“Son, do you know you attacked Peter?” Dad asked, changing the subject, no doubt feeling Layla’s edginess.
“I’ve never seen this man before in my life,” I returned.
Peter touched the vein in his neck. “You bit me.”
Layla interlocked her fingers in front of her and rubbed one thumb over the other. “You’ve been asleep for over a month, Sam. Carly Aberdeen put a microchip in your head to control you, but the stupid thing malfunctioned, which is why you’ve been in a coma. Then Jo and Webb found Peter. He’s the scientist who originally designed the technology, although he invented it to help the handicapped. When he came in to analyze the program, the chip rebooted, and you…” She shivered. “Then Jo stabbed you to distract you from Peter, and you attacked her.”
“We thought you were going to hurt Layla,” my father added. “You don’t recall any of that?”
“Uncle Sam?” Abbey’s concerned voice filtered into my ears. “Did you hear me?”
I blinked and zeroed in on my niece. “I didn’t.” I was in hell.
She gave me a sad smile. “You have to fight as hard as you can to not hurt Layla because you’re the only one who can save her.”
I squeezed her closer to me to stop my body from shaking with anger and so many other emotions. The chip had to come out. Like, now. I would kill myself if I laid a hand on Layla.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Sam.”
I leaned away and searched her face. “It’s not your fault.” I moved one of her pigtails over her shoulder. “Never think you’re responsible for the things you see in your visions. And never be afraid to tell me.” The only reason my heart wasn’t breaking into a million pieces was rage. Pure rage. Not at Abbey but at the situation, my enemies, and the whole fucking world. It seemed I couldn’t catch a break. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Supernatural or human, I’d been dealing with shitheads and savages since I’d grown up in the foster system.
Regardless of my past, magical abilities were both a curse and a blessing. Jo hated reading minds, I despised being an empath, and although Abbey never complained about her visionary gift, it wasn’t difficult to see she didn’t like her otherworldly powers.
I kissed her on the forehead. “I promise I will be fine.” I was talking out of my ass again, but I had to ease her anxiety as well as mine. “Sometimes knowing what’s ahead can help to stop it.” Not that we had done anything of the sort yet.
She eased out of my hold and pouted. “I hope so.”
Jo called Abbey’s name before coming into the room. “It’s time to leave for your tutoring session with Alia.”
“I have to get my book bag,” she said as she breezed past Jo.
Victor’s daughter Alia had returned with us yesterday while he assessed the breach that had allowed Roman’s men to storm onto his estate. As all of us suspected she would be, Alia was distraught that her son had been kidnapped, but she was confident in her father and trusted that he and my SEAL team would find Matthew.
We’d also dragged Wyman back with us. I’d been tempted to throw him into a cell, but I suggested Sawyer give him a cubicle and put him to work since the tech team was low on bodies.
“As long as you don’t give him access to our top secret information,” Webb had said. “Have him take over where Jordyn left off on the dark web.”
My sister leaned against the doorjamb. “Jordyn should be released from the infirmary today,” Jo said, reading my thoughts and beaming like she was proud of me.
“What’s with the smile?” I was certain her happiness wasn’t over Jordyn or the fact that Doc wanted Jordyn to stay overnight for observation. But ever since I told my sister Layla and I were having quadruplets, she couldn’t stop smiling.
“I still can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt to four little ones.” She tucked a hand into a pocket of her black jeans. “Dad will flip when you tell him.”
I pushed to my feet, grinning. I couldn’t help but share in her excitement, just as I refused to believe I wouldn’t get Layla back. “He will, but he’s probably heard already.” The news had gone around the SEAL team quickly. Tripp, Sawyer, Harley, Olivia, and Ben couldn’t stop congratulating me when I’d returned from Victor’s. Although the last I’d heard from Webb, my old man was locked in a conference room with the elders in Boston, hashing out how to deal with what went down at the hospital.
“How’s Alia this morning?” I asked.
“Not sure yet,” Jo said. “I’m swinging by one of the transient homes to pick her up. Any news from Victor about whether he spoke to the Duponts?”
“No.” I collected my weapons. “I’ll call him.”
My phone buzzed with a text.
Doc:I need you to meet me in the infirmary.
Me:Copy that.
Perfect timing. I wanted him to check my hearing. I kissed Jo on the forehead and hightailed it out. Maybe Doc had good news about the chip. If he did, then I wouldn’t become the monster Abbey had seen in her visions.
