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14
Jaynee
Who was snoring? They were a heavy breather too. It sort of sounded like a man, but why would he be in…
Wait.
Keeping my eyes closed, I shifted onto my side and tucked a fuzzy blanket under my chin, snuggling the side of my face into a soft pillow. Was it goose down? I loved goose down. They were just so expensive, I could never afford to buy one.
Wait.
I’m not at home.
I winced when a stabbing pain hit the back of my head. Holy moly, was a raging fire burning a hole in my scalp? The rest of my body seemed okay, no aches or pains. What happened to me?
Oh my God. The masked men. They took Sadie into a van. I blacked out.
I gasped, popping up in bed, then covered my mouth to keep from making another sound. My eyes must’ve been playing tricks on me.Zander?
Zander, the snorer, sat in a chair across from the bed with Sadie curled in his arms. He wheezed, gagging a little. Her head pushed into his neck like she couldn’t get close enough to him—like she was holding on for dear life. He didn’t seem bothered in the least.
My mind raced to put all the pieces together. It was impossible to form a coherent thought with all the static crackling in my head.
Why was Zander here?
How did he find us?
Where were we?
How in God’s name did I get in this bed? A crane? Had three or four men hoisted me into it? I hadn’t been carried since I was a toddler. If my freaking head didn’t hurt so much, I’d be mortified.
Well, at least those scary men weren’t here, and my sweet girl appeared unharmed… with Zander.
They looked content together. Well, Sadie did. Zander? I felt sorry for him with my four-year-old cutting off his airways.
My word. I wasn’t sure what to make off the scene in front of me. Sadie wasn’t one to cuddle with anyone other than me.
I teared up, my heart aching for my baby girl and all she’d missed. To see her with a stranger the way she should’ve been with her dad gutted me.
“Stop staring,” Zander muttered with his eyes closed, a smirk playing on his lips.
“I’m not.” I swallowed my emotion and imagined raising my protective shield. I was vulnerable, easily confused, and most definitely able to be manipulated in my current state.
Zander is a stranger.
“Liar. Peanut and I are a captivating sight.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest.
He wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
Stop it, Jay. Don’t go there.
“Where are we?” I whispered. “What time is it? How did we get here?”
“Shh. How’s your head?”
“Don’t disregard me,” I told him in a snippy tone.
