Page 25 of Burn It Down

“What?” she exclaimed, stepping back, her eyes wide as she stared at the house behind me. “Since I’ve been gone, you haven’t even gone to see her once?”

“I need her calm. That’s not going to be the case once we interact and her emotions are on overload, once she puts the pieces together and realizes I extracted her, but not Asher, or the other two. She’s been corrupted, brainwashed, by them. She thinks she’s in love with them, for fuck’s sakes.”

“So, your plan is to keep her in there alone until we finish the mission?”

“It will keep her safe and well.”

“It could be weeks, Lan. Maybe longer!”

“A small price to pay to ensure her wellbeing.”

“What about her mental and emotional wellbeing?”

“That can be dealt with after the fact, once the war is won.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head vehemently.

“Liv—”

“You’re afraid.”

My eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“This is more than what you’re letting on, more than what you can admit to yourself in all likelihood, knowing how well you can compartmentalize all your shit.” She grabbed my hand in her urgency to get through to me. Very few people could manage that. She was one such person, though, and it had me hissing and pulling free, not wanting her to manage it, to get to me. “Lan,” she snapped, persisting as per usual when she was passionate and intense about something. “You’re afraid that this reunion will be tainted. Because of her connection to the sons. You’re afraid she won’t accept it, won’t accept you back into her life again. But you do this and you’ll be forever poisoning your relationship anyway.”

Damn her.

“She’s not exactly a captive, like you’re painting it. She’s got the run of an entire finished basement. Her own bathroom, a closet full of the types of clothing she likes these days, a fridge full of prepared meals for her to nuke in the microwave that’s also there. I’ve supplied her with all her schoolwork to keep her busy, some reading material too, and even a tablet—albeit without internet access. The place is decorated to her liking too.”

“Lan.”

“Fuck. All right. But if this goes south, that’s it. There will be no more direct contact until the mission is done.”

I turned on my heel and she stayed behind outside, knowing this was something I needed to do alone.

Soon that wouldn’t be the case.

Once all of this was over, I planned on bringing Liv in close with my daughter, on her becoming an intrinsic part of Aurora’s life. And then we’d finally do what we’d waited years on—I’d take Olivia Warling as my wife.

It should’ve been her to begin with.

Not Isobel.

That twisted bitch was the biggest mistake of my life.

The only saving grace had been that Aurora had come out of that unfortunate union.

I gritted my teeth and forced that thought of Isobel down, as I made my way into the house, heading for the basement.

When I reached the door, I took a beat and sucked in a breath to center myself, recognizing what a significant moment this was.

Three years.

Three years since I’d been in the same room as my little girl.

Three years since I’d seen her in person and not through a screen. The other night when I’d extracted her didn’t count. Not only because it had only been for a few seconds before I’d had to put her to sleep, but because she hadn’t seen me. I’d come at her from behind, from the shadows. Before she’d had the chance to turn around, she’d been out cold.

I grimaced at the recollection.

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