“How are we going to do this?” Holden asks as we walk up the steps. “There are so many rooms in this house. They could be hiding anywhere!”
Declan’s phone rings. “It’s Thomas.” When we see Declan’s shoulders slump, we know the news isn’t good.
“Okay, yeah, I’ll get Oli to take us upstairs to the panic room and the safe. We’ll see if they got what they were after. I’ll let everyone know.” Declan hangs up and sighs deeply as he shoves his phone back into his pocket and the gun into his waistband.
“What is it?” Chuck asks, unable to wait. Thank goodness for him.
“Thomas and Jake went into the zoo to go through the tunnel from the tiger enclosure. They found Raquel’s body on the access track. There was a bullet through her forehead and tire tracks leading away from her. The blood around her is fairly fresh, so it looks like we might have only missed them by a few minutes.”
“Fuck!” Holden shouts and grabs at his hair, and Oli wraps his arm around him as if that will somehow keep him from falling to pieces.
“Jake and Thomas are still going to go through the tunnels to make sure, but they want us to check the safe.”
“Okay, well, shall we go check on the little black book?” Dad asks, and Oli shakes his head.
“Ah no, Dad. I think it would be best if you and Chuck stay down here.”
“Why? I want to go too,” Chuck argues, and Oli looks at me like he wants me to step in. Why would he not… Oh, the sex room!
“Yeah, why don’t you two head down to the vault and check out everything down there? You can meet Thomas and Jake when they get there,” I suggest, grasping at straws in the hope that they will take it.
“Good idea. Come on, Chuck, let me show you how crazy the count was.” Thankfully, Dad is as clueless as ever even though Chuck’s eyeing the four of us like we’re hiding something. I mean, we are, but I don’t think Harlow would appreciate her other dad seeing our sex room. Especially because we have every intention of keeping it.
Once Dad and Chuck disappear down the elevator, the four of us hurry up to the next level.
As the elevator moves upwards, I can only pray that they didn't have enough time to grab the book. Otherwise, we’ve hit another dead end.
ChapterNineteen
Jaxon
The fight above us gives way to sex sounds that thankfully disappear as they take themselves into the back bedroom.
Harlow and I both use the bathroom and gulp down mouthfuls of water from the tap in the sink. In the corner of the room was a pile of dusty blankets, so we shake them out the best we can, coughing and spluttering from the amount of dust in the air, then make ourselves a bed out of them. We’re making the most of being released, resting with our arms wrapped around each other. No one knows what will happen next.
I feelsofucking guilty that Harlow has had to do all the heavy lifting so far. I’ve been completely useless. Her quick thinking has kept us both alive, but our luck is going to run out eventually. Patricia was all too interested in this baby daddy plan, which might mean a lot for my survival odds, but surviving won’t mean much to me if Harlow is gone. No matter the circumstances—handcuffed, drugged, or whatever—there would always be a part of me that felt like I should have, could have, found a way to save her.
“Do you think they locked the hatch?” I whisper in her ear, and she only shrugs, not answering. Frowning, I roll her over to face me, but that doesn’t make me feel any more settled. There are tears rolling down her face, and that hits me straight in the heart. She’s been so strong. What can I do to help pick her back up again?
“Oh no, babe, don’t cry. What’s wrong? I mean, apart from the obvious.” I wipe the tears, but they keep coming, so I wrap my arms around her and bring her into me.
“How are we going to get out of this? I’m so tired, and I feel like everything is hopeless, not to mention the fact that I practicallyrapedyou before! I feel sick.” All the words tumble out of Harlow's mouth, the syllables practically blending together. It’s like she needs to get it off her chest, or she might not get the chance to free that weight from her shoulders.
“Don’t think like that. You’ve been so freaking brave. I’m the one who feels like I've let you down. You’ve kept us both alive, and you even got Jacinta out. No matter what happens to us, you gave me such a gift. It’s hard enough knowing that your life is still at risk, but the thought of losing both of you…” I have to take a moment to breathe, unable to finish that sentence. Instead, I move on to the next part. “And I’m pretty sure I was just as involved in the sex as you were. You didn't hear me complaining at all.” I stroke her back and try to reassure her as best as I can.
Unfortunately, my dick doesn't catch on to the seriousness of the situation because he’s decided to join the party. I shuffle my hips away from Harlow a little bit. Her body feels good, and remembering what we did earlier doesn’t help, but now is not the time or the place. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to notice.
“Let’s get some sleep so we’re more alert for whatever comes next. They need to get the codes, or they’re screwed, and you and I have no clue where they are. The only probability is that maybe Dragos had them. He’s the one that is missing from all of this. ”
“I don’t know. It’s like my brain can’t string two sentences together, let alone come up with a plan.” She shudders in my arms, her distress coming out in the subtle shake of her body.
“Shhh, it’s okay. It’s my turn to do the heavy lifting. You sleep, and I’ll come up with an idea. It’s the least I can do.” I keep stroking her hair until I feel her body relax. Within minutes, she’s breathing heavily, fast asleep. The coke really messed us both up. I never want to feel like this again.
I desperately try to come up with a plan, but my eyes keep closing too.Maybe I’ll just have a quick nap and things might be clearer when I wake.I allow my heavy eyes to close, and it’s lights out.
The hatch banging open has me sitting bolt upright, out of a deep sleep. My mind takes a little bit to catch up to my body, and when it does, I see Peter coming down the steps with a tray of food.
“Here, eat this. I need you both to get your strength up. We’ve come up with a plan. I remember Julia saying your bitch mother did a smash-and-grab when you guys were younger, and it occurred to me that maybe she wasn’t as stupid as we thought. Bitch probably planted the pages on Brad so she’d have something to hold over our heads. Then she had to figure out how to clean up her mess and get them back once she realized just how valuable they really were.” Peter shakes his head. “Poor Carmen trusted Julia, so I guess your mother really did fuck you guys over. If she was a better judge of character, you wouldn’t be here right now. Shit sucks, doesn’t it?”
