“Hey, angel.” He kissed his wife on the lips. “Can I have a minute alone with Sam?”
The veil of tension enveloping him said he had bad news, but if he did, Jo’s loving smile that was reserved only for her husband said otherwise—unless she couldn’t read his thoughts. Webb seemed to live on the mind-blocking potion we kept stocked because of Jo and my father’s abilities. I hadn’t touched the stuff in a while, but I made a mental note to start again because I didn’t like anyone in my head.
“Of course,” Jo replied. “I have to meet Alia in the library. She’s been helping Doc research our archives on pregnant woman who might have given birth to a vampire baby. She’s found something.”
My breath hitched. “Huh. For real?” Maybe we would have more insight to help Layla through this pregnancy and shed some light as to why Layla craved blood or needed it. “By the way, how’s Alia holding up?”
Her son, Matthew, Ross Gray, and Tucker Whyte were nowhere to be found. Even Sierra Dupont was still missing.
“She’s trying to keep her mind occupied.” Jo gave me a hug. “Think about Maine, Sam. I won’t say anything to Layla about wedding plans until you propose.” After she kissed Webb, she bounced out like a schoolgirl skipping to her next class.
I loved that my sister was happier than ever. She and I had a rough childhood, Jo especially. She’d gone from a timid, shy girl to a beautiful, independent woman who wasn’t afraid of her own shadow anymore.
Webb chuckled. “Maine? Proposal?”
I quickly filled him in.
He settled at the foot of the bed. “Not a bad idea to head up to Maine.”
“Are you sure? We have a ton of shit going on. I don’t want to leave you hanging. Although Doc needs to approve first.” Layla’s condition was improving, but if Doc thought Layla couldn’t travel, then I would find a place here, since the naval base butted up to Mount Hope Bay. It just didn’t give off the beauty and serenity of the Atlantic Ocean that Layla loved.
“For the time being, we should be fine. Olivia and Ben will remain in West Virginia and monitor Intech’s activities. Dane has decided to help us because of his brother. We also have help from Sergeant Whyte’s team. Her captain and the rest of their Special Forces unit should be arriving in West Virginia today. And Viking II is positioned around the city, watching for any signs of Roman.”
I’d been relieved when I heard Olivia had been found. She’d been shot with those drug-filled darts, but Dane had been able to rescue her from the clutches of the two guards.
“Great news that we have Special Forces helping us,” I said, feeling better about whisking Layla away for a few days. “A group of shifters with military training and our Vampire SEALs were a force to be reckoned with.”
He sighed. “For sure.”
“Any signs of Carly?”
Webb had been keeping me abreast of the situation in West Virginia. My father hadn’t been able to snatch Carly. I’d been trying to call her off and on with no luck. I owed her one for helping me. I wouldn’t put it past Harriet, Noah, and Rianne to have done something to Carly. Or maybe Adam did when he found out his star scientist had sided with the enemy.
“Negative,” Webb said. “But I spoke to Victor this morning about Sierra Dupont. She was found hiding at a friend’s house. According to Victor, she got spooked when she found her father’s dead body.” He dipped into the pocket of his cargo pants. “This was delivered by courier today. It’s Layla’s.” He set the phone on the bed.
It wouldn’t shock me if Victor joined the team in West Virginia. The man had been ready to storm into Intech with us on the night we infiltrated it.
“Take a walk with me.” Webb tipped his head at the door.
“Anything wrong?”
Webb was one of those people who I occasionally had a hard time feeling his emotions or reading his expressions. His guarded blue eyes weren’t giving me any clues. The stoic vampire was a rock. Drama wasn’t in his vocabulary. The only times he lit up like a Christmas tree was when he was with Jo or Abbey. I didn’t expect him to wear his feelings on his sleeve. As the commander of our SEAL team, he had no room for feelings other than courage, determination, and resilience.
I was tempted to stand my ground and not leave Layla’s bedside, but he was my superior officer, and the fleeting look he cast Layla gave me the vibe that whatever he had to tell me concerned my huntress. Then the light bulb brightened.Jordyn?
We still didn’t know where Junior or Jordyn had taken off to. We’d assumed they would show up in West Virginia—but they hadn’t. We had eyes on Intech, watching who was going in and coming out. Webb had called Junior’s father, Jack, and he hadn’t heard from his son. Our team had been trying to call Jordyn repeatedly and struck out.
Once we were in the lab area, he closed the door to Layla’s room, then he tucked his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants. “Jordyn and Junior have been in an accident.” He kept his voice low. “She’s in a hospital in New Jersey. She called your father late last night. She’s banged up pretty good, but she’s okay.”
“And Junior?” I didn’t need to hear him say it, but I waited just the same.
Blinking, he shook his head. “I’m afraid he didn’t make it.”
I rubbed a knot on my shoulder. “Fuck.”
“Tripp and your father rented a car in Morgantown this morning. After they pick up Jordyn, they should be here later tonight.”
I understood why he wanted me away from Layla. If she woke up and heard him, she would freak the fuck out.
