Page 47 of Imminent Danger

“What do you want, Lowell?” His words were measured and tight, and her chest squeezed tighter in response.

Lowell let out a dark laugh that had a shiver crawling up her spine. “It’s quite simple, really. Leave my defense bill alone, and I’ll let this precious little girl live to see her mother again.”

As Lia's small voice reached the receiver, the air in the room grew heavy. "Mommy, please help me," she pleaded, and Kaylie's eyes welled with tears, a fresh surge of panic flooding her, along with a wave of relief that her daughter was still alive.

Kaylie lunged at the center of the table, desperation to be close to her daughter overcoming all rational thought. “Mommy’s coming!” she yelled at the speaker, her voice cracking with a sob as Lia’s words cut off with a cry.

Lowell’s emotionless voice replaced Lia’s cries. “The vote is in two days. I’ll keep little Cecelia safe until then. If it doesn’t pass? Then she’ll pay the price.” The line went dead.

“No!” Kaylie screamed. “You can’t!” She pressed random buttons on the unfamiliar device, trying to get her daughter’s voice back, until strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her away from the table.

“Shhh, fiamello. We’ll get her.” He held her for a moment before guiding her into a chair. She hugged her knees, waiting for her heart to calm and her sobs to stop.

When she had quieted her body’s intense reaction, she tipped her face up and sought solace in the one person who could understand the depth of her fear, expecting him to be standing next to her. But Anthony was gone. At some point, the warmth of his strong arms around her had been replaced by cool air and a strange feeling of loss.

Across the room, he was immersed in the discussion about the operation, his attention fixed on the strategic details. Kaylie's hands trembled as she tried to steady herself, but the room seemed to spin around her.

A suffocating sensation enveloped her, and the edges of her vision blurred. She needed comfort, reassurance, but Anthony’s distance left her gasping for air. As the panic threatened to consume her, Kaylie stood up and stumbled backward, finding refuge against the wall.

Joey, ever perceptive, approached her with a concerned look. "Hey, Kaylie, take a deep breath. We're going to get Lia back," she said, trying to offer reassurance.

But Kaylie's breaths came in shallow gasps, the weight of the situation bearing down on her. "I can't lose her, Joey. I can't..." Her voice trailed off into a desperate plea. “And Anthony won’t—” She cut herself off, not liking the pathetic way she seemed to need him. She shouldn’t need him. His distance shouldn’t be cutting her so deeply. Not when Lia was what really mattered.

Joey guided her to a quiet corner of the room, away from the intense discussions. "Look, Tank is focused on the operation right now. He's not great with emotions, especially his own. But trust me, he cares about you and Lia more than he lets on," Joey whispered, her eyes filled with understanding.

The words offered a glimmer of hope, but Kaylie couldn't shake the fear that gripped her. "I don't know if I can believe that. He's shutting me out, Joey. I need him, and he's just..." She gestured helplessly toward Tank, engrossed in the planning.

Joey sighed, her gaze unwavering. "Tank's not the type to let people in easily. But I've known him for a long time, and I've seen the lengths he'll go to protect those he cares about. Don't give up on him, Kaylie. He's just handling things in his own way."

“Joey! What did you get on that trace?” Anthony’s voice held no softness as he called across the room.

Joey flashed an apologetic smile toward Kaylie and stood. “We’ll get her.” Then the hacker went back to her computer and started explaining to Anthony something on the screen.

The weight of uncertainty pressed on her as she watched the man she cared about more than anyone other than Lia, but Kaylie clung to the sliver of solace in Joey's words. She’d claimed that Anthony cared about her, but ever since he’d found them at the motel, he’d been pulling away.

She should have realized it sooner.

He was angry with her. Of course he was. She’d run away, taking Lia from Black Tower and putting them in danger because she’d refused to accept his help. And she hadn’t apologized to him for it at all. In fact, he’d been constantly apologizing to her, but it wasn’t even his fault. It was her own.

It was her fault Lia had been taken as leverage. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, or if she’d been able to defend them from Paul’s man at the bus station, Lia would be in her arms right now. It felt like every decision she’d made up to this point had been the wrong one.

Except trusting Anthony. She hadn’t been wrong to trust him. But she’d been wrong to drag him into her mess by staying instead of running immediately.

As the room buzzed with preparations, Kaylie felt a new wave of helplessness, spurred on by her own inadequacy. Every person in this room brought skills to the table that she didn’t have. What had she done except get Lia and herself caught in an even bigger web of danger? Her fears had been controlling their life for too long. But all her fear seemed well-founded when she considered everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

How did you stop being afraid when everything happening was so freaking terrifying?

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

Joey’s dissatisfaction with him was evident on her face, but she quickly pushed past her emotions and kicked into professional gear. “The call was masked. Other than confirming that it came from the Chicago region, I don’t have anything new.”

Tank bit back a groan. They desperately needed something if they were going to find Citadel’s hiding place in the Chicago region.

Joey nodded. “I’m working on it,” she said before stalking back to her computer.

His eyes flicked back to where Joey had left Kaylie across the room. She was pale and wide-eyed, looking as though a stiff-breeze could knock her over. The urge to care for her simmered in his chest, like it had been for weeks. She needed food and sleep and to be nestled in his arms for hours. But he pushed away the feeling.

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