Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
"Had him killed?" I ask. "He didn't do it himself?"
Kincaid shakes his head. "We have evidence that shows he hired out the job."
I don't see that going well with the other families. If Damien isn't man enough to take my father's throne with his own hands, then they're less likely to respect him and his authority.
I shake my head. "I can't recall any talk of sex trafficking. I'm not saying my father was innocent by any means, but I don't think he'd hurt children the way Samuel says he did. He never laid a hand on me growing up. I never got a vibe that he would assault anyone in that way."
"People aren't always who they want you to think they are," Nolan says, and the tone of it makes my hackles go up once again.
"You would know, huh?" I snap at him.
"Damn," Hemlock mutters, and I can tell by the way the word comes out that he didn't mean to actually vocalize it.
A chuckle comes from the other side of the room, making me remember the guy who was there on the computer, but I don't bother to look in his direction.
"The original house we found had twelve beds for children, but we haven't found proof of more than three or four kids. We can't track them if we have no idea who they are or who their parents are," Kincaid explains further.
"I can't help you," I whisper, feeling useless. "I really wish I could. What does this mean for Eli?"
"I can't put it past a man like Damien Gaines to do anything nefarious, but Eli is his only connection to you. It's how he has controlled you all these years, and it's unlikely he'll do something to sever that ability. He's narcissistic enough to think that he will have you crawling back to him in order to protect your son."
"I would. In a heartbeat."
"The fuck you will," Nolan growls.
"Jericho, that's not helpful," Kincaid chastises. "I know exactly where your head is," Kincaid says. "I have two daughters and six grandchildren. I'd crawl over broken glass and give my last breath to ensure their safety. All that being said, we're doing our very best to bring Eli home. Please know that every man on my team and the ones on Hemlock's team treats every child we work to save as our own."
"Thank you," I tell him, saltiness from my tears coating my lips.
Knowing people are willing to fight for him means a lot, but that still doesn't stop the pain from knowing all of this would've never happened if Nolan had just stayed the fuck out of our business.
"Peach?" Nolan whispers after a long moment, and it's my breaking point.
I stand once again, my hands clenched in fists.
"I will never forgive you if something happens to him," I say, my voice low and full of hatred.
"Peach," he says again, his tone low and full of pain, but I can't consider his pain.
It doesn't matter to me.
"You should've stayed dead!" I scream as I inch closer and pound my fists on his chest.
He stands there and takes it. I break when I look up and see the tears streaming down his face, traveling the length of the scar on his left cheek.
When he lifts his arms and wraps them around me, I fall against his chest and sob.
Eli is my entire world, and somehow, in a matter of days, he has become Nolan's entire world as well.
Chapter 27
Jericho
I know exactly how she feels, and I deserve every bit of her frustration and ire.
I'll never forgive myself either if anything happens to Eli. I don't want to be in a world where he doesn't exist, and I've seen enough evil to know exactly how fucking bad this entire situation is. I've seen men use children as pawns and human shields. I've seen in real life that they do horrific things to other humans that people cringe at when they see it depicted in movies. It makes this ten times harder to face, and there are moments when I wish I was as ignorant of it all as most people are. They're the lucky ones, the ones who can close their eyes at night and not see pale, graying skin, and lifeless eyes.
"Keep me updated, " I tell Kincaid and Hemlock as I sweep Aspen up in my arms and carry her from the room.
She buries her face in my neck as I climb the stairs.
I don't want to make excuses, but I think this woman sees me as the type of man who doesn't think shit through, and there's this desperate need inside of me to explain what happened with the raid on the house Eli was supposed to be in.
"I know you probably don't want to have anything to do with me," I tell her as I lower us into the chair in the corner, making sure to keep my arms locked around her. "But I need you to know that we thought we had good intel when the raid happened in Hartford. Within minutes of me pulling up outside of the salon and picking you up, the team was kicking in that door. The kids had already been moved."