Page 36

Maddox

Jacko’s driving back to Willow Street because my hands won’t stop shaking. “You should have let me punch him.”

“If you started, you wouldn’t have been able to stop. And there’s still a possibility he wasn’t responsible for her running away.”

Jacko’s right. “He did something.”

“When we know something, you can tear him apart to your heart’s content.”

“Like Vex is going to leave anything for anyone else. How is he even alive? Vex isn’t a patient man.” Or forgiving. Especially for violence against women…his woman…If it was Mindy, he’d be in the dungeon meeting my snakes slowly.

“You know, Vex does things on his own timeline.”

He needs to hurry it up. Adonis doesn’t deserve to breathe on this planet anymore. I’ve got to stop fixating on him and focus on Mindy. “What do we do if The Kid can’t find her?”

“Then we’ll find another thread to follow. She walked away on her own two feet. When she calls tomorrow, we’ll be ready.”

If she calls tomorrow.

My phone rings.

I pick it up without looking. “What?”

“I need a meet.” Knight doesn’t sound happy.

“Kinda busy. Can it wait?”

“No. I’ll be at your place in five.” He clicks off.

“What was that about?” Jacko turns into the parking garage under our office building.

“Knight’s got a problem.”

“You don’t need any more problems.”

That doesn’t seem to matter.

Jacko barely stops the SUV when I jump out. Everett might have something.

The elevator takes too long, so I dash up the stairs two at a time.

There are half a dozen people in my office. Everett’s still at the computer.

“Did you find her?”

He turns around to face me. “No. The cab went off-grid in an old section of Urbium. There’s a nice neighborhood in that direction, as well as hundreds of warehouses. Quite a few of them are vacant. I’m trying to find her. But it’s a needle in a haystack at the moment. It could take days to sort through all of them.”

Days!

She might not have days.

Take a breath. Don’t panic. This isn’t the time to be irrational. “Do what you can.”

He nods and turns back to the computer.

What do I do?

People don’t say a word as I pace up and down the office. I want to shout at them to go away or do something. But they are doing something. They’re here showing their support, willing to do anything I ask them to.

The problem is with me. I don’t know where else to look.

Enzo stands up and walks over to me. “We found friends. Four of them. They all live outside of Urbium except for one. She’s a cop out of the 5th. Works with one of the Masters’ kids.”

“Do you have an address?” I don’t want to hunt her down through Masters, but I will if I need to.

“No, but I can get it.”

“Get it. Then give it to Everett. See if she went to the friend’s place. If she’s not there, we’ll check the ones outside of Urbium.” But those seem less likely.

There’s another thread to pull.

Jacko and Knight walk in together.

Knight takes off his jacket and sets it on the arm of a chair.

“What do you need? I’m kind of busy.”

“We’ve been friends for a very long time. So I’m going to need you to answer a question and make me believe you’re telling me the truth.” Knight rolls up his sleeves as he walks towards me.

Everyone has gone crazy today. “What question?”

“Did you beat her up?”

“WHAT?”

The rest of the room goes silent.

“I know you. But I can’t see how this woman is lying. She’s battered, bruised, and has cuts from a broken bottle all over her back. I can’t see why she would lie. And she told me you beat her up.”

Jacko steps in front of Knight. “My brother has never touched a woman in his life. She’s lying.”

“Then let him tell me the words. Because I don’t want to believe her. But the man who hurt her deserves to hurt just as badly. And I have no problem being the one to do it. Tell me you didn’t beat up Mindy Peters.”

My heart stops.

The whole world stops.

She’s alive.

I know where she is. Must get to her. I run for the stairs.

“What is he doing? I asked him a question.” Knight shouts behind me.

“Come if you want the explanation.” Jacko has my back.

I know he’s coming even without looking.

How I don’t fall as I fly down the stairs, I don’t even know. All I know is that I need to get to her now.

Jacko snatches the keys out of my hand before I can get in the driver’s seat. “You’re not killing yourself before you get to her. I’m driving.”

It would take too long to fight with him. I get in the car.

Knight manages to hop in before we take off. “Explain now.”

“You found her. I’ve been looking for Mindy.” Move faster.

Why are we even talking? Just move.

“Maddox didn’t hurt her.”

“How can you know that?”

Jacko pulls out of the parking garage but doesn’t floor it. “Because on Sunday, we rescued thirty kids and five adult women who were delivered to The Nest.”

“That was you. I got a notification, but no details.” Knight leans forward.

“That was us. Maddox was with us all day. There wasn’t a moment he was alone that evening. What we do know is Canyon dropped Mindy off at the apartment she shares with the pretty boy, and Dahlia Steele visited her until a little after ten.”

The time stamps. “He was lying.”

“Who?” Jacko asks.

“The pretty boy. He said he kissed Dahlia for twenty-five minutes. But she left a couple of minutes after ten. There wasn’t time. He lied.” I turn around and face Knight. “Did he rape her?”

“You know I can’t give you details like that.”

“Tell me!” Before I go out of my mind. “I need to know what I’m walking into. Did he rape her?”

Knight stays silent.

“You should know that Maddox is in love with Mindy.”

“Then why didn’t she go to him? Or call him?”

“Because they’re in the middle of a fight. And…she doesn’t know it yet.”

Knight shakes his head. “This is insane. You know that, right?”

“Just tell me.” Whatever he says, you can handle it. You will handle it for her sake. You can explode later.

“There were no signs of rape.” Knight leans back. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t bad. It took two doctors five hours to pick all the glass out of her.”

My vision blurs.

Breathe.

You will handle this.

“Tell me the rest.”

***

Jacko pulls to a stop at the door.

We all jump out, and Jacko throws the keys to security.

Knight leads us towards the medical center they have.

Barb works here on occasion as a fill-in doctor.

Did she know the whole time?

She wouldn’t have known to tell me anyway. Most of her time is spent working for Vex.

We dash through hallways. Knight only slows down enough to unlock doors.

As we step into the medical center, the reality of what I have to do hits me.

I need to be calm, controlled…rational. Mindy needs to know she can rely on me. That I’m there for her.

She needs to see the man who loves her.

Not the monster that wants vengeance and death.

I need to be that for her.

“You ready?” Knight stops in front of a door.

She’s probably in there.

Breathe.

Jacko approaches my side. “You can do this. Do you want me by your side?”

No. But yes. “No. I’ll go in alone.” I slide my gun out of its holster and hand it to him. There’s no need to frighten her more.

Each step I take closer to her feels like an eon.

I open the door.

There she is, face down in the middle of a hospital bed. “Who did this to you?”