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“I was out of it for a bit. I must’ve hit my head when we crashed, but when I came to, we were moving at a pretty good clip. Katie and I contemplated what the fuck we could do to get away from them since the trackers weren’t transmitting. When they pulled off the interstate, Katie and I jumped out of the back of the van and bolted. I’m not sure where it was that we jumped out of the van. I was just focused on putting as much distance between them and us as possible,” I explained.
It wasn’t good enough.
Foster’s gaze sharpened for a minute. “Jackson, you did a damn fine job. You are both alive. That’s all that matters.”
Those words triggered the separation anxiety I’d been experiencing since Katie and I escaped. My body vibrated with energy. I sighed.
“I’ll go through the whole ordeal with you, but not now. I have to get back to Katie. My skin’s crawling, being so far away from her.”
Foster nodded, standing up. He pulled me into his arms. His voice was rough when he spoke. “I was so fucking scared, kiddo.”
I nodded. I had been as well. Still was.
“Their names aren’t Michelle and Danny. They’re Nina and Neil Weldon. They’re siblings. Michelle and Danny were aliases.”
Foster pushed me away from him, holding me at arm’s length. His eyes blew wide open.
“How did you find that out?”
“Danny or Neil, rather, told us when Michelle and Caleb took a breather to get food. When they left, I managed to get loose. I had Katie scream to draw his attention. He caved when he saw I was no longer strung up like a deer waiting to be field dressed.”
“Did he say why?” Foster asked.
“Yeah. Nina and Neil are the chief’s kids. He abandoned them, and they ended up in foster care. From what I overheard, it wasn’t a happy experience,” I told him, still completely blown away about the shit that had come out in that basement.
“The chief? You don’t mean Conrad?”
“Welcome to the mindfuck,” I said sarcastically. “Yes. I mean Conrad. From what Danny said, Michelle, or Nina, took the job as Katie’s publicist to get close to Katie. When Caleb began stalking Katie, Michelle used it to her advantage.”
“Jesus, fuck!” Foster exclaimed. I watched shock write itself across his face. “Why would she want to hurt Katie?”
“Because Katie had a perfect life and Michelle and Danny didn’t. Michelle…fuck, Nina and Neil didn’t have a good upbringing, and she blames Katie and Roxy.”
“For?” Foster asked incredulously.
I shrugged. “I dunno. For their whole rotten lives? Who knows why crazy fucks do the shit they do?”
I rubbed my hands over my face and head, trying to quiet the screaming banshee inside my skull that said to get back to Katie.
“Get with Dr. Cole and have him restrict visitors until Katie is awake and can make some decisions. I don’t want her caught off guard.”
Foster nodded and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text. “Done. Before I take you back to her, I need to know your injuries.”
My breath caught in my throat. I turned away from his gaze and shook my head. “I can’t. Not yet. Talk with the doctor. Or Liam. Katie and I signed releases.”
I opened the door to leave the room, determined to leave Foster behind. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know if I’d ever be prepared to talk about what the fuck happened. Talking with the police had been enough for me for the rest of my fucking life.
“Jackson, where are Nina and Caleb?” Foster asked, stopping me in my tracks.
I turned to him. Rage consumed me. My body felt too small to contain all the emotions their names released in me. The shit boiled in my veins and under my skin. My nostrils flared. I felt wild and untamed, like a rabid animal. Foster’s eyes widened.
I snarled at him, low and dead calm. “I don’t know, but when I get my hands on them, no one will ever find them. I will make them pay for every drop of blood, every tear, every moment of pain they caused Katie. I will not stop until they’re fucking dead, and I’m pissing on their ashes.”
“Jackson…”
“Don’t fucking say whatever is on the tip of your tongue. They hurt my woman. The only one for me. My soulmate. The other half of me. He put his filthy fucking hands on her, and for that, he will die. Painfully. Slowly and by my own hands. And before you mention the consequences, I don’t give a fuck. Consequences be damned. They will not be permitted to breathe the air she does.”
I turned back to the door but paused. “Oh, you might also want to keep Conrad away from me. The motherfucker abandoned his fucking kids. From the sound of it, Nina and Neil were in and out of foster homes, and they were raped and beaten repeatedly. That kind of torture would fuck anyone up. It doesn’t excuse what they did, but, well, Conrad is a shitty fucking father. He basically abandoned Katie, and now we know it wasn’t the first time.”
