Page 93 of The First Cut

I frown. “So he’s dead?”

“Not yet, but he’s in a coma. Cops have him guarded, so we can’t get to him. But if he wakes up, Havoc will eviscerate him for what he did, or tried to do, to Nevaeh.”

I swallow, ignoring the bitter voice in my head that thinks that must be nice.

“But she’s okay, right? Her dad stopped him in time.”

Hannibal pauses and looks at me in a way that suggests he sees far more than he lets on. “She got away from Driller, yes. But then she was kidnapped by the man who abducted her twin sister Citi when they were ten.”

“Holy fuck!”

“There’s more. We get there to find the guy dead, thanks to Havoc losing his shit. But we also find Citi upstairs in one of the bedrooms, with a shackle around her ankle and a kid strapped to her chest. Her kid.”

I cover my mouth with my hands, the horror of what that woman must have been through making me feel sick. “God… I don’t even know what to say to that. That’s—just…”

“Yeah, it was bad. I won’t give you all the details, but I think it’s safe to say she’s going to need a lot of help adjusting.”

I shake my head, not sure how you even begin to adjust after that. But I do know one thing—that kid of hers will be her saving grace. It’s easy to give up when you only have to be strong for yourself. But when you have to be strong for someone else, you have no choice but to get up and carry on.

“What about Probe? Is he okay?”

“He was out of surgery and in recovery when I left. G’s gonna keep me posted. I’ll ride back if anything changes.

“You mean if he dies, don’t you?” I ask quietly, already feeling sorry for a man I barely know.

“If anyone can pull through this, it’s that stubborn bastard.”

“I hope so. Driller’s hurt enough people as it is.”

He nods, dropping his head to skim his nose along mine. “Now tell me what I missed. What happened with Millie?”

I sigh and give him a rundown of what happened yesterday.

“I’ll talk to her. I had somewhat of an epiphany of my own when I was in that fucking house of horrors.”

“Oh yeah? Gonna share with your old lady?”

“She’s so fucking smart. She’s probably figured it out already.”

I grin. “Tell me anyway.”

He rolls so he’s beside me and pulls me into his arms. I rest my head on his chest as I draw circles across his bare stomach.

“It was the kid’s room.”

My fingers still as I wait for him to continue.

“It was cold and bare, not a single ounce of life. It made me think about what could have happened to Millie if I’d said no—where she might’ve ended up, and with who.”

“You wanted her, Hannibal. You were just too scared to admit it. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have worried.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“Did you push Melissa to have an abortion?”

“No.”

“Why not?”