on?”
Josh’s head snapped in Jack’s direction, and he took a threatening step toward him. Rob and Toby grabbed him and held him back.
“What the fuck?”
“Where. Is. My. Wife?” Josh growled, vehemence dripping from his words.
Jack’s hands went up in placation. “I don’t know, bro. What’s wrong?”
“Come here,” Thomas said. He and Jeffery were standing next to the desk in the room.
Jack went, but didn’t understand why everyone was staring at him as though he’d eaten baby kittens for lunch.
“Where is Lillian?” Thomas asked.
Jack stopped, his stomach dropping. “I don’t know. She didn’t return after her midmorning break.”
“Look at this, but don’t touch it. We called a forensics team.”
Jack felt the blood rushing through his veins when he stepped closer. His head was swimming for the second time within twenty-four hours, but instead of like last night, when he got some closure to long-unanswered questions, this feeling made him sick. Until he started to read a note that was covered in blood. Then he wanted to vomit.
Crazy cat people,
My job here is done, and the pregnant one is coming with me. My buyer will surely pay top dollar for her.
Lillian
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No way. No. Fucking. Way. “No!”
“You need to tell us everything you’ve talked about, Jackson.”
The world was tilting. He grabbed his head and roared as he hunched over. She wouldn’t do this to him. To his family.
Would she?
She didn’t want to be with him. She’d insulted him at every opportunity.
“We found a padlock by the letter, too,” Jeffery said. “It’s the same style as the one used at the gate closest to their property.”
“Did you give her a key to that gate, Jackson?” Thomas asked sternly.
Hell no, he hadn’t. But he’d known she’d taken one because that was the way she’d come and go.
He shook his head.
Josh wailed. “I need to find Mikaela right now!” He forcefully shrugged their brothers off him and leveled a stare at Jack. “You’re going to help me.”
“We have to wait for the forensics. I’m sure the Lyons are sending a task force with top-notch investigators,” Thomas said and then looked away. “And doctors.”
Josh moaned, agony pouring out of him. “With every second, that woman is getting farther away from here with my wife. My baby . My life!”
“I said she was a bitch,” Toby barked. “She forced her way into a job. Then she gets you drunk and gets you to mate with her, and now she’s taken Mikaela. She’d been fucking playing us all along.”
“She used you, son,” Thomas said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Jeffery tried calling in some reinforcements, but for as many people as we need here, they had to confront the Lyons for approval. They know everything now. But it doesn’t matter. We must do whatever it takes to find Mikaela before Lillian hurts her, too.”
Hurt? No, Jack wasn’t being hurt. He was being killed. He couldn’t breathe. The gaping hole in his chest was making it difficult for him to even move. He couldn’t even see. Everything was blurry.
Then he felt wetness touch his cheek, and he roared as the emotion spilled over. If Lillian was so evil, there was only one thing that could be done. She knew too much, and she was out to harm his family. She couldn’t be allowed to get away with it.
And live.
He looked at Josh. If they stood a chance of finding them, they couldn’t wait for help. “Let’s go.”
* * * *
They were deep in the woods. Lillian’s insane father had doused the house and his car with gasoline and lit everything. He’d made her carry Mikaela, whom he’d drugged, because he was too weak from his battle with her. At first Lillian had refused to carry her, but then he started pouring the gas all over the place and said he didn’t care, that Mikaela could just burn and he could go grab one of the others to sell. She’d had no other choice but to carry her friend out of
Josh’s head snapped in Jack’s direction, and he took a threatening step toward him. Rob and Toby grabbed him and held him back.
“What the fuck?”
“Where. Is. My. Wife?” Josh growled, vehemence dripping from his words.
Jack’s hands went up in placation. “I don’t know, bro. What’s wrong?”
“Come here,” Thomas said. He and Jeffery were standing next to the desk in the room.
Jack went, but didn’t understand why everyone was staring at him as though he’d eaten baby kittens for lunch.
“Where is Lillian?” Thomas asked.
Jack stopped, his stomach dropping. “I don’t know. She didn’t return after her midmorning break.”
“Look at this, but don’t touch it. We called a forensics team.”
Jack felt the blood rushing through his veins when he stepped closer. His head was swimming for the second time within twenty-four hours, but instead of like last night, when he got some closure to long-unanswered questions, this feeling made him sick. Until he started to read a note that was covered in blood. Then he wanted to vomit.
Crazy cat people,
My job here is done, and the pregnant one is coming with me. My buyer will surely pay top dollar for her.
Lillian
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No way. No. Fucking. Way. “No!”
“You need to tell us everything you’ve talked about, Jackson.”
The world was tilting. He grabbed his head and roared as he hunched over. She wouldn’t do this to him. To his family.
Would she?
She didn’t want to be with him. She’d insulted him at every opportunity.
“We found a padlock by the letter, too,” Jeffery said. “It’s the same style as the one used at the gate closest to their property.”
“Did you give her a key to that gate, Jackson?” Thomas asked sternly.
Hell no, he hadn’t. But he’d known she’d taken one because that was the way she’d come and go.
He shook his head.
Josh wailed. “I need to find Mikaela right now!” He forcefully shrugged their brothers off him and leveled a stare at Jack. “You’re going to help me.”
“We have to wait for the forensics. I’m sure the Lyons are sending a task force with top-notch investigators,” Thomas said and then looked away. “And doctors.”
Josh moaned, agony pouring out of him. “With every second, that woman is getting farther away from here with my wife. My baby . My life!”
“I said she was a bitch,” Toby barked. “She forced her way into a job. Then she gets you drunk and gets you to mate with her, and now she’s taken Mikaela. She’d been fucking playing us all along.”
“She used you, son,” Thomas said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Jeffery tried calling in some reinforcements, but for as many people as we need here, they had to confront the Lyons for approval. They know everything now. But it doesn’t matter. We must do whatever it takes to find Mikaela before Lillian hurts her, too.”
Hurt? No, Jack wasn’t being hurt. He was being killed. He couldn’t breathe. The gaping hole in his chest was making it difficult for him to even move. He couldn’t even see. Everything was blurry.
Then he felt wetness touch his cheek, and he roared as the emotion spilled over. If Lillian was so evil, there was only one thing that could be done. She knew too much, and she was out to harm his family. She couldn’t be allowed to get away with it.
And live.
He looked at Josh. If they stood a chance of finding them, they couldn’t wait for help. “Let’s go.”
* * * *
They were deep in the woods. Lillian’s insane father had doused the house and his car with gasoline and lit everything. He’d made her carry Mikaela, whom he’d drugged, because he was too weak from his battle with her. At first Lillian had refused to carry her, but then he started pouring the gas all over the place and said he didn’t care, that Mikaela could just burn and he could go grab one of the others to sell. She’d had no other choice but to carry her friend out of
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