Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“We’re okay,” I murmured, brushing their hair back. “I’ve got you. No one’s going to hurt you.”
But in my mind, the wheels were already turning.
I was planning and thinking through every detail I’d seen. Every breath I’d taken since being brought into this place. The way the stairs creaked, the sound of the door locking behind us. The way the air smelled—old, damp, and just slightly metallic.
We weren’t going to wait for a rescue, we were going to survive this.
And when the time came—when I found even the most minor crack in their plan—I was going to make sure they regretted ever laying hands on us. They hadn’t taken a victim, they’d taken a child protector, and I was going to be their worst fucking mistake.
DB
The front door had barely clicked shut behind Roque when the quiet settled over the house like a heavy blanket. None of us spoke right away. We just stood there, the sound of his truck’s engine fading into the distance, each of us knowing exactly where he was going and wishing he’d get there in time. The weight of it all hung in the air—fear, anger, helplessness—but none of us dared to name it.
From the living room, a strange sound echoed, low and guttural, like a growl mixed with a bark.
“What the hell was that?” Raul asked, glancing around like a dog might charge out of the pantry.
Mark, ever calm, just pointed upward toward the tall shelf above the fireplace. “That’s Dog.”
Alex turned to him, brow furrowed. “Dog?”
“Yeah, that’s the cat’s name.”
There was a beat of silence, then Raul’s face contorted with confusion and something close to horror. “Wait… he named a cat Dog? Did he—did he breed a cat with a dog?”
Mark grinned. “That’s exactly what I said the first time I saw him.”
The weird barking sound echoed again, louder this time, followed by the scuff of claws against wood as the cat shifted on the shelf. We all looked up. Its yellow eyes glinted in the dim light, and its tail twitched lazily as if it had no idea it sounded like it belonged in a kennel instead of a house.
“Is it actually barking?” Alex asked, his voice still filled with disbelief at what he was seeing.
We paused, listening. The sound came again, unmistakable.
“Yup,” we all agreed at the same time.
Before we could linger on it any longer, Reid stepped back into the room, phone in hand, face pale and tight. He looked like he’d aged a year in the last twenty minutes.
“I called Sayla’s parents,” he said quietly. “Told them what happened, and as could be expected, they’re shattered. My brother’s breaking it to Heidi now.” He rubbed at his face, voice thick. “I also texted her brother, he’s headed over to check in on their folks. My brother’s staying with Heidi and keeping her and the kids safe just in case.”
I gave him a nod. “Good. Now start making some calls, we need pet carriers. Round up the two dogs and Dog before this place gets any crazier.”
Reid’s eyes scanned the room, unsure. “Dog’s a cat, right? I love animals, but I don’t even see—”
He was cut off by another one of those bizarre barks, and Reid’s head jerked up, eyes landing on the shelf. When he spotted the cat crouched up there—its ears flattened, mouth slightly open—he blinked, startled.
“What the fuck is that?” he whispered. “Seriously, is it even possible for cats and dogs to reproduce?”
I clapped him on the shoulder and gave him the kind of look that said I wasn’t joking. “Doesn’t matter, you’re babysitting Roque’s pets now.”
He turned to me, eyebrows raised like I’d just handed him a live grenade. “Or what?”
“Or Roque will kick your ass.”
Reid didn’t argue. Smart man.
Chapter 26
Roque
The road blurred beneath me, miles flying past as the early light of dawn spilled over the horizon in hazy streaks of gold and pink. Under any other circumstances, I might’ve noticed its beauty, but right now, all I could see was red.
My hands gripped the wheel tight, knuckles white, the pressure enough to make the leather creak beneath my palms. Every part of me was wound tight with rage, the kind that threatened to tear through my bones and muscles if I gave it an inch. I wanted to scream, I wanted to pull over and beat the hell out of something, but none of that would bring Sayla and the kids back.
Instead, I buried the screaming beast and kept my eyes on the road as I ran through everything I knew.
Titian—we’d never seen his face clearly, but he’d been behind every dirty thread woven through Palmerstown. All of the drugs, threats, coercion, and murder, with the order for Kaden Roper’s execution, came from him. And now, so had the abduction of Sayla and the kids, that much I was sure of.