“They're only twenty minutes apart.” Cara shrugged and took another bite of food.
Viper stared at Cara in disbelief. “Ma!” he yelled for Crystal.
She came out of the kitchen with a confused expression. “Hey, son. Did you come to get a plate too?”
Viper shot to his feet, shaking his head. “No. Your daughter could possibly be in labor, and she’s over here eating a fish sandwich.”
“Is that true, Cara?”
“Maybe. But I needed to eat before I went to the hospital.”
“Why?” Viper questioned.
“Because they starve me once I get there. Do you not remember that I was in labor for fourteen hours with Chase? Every time I asked for food, those nurses kept saying, ‘get her some ice chips,’ as if that wasn’t frozen water! Like, bitch, I’m hungry, not dehydrated.”
Cara continued to eat while everyone looked on in amusement. Well, everyone except Viper.
Crystal walked over to Cara and palmed her stomach. “How far apart are your contractions, baby girl?”
“Twenty minutes.”
Crystal waved a hand. “She’ll be fine. Sara, go to her house and grab her bag. Once she’s back, Viper, you can take her to the hospital.”
Viper’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious, Ma?”
“I did the same thing with Marco and Sophia. I made Paul stop at a drive-thru both times so I could eat. Being in labor is hard enough. Doing it while hungry is just inhumane.”
Sara left to grab Cara’s bag, and Viper took a seat, growling and grunting. By the time Sara returned, Cara had finished her food. Viper helped her to her feet. “Okay, let's go have a baby,” Cara said.
Viper grumbled something under his breath, but helped her out the door. Sara and Crystal were right behind him. When the door shut, Tech and I turned to each other and burst into laughter.
“Cara is going to drive him insane one day.”
I nodded in agreement right as silence fell over us. Tech skimmed through all the information the girls had found. Every so often, his body would tense up.
I reached over, placing my hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”
He laced his fingers with mine, staring into my eyes. “The sooner I find Sire, the sooner I will be.”
His voice held so much conviction that goosebumps formed all over me. I had never heard him take such a tone. I didn’t know what all would come of this. I just hoped, in the end, it didn’t cause any additional damage to Tech.
Chapter Fourteen
TECH
Weeks had passed, and there were still no signs leading us to Sire. The girls and I were trying our hardest. Even though I had begged Cara to take a break, she wouldn’t relent. She was determined to find Sire as she adjusted to being a mother of five.
Will's ribs were pretty much healed now. The only lingering injury he had was his broken arm. Unfortunately for him, he still had another month before he could get rid of his cast. He still hadn’t returned to work. The girls and Crystal felt like he needed to wait until his arm was completely healed.
There were now sixteen kids on the compound, and only four weren’t babies or toddlers. The girls didn’t want any of the younger kids accidentally injuring his arm any more than it already was. Will didn’t like the decision at all.
He was slowly going crazy being stuck in the house. I had taken him to the clubhouse a few times to change the scenery, but that only pacified him. He wanted to meet up with Oscar a few times. I wasn’t taking any chances, though. Sire was out there, and I didn’t know if he was watching.
Will understood, but he didn’t like it. Things wouldn’t be like this forever, but I had to keep him safe. I had already failedhim in more ways than one, and I refused to make that mistake again.
Over the past few weeks, I had been over that news article about the cult’s takedown so many times that I could recite it from beginning to end. There was no mention of anyone being charged with the murder of Cody. I was beyond frustrated. Guilt kept my mouth closed for a long time. I should have gone to the police all those years ago when I escaped. It was too late to turn back now. All I could do was find Sire and seek justice for myself and Cody. His days were numbered.
My ringing phone from the other side of the bathroom door broke my thoughts. I finished rinsing the soap from my body before stepping out of the shower. After I dried my body, I wrapped the towel around my waist and made my way to the bedroom. Will was sitting against the headboard with his legs crossed.
