Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“Okay,” I tell her and kiss the top of her head. “I’ll tell her.”
“The sausage was too big.” Then she lets out a little giggle before I hear her snoring softly.
God, could she be any more beautiful even in her sleep? I stayed up for a long time just watching her, but at some point, I must have dozed off. I brush the hair out of her face and then the alert goes off again, reminding me why I’m awake in the first place.
Rolling over, I grab the phone and walk to the bathroom so I don’t wake Jade up any more than I already have.
“Malice,” I say in greeting, and then I hear Sid, my head of security, on the other line.
“We’ve got a problem, boss.”
“What’s happened?” I glance out of the bathroom door so that I’ve got eyes on Jade when he gives me the news. I don’t know why, but seeing her makes me feel like I can face anything.
“You put us on detail tonight with Miss Sky’s family.”
“Are they okay?” The back of my neck tingles as I hold the phone closer.
“When we got to the grandmother’s residence, there was a forced entry at the rear of the property. The ambulance just took her away, and we’ve been searching for the mother since.”
“Fuck, where is she?” I clench my fists at my side, waiting for the worst of the news.
“We’re not sure yet, but we think we’ve got a lead. We didn’t call the local police yet, so we can keep this a private matter.”
“Good. Send me everything you’ve got on her location, and I’ll run it by Jade and see if she knows anything. How’s the grandmother?”
“She’s stable. The hospital is admitting her, but she should be okay.” He talks to someone beside him and then comes back to the phone. “I’ll send over the details of her private room. Those are being kept confidential as well.”
“Thank you,” I say, walking out of the bathroom with dread in my stomach. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Sir?” Sid calls before I can hang up. “It’s clear from what they left behind that their intended target was Miss Sky. I’m afraid that they’ve taken her mother to use as bait.” There’s a long pause, and he sighs. “The people we’re dealing with aren’t going to play this fair. I’d keep her close if I were you.”
“I’m planning on it,” I say and look down at Jade sleeping peacefully.
When I hang up the phone, I dread giving Jade the bad news, but I know that if it were me I would want to know right away. This is the exact thing I was most worried about. My revenge on Nash Lone seems so small in comparison to what’s going to happen to Jade’s family. All of my hurt and self-indulgent payback is nothing to what Jade will feel. I wish somehow I could take this from her or protect her from what’s going to happen, but even with all my superpowers, I can’t stop the pain.
“Jade,” I say softly as I touch her arm. “Wake up, little mouse.”
“Are the kittens coming to the talent show?” she mumbles, snuggling deeper into the mattress.
Somehow seeing how cute she is when she dreams makes this worse, but I speak a little louder this time. “Hey, Jade, I need you to wake up.” I lean down and kiss her cheek, and this time she blinks her eyes open.
“Gray?” Her voice is groggy as she blinks and looks around. “What time is it?”
“I’ve got to tell you something, and I need you to wake up.”
“What is it? What’s wrong?” She sits up quickly and blinks away her sleep. “Who’s hurt?”
“Listen to me carefully before you do anything, okay?”
“Oh god.” Her voice cracks, and I pull her close to me.
“Your mother and grandmother were attacked. Your grandmother is okay, but she’s in the hospital.”
“My mom?” Tears form in her eyes, and I can feel her thoughts spiraling.
“She was taken.” The sound she makes shatters my heart in half, and I pull her flush against my chest. “It’s okay. I’m going to get her back.”
“We have to go, Gray. We have to find her.”
“I swear to you, Jade, I will. But I need you to listen to me.”
“No, you can’t stop me from going after her. She’s my mom.”
“I know, I know, little mouse. Just listen to me.”
“Gray,” she sobs, and I rub my hands up and down her bare back.
“I’ve got a team of people already looking for her, but you know I’m different, right?” She nods against my chest, and I kiss the top of her head. “That means that what I can do is unlike anyone else, and I’m going to use those abilities to get her back. I’ll bring her home if it’s the last thing I do.”