out what he could. None of Rage was quick to head for child services after what a previous bitch had attempted with Autumn and Gunner’s kids. We preferred to deal with shit on our own first, and then child services were the last resort.

I grabbed a fruit bowl, a knife, and three smaller bowls and walked back outside. Fruit was good for kids, judging by the amount the old ladies shoved down their own offspring’s throats. And I loved fruit myself.

“Who likes fruit?” I asked, placing the items on the table. Both girls had finished everything on their plates and looked a lot more alert than earlier.

“Me!” Isla exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

I grabbed an apple, banana, kiwis, and some other fruit and began peeling and chopping, filling the smaller bowls. If my brothers could see me, they’d forever take the piss. But it felt nice, especially when the girls cleared the bowls and then sank back into their chairs.

As for me, all I wanted was my damn hammock, but I guess that was out of my reach now.

The question was, what to do with the girls? I couldn’t exactly keep them hostage, and then my eyes followed theirs, and I saw they were eyeing the pool.

“Want to go play?” I offered.

“We don’t have swimsuits,” Harper replied.

“Kid, it’s that hot you could swim in your clothes, and they’d dry soon enough, but see that little shed over there? It has swimming costumes in,” I said, pointing at the small building I’d put up for people to get changed in.

“Can we, Harper?” Isla asked.

Harper glanced at her sister and then at me for several long minutes. I could see her thinking shit over and didn’t blame her. Harper was old enough to be aware they were in a stranger’s home, eating his food, and were now about to play in his pool. This wasn’t a good situation, but I could also see how desperately Harper wished to swim.

“Harper, look up there,” I said, keeping a safe distance and pointing to the cameras dotted around my garden. “Those are security cameras for my safety and yours. They cover every inch of the backyard.”

Harper was clever enough to work shit out, and I could see her running crap through her head. She peered at the cameras and then at the one on my patio before nodding slowly.

Isla shot off like a bat out of hell with a screech and headed straight for the changing room. Harper followed, keeping a sharp eye on me.