AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She had said the code was somewhere in the room. What if it was written on me?
I punched the date of my first kill into the keypad—the same date that was tattooed on my middle finger in thick Roman numerals. A green light flashed in the corner and the latch clicked, unfastening. I sighed at her ingenuity and my own stupidity, pulling the heavy door open at last.
Fia was sitting on the island in the closet, squinting his eyes in judgment.
“Don’t give me that look,” I muttered, running my hand through his fur as I headed toward the bathroom to relieve myself.
But I didn’t stop there. I looked like an absolute wreck. I needed sleep and some detailing before I had a chance at approaching Emma with a mere apology. I washed my face and shaved just enough to leave a thin layer of stubble, knowing that was how she liked it. I spent thirty minutes in the shower, cleaning and grooming. I was worn out, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I felt better about myself. Physically, at the very least.
After setting an alarm, I crashed into bed. In a few hours, I’d start the day right. There was one stop I had to make before finding Emma, wherever she was.
First, I had to meet my niece. It’d been long enough already.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jack
It was close to noon when I exited the Tesla. I crossed the lobby toward the elevator, nodding at the armed guards. Shannon would be angry with me. Her feelings were founded, but she’d get over it. She always did. I wouldn’t be as lucky with my next challenge. After reconciling with Shannon and meeting my niece, I’d call Eoghan and figure out where Emma was, although I didn’t know what I would say just yet. My shit was all over the place.
The bright foyer with its fresh flowers and crystal table triggered a warmth in my chest. The unchanged penthouse reminded me how much I missed my family—Connor, in particular. It was moronic to cut myself off from his wife and child as a form of punishment, and I was ashamed for doing so. Self-sabotage was a habit of mine, a trauma cycle I needed to break if I wanted to survive my own mind.
When I approached the large white sectional, I froze. The wind was knocked out of me, a hard lump forming in my throat. Holy shit.
Emma was cuddling with an infant on the couch, fast asleep. Charlotte was still wrinkly and new, dressed in an army-green jumper with a matching headband. Her cheeks were rosy. Her nose was a button adorning her round, cherub face.
Emma, on the other hand, looked even more angelic. I hadn’t seen her in a sober state of mind in weeks. She wore Shannon’s clothes. The acid-washed jeans were baggy and torn. The pastel pink, lacy corset top was so sweet it had me salivating. A creamy blue beanie sat atop her head, her dark hair loose and curling over bare, ivory shoulders. Despite being in repose, she looked troubled.
I ached to cross the room, to stroke her cheek.
The sight of the two of them, Charlotte resting on Emma’s chest, was magical—as was every chance I got to see Emma, especially when she caught me by surprise. I should’ve considered Emma would be spending the afternoon with Shannon.
I stepped forward, eyeing the blanket on the back of the sofa. I wanted to cover the two of them, the first small act in my search for forgiveness. But Shannon’s angry face and wild red hair floated into my vision, cutting me off from Emma.
“Nursery,” she hissed, pointing behind me. “Now.”
I turned, heading toward the baby’s room. Shannon followed, entering the pink haven soon after me. The nursery had changed drastically from the last time I had been here. They had been expecting a boy. Emma and Shannon had decorated the walls with trucks and dinosaurs. Now, I walked into a little girl’s dream—cotton candy and unicorns, ballet slippers and tulle accents.
“Emma did it,” Shannon said as I gazed around at the new room, cataloging everything. “If you think you can just waltz in here after two months and go back to life as normal, you’ve got your head up your ass.”
Shannon wasn’t the type to hold a grudge. She needed to purge her system in one go. And I knew it. “Get it out, Shan.”
“Oh, Jack,” she labored, rolling her eyes. “I wish I could slap you, but I’d probably break a nail on your stubborn jaw. We have been cooped in this tower of spit-up and dirty diapers and tears for months while you’ve been out there with some sick vendetta. Even Kieran had his shit together enough to be at the hospital the day after Charlie was born! What the hell is wrong with you?”
I bit my cheek as I listened. Shannon was breathless and her face was red, but she wasn’t close to being done.
“Oh, and don’t even get me started on Emma! Telling her you cheated? You’re so obsessed with protecting her, yet you hurt her worse than anyone else ever could,” she hissed, casting me a dark, loaded glare. Her eyes were a lighter green than mine, but shadows danced in them. “Emma would kill for you. Don’t fuck it up.”
“I already have.”
“Yeah, you have.” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I assume you’ve been kept abreast on my decision to take Charlie to Ireland? We’re leaving tomorrow.”
This was a good move, even though I’d miss her terribly. It had been my choice to forgo a relationship with Charlotte, and I was suffering the consequences.
“Yes, Mick told me last week.”
Shannon took me by surprise with a tight hug. She smelled like baby powder and milk, making me smile. The last time I’d seen her, she had been comatose with grief. She had recovered miraculously, and it had everything to do with that baby in the other room. Motherhood had saved her.
“I’ve missed you, Jackie,” she whispered. “Don’t ever do that to us again or I’ll fly back here and lock your ass in the panic room myself.”
