“Excuse me?”
“I’m not ready for that. When it’s his time to die, I want to be the one to kill him. Please,” she begs, and I’m at war with myself.
On one hand, I want the bastard six feet under, so he’d never be able to even so much as look at her again, let alone hurt her. However, the other part wants to honor her wishes. She’s more than capable of handling him herself, especially later on.
I take a deep breath, and the begging in her eyes doesn’t minimize.
“Fine.’’
“Thank you, Arlo.’’
I park the bike close to the gates, then walk toward the base. I’m almost at the door when Arson jumps out of the bush,coming to nuzzle her head against my leg. I chuckle, bend down, and pick her up in my arms. She immediately starts purring, her small, orange head buried in the crook of my neck.
She’s been extra clingy since Blair’s been kidnapped, and I know she feels her absence. It’s been just the two of them for a while, and she misses her. But, despite that, she still manages to wreak havoc wherever she goes.
Kaya told me that Arson knocked down all the glasses from the kitchen aisle last night, just because they didn’t feed her food at the usual time. They were late by twenty minutes, and apparently, this little ball of fur couldn’t wait any longer and had to bring attention to herself.
With Arson in my hands, I walk toward the door when my phone buzzes. I pull it out of my pocket, my brows furrowing. It’s an unknown number, and not many people have this specific one. Arson jumps out of my arms, strolling into the small creak of the door, straight into the base.
I take a deep breath, pick up the call, and press the device to my ear.
“Hello?”
There’s a beat of silence from the other side, and I’m not sure if there’s anyone there. But when I hear something that resembles a choked sob, my heart rate spikes up.
“Arlo.”
My name falls from her lips in a soft, hushed whisper, and I can practically feel my heart leaping out of my chest.
“Blair, relief floods me, and I close my eyes for a moment to prevent myself from slumping down to my knees. “Where are you, butterfly?”
“I don’t know,” she stammers a little. “I don’t know.”
“That’s okay,” I reassure. “Go to the nearest window and tell me what you can see.”
Blair goes on to describe what she’s seeing, and I rush intothe base. Kaya lifts a brow at my appearance and the look of pure panic on my face. She’s quick to snatch the phone from me and connect it to one of her devices to try and track it down.
But the call ends soon, and I look at Kaya.
She sighs. “It wasn’t long enough to find her exact location, but I have the general area.”
“That’s good enough,” I swallow thickly. “It has to be.”
TEN
My hand is tightly on the steering wheel, the city lights passing by in a flash.My jaw is clenched tightly, and if it weren’t for Noelle’s soothing hold on my free hand, I probably would’ve sped up and ended up driving way too recklessly.
“Calm down,” Noelle’s voice reaches my ears, and I take a deep breath. “We’ll get to her in time, I promise.”
“If we lose Blair, we lose Arlo.”
“I know,” my wife says, looking out the window, her grip on my hand tightening as she continues to rub circles with her thumb. “That’s why we cannot lose him, too.”
Her words are a mere whisper, but my heartclenches. I know that she’s referring to Aria. Thankfully, my little girl made it, but that doesn’t erase the ache that I cannot shake off. I’m a failure as a father, and I’ll never forgive myself that Aria sought suicide as the last resort and that she didn’t feel comfortable talking to me about it.
This situation opened our eyes, and I’m grateful that it happened before it was too late. The mental wellbeing of my daughter is my priority right now, and of course, returning Blair safely. Knowing the shit she’s gone through at the hands of Paul Simmons and Nelson Adams, I just know that these past four months have been pure hell for her.
“Do you think she’s okay?”
