Page 206 of Wreck Me

Worse than that—having other people handle things that I should be out there seeing to, that I was more than capable of seeing to.

But when Caspian had gotten a lock on Bastian’s location, I hadn’t argued my case any further. Not since he’d told me about the real stakes involved. Taking out Jett would cause him and the boys a great deal of grief. It would hurt them. Not only would it compromise their deliverance of justice and vengeance upon the older Bane brother, it could also put them in severe jeopardy too with the way Elijah would retaliate should his sibling be taken out by King or those within his inner circle.

Because I’d known in that moment when there’d been an opening to Jett that I wouldn’t have been able to keep that promise if I’d taken it and gone along with Caspian and his people.

I would’ve put him down hard.

I would’ve ended it once and for all.

I would’ve killed him.

It didn’t mean that it had been easy to see beyond that intense need to rip that bastard apart and deliver punishment that had been so long coming.

And that was why I’d had Caspian drop me back at my home, instead of staying at King Manor. I’d needed to ground myself by being back here in our family home, around my family.

Well, my mom, anyway.

My dad was working late tonight with Jeremy at the private security firm.

Fortunately, that was all that they were doing. My dad was no longer trying to hunt down the perpetrator behind the release of that sex tape nightmare, because I’d made a deal with Caspian just before he’d headed out. In exchange for me staying out of the mission to deal with Jett, he’d fed my dad false intel, claiming the perpetrator was already being dealt with and punished. Thank fuck, it would keep him far away from that maniac and Elijah Bane by extension.

Bastian’s kidnapping was also being kept to King’s people and just the boys and me. I hadn’t told my dad in case he’d made the connection and then gotten involved, which would’ve likely had him doing much worse than merely tracking, and actually entering the field instead.

It hadn’t been easy to keep it from my demeanor, to not show how incredibly on edge I was about Bastian’s safety and wellbeing. Hours had gone by since he’d been taken and even though Caspian and his men were out there now to bring Bastian back, I wouldn’t be at ease again until I got confirmation that he was free and that things were really okay.

Fortunately, now my mom and I were not only on speaking terms, but in a really good place as well, we’d spent the entire evening together, first having dinner, then watching Rocky IV, one of my favorite 80’s action movies. It had been really nice to connect with her like that and to just talk without any heavy career or life discussions marring things.

But then she’d gone to bed a couple of hours ago—at midnight, which was late for her. So I’d been stuck in my own head ever since.

There was no way I could sleep until I knew Bastian was safe, so I’d tried to sketch, but that hadn’t panned out. I’d ended up drawing him, Caleb, and Caspian.

And for the last twenty minutes, I’d been pacing non-stop.

I snatched my phone off my bedspread and checked my messages again.

I hadn’t heard a notification, but I was so fucking tired, maybe I’d missed it.

The moment I swiped my screen open, it was clear that I hadn’t.

I scrolled to the last message that had come in, one from my dad just before I’d begun my erratic pacing.

Dad: Be home in an hour. Hope neither of you are actually seeing this and that you’re already sound asleep, not waiting up for me.

He’d sent that to our family chat, to the both of us.

I hadn’t responded, because I didn’t want him to know I was up, or he’d come looking for me once he got home and then he’d know, he’d just damn well know something was up.

Actually, thinking of that, I only had a little while to grab my fondant balls from the kitchen before he got back. I needed the sugar kick to help me stay lucid. While I could stay awake and this restlessness and nervousness for Bastian and Caspian was gonna keep me from sleeping, I still needed to be with it while I was up and about.

I’d thought about calling Caleb to talk it all out, with him being benched too. But with the way he’d stormed out, I’d decided against it, realizing he needed time to cool off, and me referencing it all could just make it all the worse for him.

Isn’t that what your presence does? Makes things hell for everybody around you?

I gritted my teeth at that biting thought, then headed out of my bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs, not wanting to wake my mom. It was hard enough for her to fall asleep without my dad being here as it was. It was the three glasses of wine that she’d knocked back while we’d watched that movie that had really been the only thing that had made it possible for tonight.

I turned the corner into the kitchen, enjoying the calm blanket of darkness throughout the house. I tried to focus on the serenity of that, rather than my own thoughts.

But as I approached the fridge, a wave of awareness washed over me.

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