Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Yet, at least.
“It’s an honor and a privilege.”
“Well, I hope I can thank you with another dinner soon.”
“Bet on it,” Xavier said.
I turned the camera back to me. “Alright, I’ll let you go, Dad. If I hear anything about Joshua, I’ll let you know.”
“And I’ll do the same. Stay safe. Love you.”
“Love you too. Tell Mom I love and miss her.”
“Will do. Oh, Blake, have you been using that Find My Friend app? She’s mentioned she’d like you to use it. Just so we know you’re safe.”
“I haven’t. I really don’t like having my location discoverable like that, no matter how encrypted or safe it is. Sorry. I’ll just check in with you guys more often.”
“Sounds good. I understand.”
We hung up the call. Xavier stood in front of me, hands in the pockets of his sweats. I tried not to let my gaze drop, but I couldn’t quite help myself. Gray sweatpants on a man were my weakness, and Xavier was proving exactly why. He looked delicious. I had the urge to drop to my knees and thread myself through his legs like a purring cat in heat.
I audibly gulped. “Well, um, okay. Maybe we should head to bed now,” I said, suddenly wanting to race him.
“Let’s,” Xavier said, his tone slightly suggestive. My heart turned from fluttery to full-on nervous hammering. I could use some time alone with X after everything we’d been through. I wanted to take my mind off all the stress, all the questions, all the near-death experiences. Instead, I wanted to focus on the here and now.
On us.
Xavier held his hand out. I took it, his big fingers twining through mine. We continued down the hall, the soft white wooden floors shining under the recessed lighting.
That’s when it hit me. I froze. Xavier tugged on my hand, not expecting me to stop.
“Oh my god… the tracker app!”
“What?”
“The app Cass wanted me to download. The one only government families can use. The one that only Cassius had. He was with us every time we were attacked. Except this last time, when he was alone at the castle. Holy shit!”
Xavier’s eyes widened. “We have to tell him. Let’s go.” He took off running down the hall. I followed behind him, the revelation feeling like a bucket of ice water being dropped on my head. It was the only thing that made sense. They had eyes on us the entire time, and they had eyes on us now.
Fuck.
We reached the door to the room he was staying in. Xavier knocked. No one answered. He had to be sleeping. I turned the knob; it wasn’t locked. I pushed the door open.
“Cass, we figured something out. You need to give us your—”
I paused. He wasn’t in there. His bed was still made, his backpack next to it.
But Cassius was nowhere in sight.
Chapter 26
Mine
Xavier
The moment we realized Cassius was missing, a cold dread settled over me. I shared a quick, worried glance with Blake before we sprang into action, searching the glass-and-stone labyrinth of a house for any sign of him. We split up, calling his name and checking every room, but there was no response. Warrick, who’d been in the living room reading a book, joined in on the search.
Blake and I regrouped near the back door. “He has to be around here somewhere,” Blake said, running a hand through his hair. “We need to keep looking. Could he have gone outside?”
“I hope not.”
We stepped outside, the cool desert air hitting our faces. The stars twinkled brightly above us, a stark contrast to the worry gnawing at my gut. We scanned the area, and that’s when I saw him—Cassius, sitting on a large rock, his head in his hands.
“There he is,” I said, nudging Blake and pointing in Cassius’s direction. We hurried over to him, relief flooding through me at the sight of our friend, albeit a distressed one.
“Cassius, what’s going on?” Blake asked gently as we approached. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Cassius lifted his head, his eyes red and filled with hurt. He’d been crying. “I think my dad is involved in all of this,” he said, his voice trembling.
“What makes you say that?” Blake asked, sitting down beside him, trying to keep my tone calm even through my thoughts.
Cassius pulled out his phone and handed it to me. “I recorded a call with him. You need to hear it.”
Blake and I listened to the recording, our expressions growing more serious with each passing second.
“Dad, where have you been? You haven’t been answering any of my calls,” Cassius had asked.
“I can’t talk right now. It’s complicated.”
“Complicated? What do you mean? Are you involved with my uncle?” Cassius had asked point-blank. I looked to Blake. He had a hand over his mouth.
“Cassius, there are things you don’t understand. I can’t explain right now.”