Page 7 of Dissolving Prejudice

“Bet you’re hungry.” While I did leave him with enough water, I had no food with me, so now I’d have to stop someplace to pick up cat food. The kitten meowed, and the cute sound made me smile before I placed him on my lap. At first, I had no intention of taking him with me, but after he kept following me, I didn’t have the heart to leave him alone. What could I say? I fucking loved my kittens.

Diesel

Killing my bike’s engine, I removed my helmet and placed it on the handlebars, then scanned the hospital’s parking lot before unzipping my jacket. Toro—that was his name as of last night—immediately popped his cute little head out.

“Did you enjoy the ride, pequeñito?” I asked him in Spanish because I’d decided early on to ensure my child would be fluent in my mamá’s tongue.

Toro purred before going back to cuddle inside my warm jacket. He was probably tired after we’d spent the morning at the vet’s, where he had a checkup. The doc said Toro was around eight weeks old, and while a bit underweight, he was one healthy kitten. Once we were done at the clinic, I drove straight to the hospital to check on Soren and the others.

Knowing animals weren’t allowed inside hospitals, I zipped up my jacket with Toro cuddling inside and got off my gorgeous Ducati Streetfighter. I’d bought it with my own money and treated it like my baby, knowing that one day, I’d give my real baby a ride on it. Imagining Shay-Lee sitting his sexy ass on my bike often got me off at night, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Now, that day was closer than ever, and I still couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe Dion was letting me go. If I’d known that all it would take was saving that asshole’s life, I would have done it years ago. But better later than never, right?

Whenever I thought back on the conversation I’d had with Dion, excitement rushed through me like lightning. But while I couldn’t wait to see Shay-Lee, I was also worried as fuck. To begin with, I had no idea how he’d react, and based on Andrei’s reaction, it wouldn’t be a piece of cake. Sure, it had taken Andrei no more than a few hours to warm up to me, and by the end of the day, we were cool. But I wasn’t a fool, and I knew my Llorón was nothing like Andrei. I snorted. If he was, I wouldn’t have fallen for him as hard as I had.

Shay-Lee was one hell of a vengeful bitch, which to me was the sexiest thing alive. Only I wasn’t sure being on the receiving end of his rage would be as fun, and it would probably be better to brace myself for his furious reaction. Therefore, I’d have to think it through and plan everything carefully, from where I’d meet him to how I’d do it and what I’d say. It wouldn’t be easy because, for the past four years, I’d done my best to avoid learning anything about his life out of fear it would break me. It was almost like I pretended he didn’t exist. Almost, because no matter how hard I fought not to search for him online or stalk him in the middle of the night, the memories of him were carved into my soul, just like the scars on my skin. He’d become a part of me, and ever since we’d separated, it felt like a piece of my body was missing. The pain of not being near him was as vivid as getting stabbed, if not worse. The longing made me bleed and tear, and knowing this suffering was about to end almost felt unreal. But despite my impatience to hold him in my arms again, I kept reminding myself that I was still not entirely free, and until that happened, I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

“Yo, D!”

I turned in time to see Andrei jogging toward me in the hall, a smile on his face.

“Hey,” he said, a bit out of breath, as he stopped before me. “Didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, fuck off.” He rolled his eyes before nudging his head in the direction of the elevator. “I was just going up to the recovery unit.”

“So Soren’s no longer in intensive care?”

“Nope. Thankfully, the bullet didn’t hit any major organs. So while his life is out of danger, he does have some recovery ahead of him… but the doctor says he can be released home by the end of this week if all goes well,” Andrei explained as we walked toward the elevator.

“That’s good.”

I bet Dion will be thrilled to know his lawyer’s out of danger, too.

We reached the elevator, and I pushed the button. Waiting for it to arrive, we stood there in complete silence until a low purr pierced the air. Andrei’s eyes jerked to me, and he pinned his gaze on my stomach before looking up to meet my stare.

“Did your stomach just purr?” he asked, his brows drawing close with confusion.

I looked around the hall, and once I saw it was clear, I unzipped my jacket. Andrei’s expression turned softer the second he saw Toro sleeping there like a cute little baby.

“Why am I not surprised you have a cat?”

“’Cause cats are awesome, and so am I,” I said as the elevator arrived. I stepped in first, Andrei right behind me.

Andrei pushed the third-floor button and then straightened up while the door closed.

“You know you can’t have him here,” he said after I zipped Toro back into my jacket.

“And?”

“It’s against the rules, bro.”

“Will I go to prison for that?”

“Probably not.”

“So we’re good.”

We both snorted right before the elevator’s doors opened, and we stepped out.