Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
I still haven't told Faith about that. I'm half afraid that if I do, I'll demand answers about what he said. And then she'll end up pissed at me all over again. Having her angry at me is intolerable. I don't like it when she isn't speaking to me.
Actually, I fucking hate it.
"Is she going to be okay?"
"I don't know. I certainly hope so."
Faith reaches for my hand as if to comfort me…and steals another piece of my heart in the process. The urge to kiss her is almost overwhelming as she wraps her smaller hand in mine and lets it rest there for a moment. She's so damn selfless, so brave. I don't think even she realizes how incredible she is.
Dios. She really is an angel.
Far too soon, she pulls back, removing her hand from mine. I instantly want it back, but don't push her. Now isn't the time.
"Roman has a friend coming to sit with you and Mila," I explain to her as she climbs from the bed. "His name is Knox. He's been instructed to stay outside, conejita. I'll come back for you as soon as I can, but you're going to be safe, okay?"
"I believe you," she says. Her voice shakes slightly, but she takes a deep breath and nods. "I'll be fine."
By late afternoon, I'm exhausted. I haven't stopped moving since I dropped Faith off with Mila a few minutes after midnight. I went straight to the hospital, but Kincaid was in no condition to talk. He shoved me into a wall and then collapsed, falling apart at my feet. Letting that shit ride wasn't easy, but I get it. His girlfriend is hovering on the verge of death. He's out of his mind with fear for her.
Out of respect for him and the situation, I backed off. I can question him when she's a little more stable. He wasn't the one who shot Kaleo anyway.
Everyone is reeling over that piece of news, but the crime scene matches what little he told us. I've spent the day canvassing the neighborhood with Roman, questioning witnesses and trying to piece together what happened. From what we've learned, Kaleo slipped in through the front door and held January at gunpoint. Kincaid ran over from next door to help her. And then everything went to hell.
January is almost as tiny as Faith, with the courage of a lion. I hate that she was hurt. If she doesn't pull through, it will destroy Kincaid.
"So, by the time you arrived," I say to Luke, trying to ensure I have his statement correct. He was the first to arrive on scene last night. "Kincaid was carrying January out?"
"Yeah," he says with a weary nod. Between watching the girls and helping Roman find Remi, he hasn't gotten much sleep lately, either. "He wouldn't let me close enough to check on her, but it didn't look like she was breathing."
"Did he say anything to you?"
"He kept muttering that Kaleo was supposed to kill him, not her." Luke grimaces from across the table, his green eyes filled with sympathy for his fellow DEA agent. "He was begging her not to leave him alone. He also stated that she shot him."
"Did you see anything that would lead you to believe that he wasn't telling the truth?"
"He was in shock. I don't think he even realized he was saying anything at all. He was telling the truth about what went down." Luke gives me a hard look, making it clear he's running out of patience with this line of questioning. I don't blame him. Questioning Kincaid's integrity isn't appealing to me either, but no one ever said this job was easy.
"Any other questions?" Luke asks.
I skim over his statement again and then shake my head. It's solid. Before I can tell him that or thank him, my cell rings. Half a second later, his rings, too.
Ice forms around my heart. His eyes meet mine, and I know the grim expression on his face is an exact match of mine. There are only so many reasons someone would call us both at once. And none of them are good.
Faith.
We both reach for our phones at the same time.
"Hernandez," I mutter into the phone, quickly gathering up the paperwork strewn across my desk and shoving it into the top drawer.
"O, it's Roman. I need you to get to the house now." The fear in his voice sends my heart slamming against my ribcage. "Remi Pledger broke in. Mila's inside with him."
"Faith?" I ask. A wave of fear for her hits me, weakening my knees. I grasp the desk to keep myself from pitching forward.
"Jesus Christ," Luke says to whomever he's talking to, jumping to his feet.
"Faith got out safely," Roman says, allowing me to suck in a deep breath. And then he groans. "Christ, O, if anything happens to Mila…"