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For a billionaire, Charlie was very down to earth. She liked the simple things like my Katie. Although Charlie’s simple things cost a fuckton more than anyone I knew, and my grandparents were both billionaires in their own right, without counting the Holt Family’s combined wealth. Charlie’s wealth was unreal, but you wouldn’t know it by the wedding she planned.
Over the next few days, the team and I helped Morgan set up his girl’s dream wedding. While Charlie puked her guts out, Morgan fretted over her losing weight, and I ruminated. I couldn’t get that conversation with Katie out of my fucking head.
Both conversations.
The conversation between Katie and I was bad enough, but the one between her and Liam plagued me. Those words were burned into my psyche. Even in my dreams, the words flashed before my mind’s eye—some bigger, some smaller. Some popped up all at once, while others floated in a letter at a time.
I’d come to terms with the fact Katie was pregnant, and if our situation were different, Morgan and I would be racing toward fatherhood together, and it’d be a toss-up which of us was the bigger cock of the walk as we strutted around with pride. But this situation meant I got to stress as to whether or not the baby Katie was carrying was mine or, worse yet, if I was losing the love of my life.
Since that first set of texts, Katie had been quiet. Eerily so. She responded whenever I called or texted, but her side of theconversation was like pulling teeth. I’d stooped to spying on her through the family and the rest of the security team.
I’d even messaged Adam and Brock. That had been a strange conversation. They’d assured me Katie was still at my parents even though they hadn’t been there since before I’d left for Pennsylvania.
When I asked where they were, Adam said, “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t know the answer to.”
I tried arguing with him, but he hung up on me. When I called back, Brock answered. “Jackson, I’ll call you when there’s something to report, but until then, it’s radio silence. Just keep your phone on you.”
He hung up.
Are they close to finding them? Could this be over soon?
I prayed they were close. Katie and I needed some good news. I needed this to come to an end. I needed to make amends for failing to protect my girl.
I knew what needed to be done and who could help me do it.
Katie was asleep. She was stressed about leaving the hospital. Not that I blamed her. I was, too, but she had a panic attack, and Liam had one of the on-call doctors give her something to help her sleep. With Katie medicated, I couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes.
I was reading a historical biography about General Patton when a sound disrupted me. I turned the phone off and let myeyes close to slits as I waited. I didn’t see or hear anything for a long time. Then the hospital room door opened so softly I thought I was imagining things until I saw my grandfather, Adam, and Brock step into the room.
Gran Dad said as he stopped beside the bed, “Liam said Katie would be out of it for a while.”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure what Gran Dad wanted, but I didn’t want to take the chance to wake Katie. I stood up and returned to where Brock and Adam were waiting just in front of the hospital room door.
“She’s out of it, but I don’t want her woken up. She had a rough time settling tonight,” I whispered.
My grandfather nodded. “Understandable. Adam and Brock told me what you asked of them, Jackson.”
I folded my arms over my chest, immediately on the defensive. Gran Dad only called me Jackson when he wasn’t happy with me. I didn’t say a word in defense of my request. I was adamant that those fuckers not see the inside of a courtroom.
“Jackson, this isn’t you. Once you do this, you can’t ever walk it back, son,” Gran Dad said.
I wouldn’t be talked out of this. I refused to be deterred. Caleb and Nina hadn’t suffered nearly enough. I meant what I told Adam and Brock. Both of those motherfuckers would fucking die a slow, painful death.
“Jackson…” Gran Dad started.
I interrupted him. “Tell me if it were Gee Mom, you wouldn’t want the same thing. That you wouldn’t make them pay before making them disappear.”
He dropped his chin to his chest and slid his hands in his pockets.
Turning to Adam and Brock, I reminded them of their history. “Brock, you cannot tell me it didn’t feel amazing to kill the fuckers that captured and tortured Adam.”
Brock sighed. “No, I can’t tell you that because I’d be fucking lying, but Jackson…”
I looked at Adam, who was watching Brock. They’d been teammates of Foster’s, and Gran Dad had helped with Adam’s rescue and then with the red tape that was keeping Brock and Adam apart in the Navy. He paved the way for them both to be medically discharged so they didn’t lose all their benefits but could come work for Holt and be together the way they wanted.
“Adam, you suffered torture the likes of which I cannot imagine, but I have to imagine that it was easier to cope and heal knowing your captors would never take another breath?” I asked.
“You’re not wrong, Jackson. But what you aren’t taking into account is this…you aren’t a trained killer. The three of us are. I’m not saying it’s not an issue for us because it is. Even the deaths of my captors weigh on Brock at times. Taking a human life is fucking hard, no matter your training or why you think it needs to happen. It changes you at the most basic levels. That’s what we want you to understand,” Adam answered.
