Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
I frowned her way. Dad wouldn’t do anything. He was all show. He’d stomp over to me, glare like he was going to yell at me, which he might actually do, but Dad was a softie.
Mom was trying to block him, but I sidestepped her. “Dad,” I breathed.
Shit. I couldn’t hide my high. I’d found my calling. I was going to be a professional vigilante. I breezed over to him, walking on air. “Is this what it was like when you grew up here?” I took hold of his arm.
He turned to stone under my hand.
“Maddy,” my mom warned.
I waved a hand to dismiss her concern. I was going to fly away. Giddy. “This is amazing. What are you doing?” I looked around him to see who was in the cage. They were lying on the ground, not moving an inch. My dad had totally knocked that guy out.
So. Fucking. Cool.
“Maddy,” my dad murmured.
I danced around him, knowing he’d be fine in a second. I was the switch. He could never stay mad when I was around. Especially not when I’d reverted back to my ballerina days. Pirouette here. Arch my back. Extend my arm. And then I switched into another pirouette.
I couldn’t stop moving.
He sighed. His hand closed around my arm.
“Mason.” My mom drew in a sharp breath.
“What do you think I’m going to do?” he asked. “She’s my daughter.”
“No. I know. It’s not that. She’s…” She moved closer. “She’s on something.”
He snorted, pulling me to his front so I was forced to stop dancing. I’d been in the middle of a fouetté and gave him an annoyed frown. “Rude much? That was the best form of my life.”
“See?” Dad said to Mom.
Mom huffed, rolling her eyes. “Mads, you quit ballet in third grade. You said the other dancers were too delicate for your vibe.”
“I would never say that. I loved ballet.”
She said dryly, “You threatened to burn your leotard.”
I frowned. “I did?”
“And the leotards of every single girl in your class.”
“Ah. Yeah. That sounds like me.” I grinned. “I was funny back then, huh?”
My dad put a hand on Mom’s back. “That’s a conversation for later.”
I didn’t think he was referring to my ballet days. His gaze returned to the cage. The body was still laying there.
My mom snapped to attention, scanning the room. She looked closely at Axel and Steele, then swallowed when she looked past them to where the big dude was holding Traine. That was Stevie’s uncle.
Traine was not looking good.
My mom clapped her hands, taking charge. “Okay. I’m not sure what we missed before we got in, but we are leaving now.”
I recognized that tone and that look in her eyes.
General Mom was back.
42
SAMANTHA
This was an all-hands-on-deck situation.
Maddy was safe. She was physically fine. That had been my first concern, but she and Max were both fine. They’d showed up late to whatever had been happening in that warehouse, thank God. I’d seen enough to have my stomach curdling and my mama instincts coming out strong.
These boys needed to feel safe, and whatever they’d gone through, it was not going to happen again. Not on my watch.
So until I could make sure they were safe, we were taking in three teenage boys. Thank goodness that Nash and Nolan had gone to David and Malinda’s for the weekend, but if these boys stayed longer…I’d have to talk through it with the twins. Make sure they understood.
For now, though, I had these boys in my house.
Before we left, Mason took me aside and told me what had been happening before we got there. My blood boiled.
He stayed behind after that, and I pointedly did not ask what he was going to do. I would ask when he got home, but for now, he’d handle what he needed to handle and I’d handle the kids. The first order of business was the hospital. Beltraine was getting checked out while we were in the waiting lounge.
Channing was outside on his phone, and Heather and I were in our investigator roles. I was going to get all the information about all of these boys and I was going to do it so thoroughly I’d be convinced I could become an FBI profiler by the time I was done.
First boy up: Axel Johannson.
His parents were Briar and Emily Johannson. Briar was another prominent businessman in the area and a shareholder with Kade Enterprises. I made a note to ask Mason about him. Based on this guy’s social media, he was smarmy. His hands were too low when he posed with women who were not his wife.
When I told Axel that I was going to contact her, he sneered. “Don’t bother. I’m eighteen. Turned adult last month, but I’m already more adult than she is.”
My heart broke at the bitterness in his tone and the dead look in his eyes. I wanted to take that from him, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t take all that away in one night. “What about your dad?”