Mending the Rift (7 page)

“Optionally, you’d drive your husband crazy, and he’d bluster into my office, demanding—”

Gregory Walker barged into the room, slamming the door shut as he gave a curt nod at Keith, who strode to the door. Raised voices floated into Whithers’s office.

“Keith will be denying them access. I hope you don’t mind, Harold,” Luca’s father said. “Are we all set?”

Nicholas uncurled from the armrest, smiling as he walked toward his husband. “We’ll be celebrating a marriage soon.”

Gregory lifted his left arm so Nicholas could slide into the offered embrace without taking his eyes off Whithers. “The baby?”

“Mr. Gray claimed the baby as his and it’s official,” Whithers replied, folding his hands on his protruding stomach. “The Confederacy hasn’t had a transmission error in a decade, if I remember correctly. We should probably update our systems.”

“I’ll make sure to arrange for a thorough update of all systems.” Gregory exhaled before the wrinkles on his forehead smoothed out. He added, “Thanks, Harold.”

“Why wouldn’t I agree with Mr. Gray’s claim? It’s his baby, after all. Come to think of it—what an interesting circumstance that Luca has been selected for a random experiment and the semen used came from Mr. Gray, whom he obviously has very tender feelings for.” Whithers’s smile grew broader even as he shook his head. “You all took great risks.”

No one replied to Whithers’s remark. Luca leaned heavily against Marcus’s chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat that belied Marcus’s outward appearance of calm. “It’s worth it, Mr. Whithers. Now I can be with the man I love, not with someone who thinks I’ll give him many children.”

Whithers’s expression turned serious. “We’re changing laws, young man, but it’s slow-going. I understand your resentment, I do. As you know, my own wife is one of the very few females capable of conceiving naturally, and so are all my daughters. My sons are all strong breeders as well. The genetic mutation responsible for a fully functioning female reproduction system runs strong in our family, so all my children were given away to men and women eager to produce offspring. I’ve tried my best to make sure they’re well-treated, but a father can only do so much. I’m doing what I can to help breeders achieve more and better rights, especially now that my grandchildren are of age.”

“I… I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t want to imply….” Luca trailed off, not knowing how to go on. He’d been so wrapped up in himself, his own desires and resentments, that he hadn’t thought much of other people, the way their lives were affected by the laws.

Marcus rubbed a hand over Luca’s taut shoulders, whispering, “Breathe. No one’s accusing you of anything.”

“I sound like an ungrateful piece of shit.” Luca’s eyes filled with tears anew, and he rested his head on Marcus’s shoulder. Marcus cradled him, the signed papers still clutched in his right hand.

“Oh dear, pregnancy hormones.” Whithers grinned from ear to ear. “From the looks of it, you’ve got a crier on your hands, Mr. Gray.”

Luca gaped at the old man, torn between outrage and embarrassment. Before he had a chance to make a retort, Gregory Walker chimed in. “You should know. Evelyn was always in tears during her pregnancies.”

Whithers chuckled. “So true. I never went anywhere without at least two packages of tissues. Nicholas wasn’t much of a crier, was he?”

Luca transferred his gaze from Whithers to his dad. Nicholas directed a fierce glare at Gregory, who remained unfazed. “No, he wasn’t. Nicky just lost all sense of danger and pulled the stupidest and most life-endangering stunts.”

“Riding a horse is
not
life-endangering,” Nicholas said through gritted teeth. He twisted in Gregory’s arms, obviously intent on slipping free. Gregory adjusted his grip, whispered something into Nicholas’s ear, and then kissed him gently on a cheek.

“Rock-climbing without a rope wasn’t life-endangering? Training a stallion that everyone else had given up on wasn’t dangerous? Stepping between a pack of wolves and its prey was a perfectly fine occupation?” Gregory asked in that tone of voice that brooked no argument.

“A pack of wolves?” Luca blurted. “Dad!”

Nicholas sighed as he rubbed his cheek against Gregory’s. “I swear I didn’t know there was a pack of wolves. I might’ve been a bit out of my mind during the pregnancies, but I wasn’t suicidal. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about the past. Let’s talk about the future and where Luca and Marcus will be married. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could use the cathedral?”

Marcus stiffened, and Luca shot him a curious glance. “We can talk about this later, okay?”

Keith called out a sharp warning, right before the door banged open.

“GRACIOUS! EVERYONE
seems to be forgetting their manners today. Whatever happened to knocking?” Mr. Whithers asked no one in particular.

Gregory had moved Nicholas behind him, one hand on his holstered gun. Luca found himself sitting in the visitor’s chair, with Marcus standing protectively in front of him. How the guy could move himself and Luca that fast would forever be his secret. Luca peered around Marcus.

Several men, all with weapons drawn, formed a circle around an angry-looking man. From his pictures, Luca knew the man to be Colonel Liam Smith, the man he was supposed to marry and for whom he was to bear many children. While he’d been handsome in the pictures, he looked like a raving lunatic now. His white hair stuck in every direction, and his brown eyes held no warmth. The room crackled with tension and barely suppressed fury. All because of him?

“Whithers, what’s going on here? Why didn’t you heed the call-out?” Smith barked.

Whithers cupped a hand around his right ear. “Excuse me?”

Irritation showed clearly on Smith’s face, but he kept most of it out of his voice. Loudly, he repeated, “Why didn’t you heed the call-out for Luca Walker?”

Whithers blinked at him as if he didn’t understand. Luca gnawed on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from laughing out loud. A cough escaped anyway, drawing Smith’s attention to him.

“You!” Smith pointed at him. “Come here. I’ve waited long enough, and you sitting in Whithers’s office doesn’t bode well. There’s some sort of conspiracy going on, and I’m done making a fool of myself.”

Luca’s eyes widened at the tone Smith used. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Gregory clamping an arm around Nicholas’s waist, anchoring him to his body. Nicholas hissed something Luca didn’t understand, but at least Smith’s attention veered from him to his dad.

“Oh, the legendary Nicholas Walker. You don’t happen to have something to do with all my recent assignments, do you?”

Nicholas lifted his shoulders, blinking innocently. “I’m
not
in the military, and I
don’t
give out assignments. I’m sure you’re aware of that. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk to my son in that tone.”

“Would you now? Tell you what—I don’t give a fuck about what you’d appreciate. I demand the nidation process start today, and we can have the marriage in a couple hours. I’m done waiting.”

“You’ll have to wait longer, I’m afraid,” Marcus said in his usual calm voice as he held out his hand for Luca to take. Luca laid his smaller hand in Marcus’s, gripping it tightly, soaking up the warmth and strength while he rose to his feet. “Luca is already pregnant with my baby, and I’ve claimed it. I’m also claiming him as my partner.”

Smith’s expression turned from startled to livid in seconds. “No way, there’s absolutely no way. You’re not on the list. You’re just what? A bodyguard! You’d never make it on the list for a breeder.”

“It was a random experiment,” Nicholas piped up.

Luca jumped when Smith roared. What he meant to say, Luca had no idea. Smith moved quickly across the room, slapping Nicholas’s cheek. He had just grabbed Nicholas’s throat when Gregory’s fist connected with Smith’s nose. A bone crunched, and Smith doubled over with a scream. At the same time, Gregory pulled Nicholas behind him and aimed his gun at Smith and his men.

An alarm blared. Smith’s men stared at each other silently. Into that silence, only interrupted by Smith spitting blood, Gregory said, “I’m sure you’re all aware that Colonel Smith just attacked the vice president’s spouse. I’m rather displeased and would advise you to lower your weapons. I’ll forget about you accompanying the colonel if you’d step out right away.”

Three of the five men holstered their guns and fled the scene. Two men stayed, exchanging glances with each other. Whithers spoke up, “I notified security.”

“You son of a bitch,” Smith spat. “You’re in on this scam. You’ve all cheated me out of my chance to become a father.”

Whithers fumbled with his hearing aids as security stormed into his office. Smith’s men dropped their guns, and security read them their rights. The whole room teemed with security, paramedics, and a quickly called doctor. The doctor crouched next to Smith, doing his best to stop the bleeding, while one of the paramedics attended to Nicholas’s throat.

“I’m fine,” Nicholas said for the umpteenth time.

He quietened after Gregory holstered his gun, pressed a tender kiss on his lips, and said softly, “He strangled you. Let the man make sure there’s no swelling. Do it for me.”

At one point Marcus must’ve moved him to the back of the room behind Whithers’s enormous desk. Luca hung on to Marcus’s left arm, taking in everything with large eyes. Was he responsible for this chaos? Why had Smith flipped like that? Marcus had said he was a good man, and even his parents had accepted him as his future husband. His parents had never chosen a spouse that wasn’t devoted to their children and had proven to be a good match.

How could Smith have dared to lift a hand against his dad? Especially with his father right beside him? Gregory could’ve killed him, and no court would’ve blinked an eye. Breeders might not have many rights, but their spouses had. Luca gulped as he relived Smith attacking his dad. One of the men he loved the most in this world had gotten hurt just because of him.

“Shh, kitten, it’s okay, the threat is over,” Marcus whispered in his ear. Luca held on to Marcus’s waist, only then realizing he was shivering and his teeth were chattering. “It’s okay, you’ll be fine.”

It should’ve been ridiculous, the way his body reacted to Marcus’s soft words, the way he stroked his large palms over Luca’s back. Luca closed his eyes and hid his face against Marcus’s chest, breathing in Marcus’s unique scent. He jerked when Smith started shouting.

“They’ve all set me up! They stole my fiancé from me. Luca Walker was promised to me. He signed the contract months ago.” Smith struggled against the two security men holding him. “If that piece of scum claims to be the father of Luca’s baby, then he’s got to be pregnant for at least nine weeks. Why wasn’t I informed about this? If I’d known, I’d have insisted on an abortion.”

The room fell silent. Luca pulled one hand away from Marcus’s waist to rest it on his belly. It was too early to feel any baby movements, especially since male breeders usually felt first movements about a month later than females due to a thicker uterus wall, but Luca needed some kind of connection with his baby. A baby’s life was sacred, how could Smith talk about abortion? Sure, it would’ve been his right, but the few times something like that had happened, all parties always agreed to carry the baby to term.

“Well, well, if that doesn’t give us insight into your morals, Colonel Smith,” Whithers said. He was still sitting in the visitor’s chair and leaned with both hands on his cane. “All people on the list have been tested and deemed nonaggressive, or at least nonaggressive toward their future spouses, and especially toward their children, but I’m not sure I can believe your test result anymore.”

“How dare you,” Smith hissed. “Luca Walker is mine. He’s got a perfect heritage, and the gen-scan showed an almost perfect fit. I’ll contest the new marriage agreement.”

“Do you seriously believe your claim will be successful? After your performance here?” Marcus asked, his embrace never wavering.

Luca gazed at Smith from the safety of Marcus’s arms. There was a glint in Smith’s eyes promising Luca retribution.

TWO HOURS
later, Smith had been taken into custody and was awaiting the president’s verdict. There would be no trial or hearing. The president, Alwin Jersey, would decide what happened with Smith based on the information he received. There was little doubt he’d cancel the marriage agreement with Luca, but what he’d make of Smith’s scandalous behavior was an unknown factor.

Marcus had convinced Luca to take a bath after they got back to his room, and though he wasn’t keen on it at first, now Luca was glad he’d heeded Marcus’s advice. The shivering fits had subsided, and Luca decided to slip on warm sweatpants, as well as a long-sleeved shirt. Marcus was nowhere to be seen, but since he now stored a good deal of clothes in Luca’s closet, Luca ambled over and opened the door. Smiling, he fingered the sweaters before he decided on a blue one that, albeit large on him, brought out the color of his eyes. He pulled the sweater over his head and smoothed his hands over the fabric, when the door opened.

Turning around, Luca expected Marcus to stand on the threshold. Instead his father, Gregory, entered the room, closing the door after him.

“Father? Is everything all right? Where’s Marcus?”

“Marcus’s still signing some documents,” Gregory replied as he strode over to Luca. Without preamble, he engulfed him in a firm hug. “I didn’t have time to talk to you before, so how are you feeling?”

“I’m good. I was a bit shaken earlier, but I think I’m all right now. I can’t believe Smith acted the way he did. It was scary.”

Gregory nodded, and his eyes crinkled at the corners in obvious anger. “He’s still being examined, because that behavior is totally atypical for him. So far there are no results, but I’m here to let you know that Jersey nullified the marriage contract with Smith. He’s not a happy camper about the transmission error, but after everything that went on, he agreed to set up new marriage papers for you and Marcus. That’s what’s keeping Marcus. Jersey wants everything done right now so the wedding can be consummated in a week.”