Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
The door to the living room opened, and Magnus and Caesar stepped inside.
Magnus had his ballcap drawn lower over his eyes than usual. He dropped onto the corner of the couch and ran a hand down his face. “I pulled all the footage I could find from before the electricity went out. Based on the looks on those guys’ faces, I’m going to bet they got lucky when they heard someone calling for help from the elevator. Granted, I suspect they were snooping around that shaft because they suspected we were harboring Zara somewhere that was only accessible by that one elevator, but the looks on their faces when they realized she was stuck in that elevator speak volumes. They were nearly giddy with delight. And they were equally fucking pissed when you pulled her to safety. I’ve also never seen three people run so fast. They knew we were going to be on them in seconds.”
“We should have gotten them,” Kestrel growled.
“We should have. I’m sorry. I should’ve checked that she’d arrived. It’s on me,” Caesar said, running his hand over his face as if trying to erase the stressed expression that was carved into it.
“It wasn’t your fault, Caesar. It was a perfect storm.” A huge crash of thunder interrupted Kestrel as if adding an exclamation point to his words.
“We were divided all over the resort, preparing for the storm. Hawking got the backup generators on to provide emergency lighting. No one could watch everything,” Kestrel said, erasing the blame from his teammate.
Nods followed around the room. Kestrel knew that no one would allow a single member of the team to shoulder all the responsibility. There were elements totally out of their control. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“I’m going in there to hold my Little girl. I think we need to monitor the cameras tonight to make sure they don’t come back,” Kestrel suggested. Phoenix was down there now, keeping an eye on everything and listening in by comm so Magnus could come up and share his findings directly.
“I’ve got it,” Magnus assured him.
“You can’t do it all,” Caesar corrected him. “I’ll take the next four hours after Phoenix while you grab some sleep.”
Magnus bristled and opened his mouth to argue before pausing and nodding. “Thanks. I’m running on empty.”
“I’ll relieve you for the next shift,” Hawking chimed in.
“I don’t need to sleep that long,” Magnus said, shaking his head.
“If you wake up, you can join them. They can watch the real-time feeds while you look for clues from old footage, Magnus,” Sadie suggested.
“Good idea,” Magnus reluctantly agreed.
“We also have to figure out a long-term plan to keep Zara safe,” Kestrel said, thrusting his fingers through his hair in exasperation. “She needs to be able to live her life and not hide from the bad guys in the world.”
“Go stay with her, Kestrel. We’ll all try to come up with something,” Hawking suggested.
Nodding, Kestrel headed back to his rooms. He patted the swan as he reached the door. Little Swan. He had to keep her safe.
Walking through the darkened room, he saw her curled into a ball in the narrow playroom bed. Kestrel stripped off his clothes and climbed behind her, wrapping himself around her curved form. Without a pause in her breathing, Zara shifted back a fraction of an inch to plaster herself against him. Kestrel pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
“Daddy,” she whispered. Her breath sighed out as he felt her relax against him.
“I’m here, Little Swan.”
Kestrel forced himself to sleep with her. His military training had taught him to take advantage of opportunities to recharge. Rousing each time she shifted or bumped him with an elbow, he soothed her with a kiss on her shoulder or neck.
“Noooo!”
Kestrel’s eyelids flew open. His hands smoothed over her shoulder to calm Zara, but she scooted away, holding her arms out to keep him away.
“I don’t want to go! Stop! You can’t make me!”
“Zara, it’s okay. I’m not going to let them take you. You’re safe here, Little girl,” Kestrel rushed to reassure her.
“They’re after me! They won’t stop until they get me,” she sobbed as she flailed her arms around to ward him off.
“Wake up all the way, Zara.” Kestrel spoke to her sternly, trying to break through the terror that filled her mind.
She shook her head frantically, and Kestrel knew she was trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t escape. Mentally flying through options, he chose one. Ignoring her strikes to his body, Kestrel captured her lips and kissed her with every ounce of love in his heart. Her body froze for several long seconds as he showed her how much he cared for her. When she softened against him and encircled his neck with her arms, he knew he’d reached her.
Feathering light kisses on her lips, Kestrel stroked up and down her spine. When she wiggled closer and thrust her fingers through his hair to pull his lips solidly against hers, he again deepened his kiss. Zara responded instantaneously.