“What do you need?” Viper asks.
Knox exhales deeply. “I’ve got to make a call.”
Axle and Cash stay. Viper trails behind Knox. Axle peers at me and frowns.
Demons stands. “I’m going to wake Reaper.”
“I’ll help wake the rest and get everyone downstairs,” Cash adds, and they leave.
“I’ll be right back,” Axle says.
It’s just me, afraid to think... afraid to feel. I stand, gazing at the white wall in a dreamlike state.
Minutes pass and then Elena rushes to me. A deep frown mars her pretty face. “How about we go downstairs?” she whispers. She links our arms together. My legs move, but I feel disconnected from my body.
As we walk down the stairs, there’s someone to my right, and I look to see Ava linking her arm with my other one. She gives me a sad smile, but the kindness of both women stirs something within me. We move past the men, who have congregated around the bar. I feel their eyes on me as we go toward the kitchen, where I sit on a stool.
“Where’s Zara?”
I shift and peer over my shoulder to see Knox. His eyes roam over me, and he strides to me and kisses my forehead. “I’ve got to talk to the men. Kane’s on his way.”
Kane... he is going to be a wreck when he finds out. “What did you tell him?”
“Everything.” He leans in, pressing another kiss on my lips before he leaves.
Conversations swirl around me. I’m aware of Ava making herself busy by going over and cleaning an already clean kitchen.
My fingers keep tapping on the stone countertop as I wait for Kane. The longer I wait, the more the anxiety pushes through the numbness.
A door bangs, and I whip around to see Kane. We lock eyes. His shoulders are hunched. I swivel the stool around, jump off it, and run to him, crashing my body into him. We hold each other tightly, as if holding our bleeding hearts together. That’s all it takes for my vision to blur.
“I don’t understand why they left.” I inch back to look at him. Droplets of pain fall down his face.
“What if Misty had a baby?” His voice is strangled with despair. “I never got to hold the child, be a father. Instead... I’ll be a stranger. They took my future from me. I would’ve been by Misty’s side through her pregnancy. I would’ve supported her, done anything for her and the baby.”
Pulling back further, I suck in a sharp breath. “We will find out what happened.” That, I promise him.
Tears fall down my cheeks like rain. Knowing they’ve taken so much from all of us breaks my heart. We stay that way until the church door opens and the men walk out. Knox strides over. His eyes glisten as he sees his brother. I pull away, allowing them to hug.
“I want to keep you two updated with what’s going on. Me, Viper, and Twitch are going to stake out Audrey’s home to find out the extent of the surveillance and what security guards are there. Twitch got me the house plans showing the layout. I want to confront Audrey tomorrow night.”
“When are you going to look at her security?” I ask Knox.
“Now.”
“I need to go too. I can’t stay here,” Kane blurts.
“We are going to scope out the place. We arenotgoing in yet,” Knox exclaims.
“I realize that,” Kane answers. “I still have to go with you.”
Knox, Viper, Twitch, and Kane all get in a black van and leave. I helplessly watch as the van travels down the driveway and then the road. My shoulders drop as I make my way back inside. Elena and Ava stand when I walk in.
“Come watch some TV with us,” Elena says.
Only Reaper and Axle are by the bar. It looks like the others have gone to bed.
I follow Elena into the living room. She sits and pats the seat next to her on the three-seater, so I sit in the middle.
