Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Listen to me,” he said, his hand tightening on my face. “Are you with me?”
I nodded, even though I didn’t think I was. My body was there, but the rest of me, the parts deep inside that made me who I was? It was gone. In the back of an ambulance on its way to Portland. In the air above Eugene. Somewhere frightened and waiting for me to find it.
“You go to Portland. I’ll find Finn,” Curtis said, his gaze burning into mine. “I’ll find Finn.”
“He’s scared,” I told Curtis, the words torn from me. “If he saw what happened, he’s really scared.”
“I know that, baby,” Curt said softly, his thumb sliding along my jaw. “He won’t be once I get him, yeah?”
“David—” I stopped speaking when his index fingers came up to press against my lips, and he gave his head a small shake.
“You go with Jess and my boy,” Curtis said. “I’ll find yours.”
I jerked my head out of his grip, the words like a jolt of electricity scorching through me. How dare he say something like that?
“They’re both my boys,” I replied hoarsely. “They’re all mine.”
Curtis froze, and then his eyes fell closed as his hand lowered to his side. After a moment, he looked at me again and nodded.
“I need my keys,” I announced, looking around blankly. “Where are my keys?”
“You’re not drivin’,” Grease announced. I hadn’t even realized that he was in the room.
I turned to find the Aces had somehow held back the police and crime scene guys so that Curtis and I could have a moment. Everyone was watching, waiting for us to make a decision.
“I need to—” I couldn’t even say the words. I couldn’t acknowledge verbally that I was leaving one of my children behind.
“Brenna, Callie, and Farrah are waitin’ for you outside. They’ll drive you to Portland,” Grease said.
“But I—”
“Come on,” Curtis ordered, taking my hand.
The crowd parted as he led me out of the house, lining up along the walkway outside the front door.
My mind raced.
“Teddy,” Curtis’s dad called, jogging toward me. He met us at the sidewalk as we reached the SUV waiting at the curb. “Boys are talkin’ to the neighbors.”
“Anyone see anythin’?” Curtis asked.
“Not so far,” he answered his son. Then he looked at me. “We’ll find him.”
“I should call David,” I said quietly. “He—I don’t think he’d hurt Finn.”
“We’ll deal with David Granger,” Cam said darkly. “You just take care of my grandkids, yeah? We’ll handle everything else.”
He watched me for a moment, and then I found myself in his arms. His hand cupped the back of my head as he kissed my forehead.
When he passed me to Curtis and drifted away, I took a shaky breath.
“Go take care of our kids,” Curtis said, leaning down to brush his lips over mine. He opened the passenger door of the SUV. “I’ll call as soon as I can.”
“We’ve got her,” Farrah said from the driver’s seat. “Go. Do what you need to do.”
I felt numb as Curtis helped me into the seat and closed the door between us. I watched him through the window as we immediately pulled away from the curb. Turning sharply, he jogged back toward the house where Draco was waiting next to my truck.
“They’ll find him,” Curtis’s grandma, Brenna, said from the back seat as she reached up to set her hand on my shoulder. “Trust Curtis.”
“Seat belt,” Farrah ordered, glancing at me as she rolled through a stop sign. “No use givin’ the cops a reason to pull us over.”
I nodded, and as I pulled the strap over my shoulder, I noticed my bag on the floorboard. Someone must’ve gotten it from Curtis’s saddlebag.
“Dragon asked them to bring the kids to the same hospital,” Brenna said, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “They said OHSU. That’s good. It’s an excellent hospital.”
I didn’t think she expected a response, and I didn’t give her one.
“Charlie is with Jesse,” Brenna informed me quietly, making me jolt in surprise. “No one could ride with Dyl, but Charlie’s in the ambulance with Jesse.”
“And we’ll probably catch up to them,” Callie said knowingly.
“That’s why I’m driving, and you’re not,” Farrah replied, glancing at her in the mirror.
As Farrah weaved in and out of traffic and the miles flew by, I understood what she meant. The woman drove like we were in a race car. It still wasn’t fast enough.
It took hours to get to Portland. Silent, tense hours of wondering, scared out of my mind. Dylan had been barely breathing and unconscious when they took him away. Had he woken up terrified? Would he wake up at all? There had been so much blood, and I wasn’t sure if it was his or Jesse’s.
Was Jess still conscious? It brought me a sliver of comfort that Charlie had gone with them when I couldn’t. Jesse’s face had been mangled. Would they need surgery? Why hadn’t they been able to talk? What other injuries had there been that I hadn’t noticed? How badly were they hurt?