Page 15 of Ours to Keep

Elliot’s message lingers in my mind. We have a number now. It’s a small victory but a significant one. Mia has made first contact, and that’s a start. I trust Elliot to do his part. He’s thebest at what he does. If anyone can trace the number or find a lead, it’s him.

Time stretches, the minutes blending into hours. I don’t move, even as my limbs ache from staying in the same position. Lily needs me here, and I won’t let her down, not again. Eventually, her breathing evens out, and I know she’s fallen asleep.

Gently, I ease myself out of her grasp, careful not to wake her. I need to update the others and let them know how Lily is holding up. I step out into the hallway, pulling outmy phone to send a quick message tothe group chat.

Me: Lily’s asleep. She’s exhausted but holding up. How’s the trace going?

Elliot responds almost immediately.

Elliot: Working on it. This might take a while. The number is a burner, but I’m researching the service provider.

Me: Keep me posted.

I slide my phone back into my pocket, leaning against the wall. The hospital feels eerily quiet, only adding to my dark mood. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to centre myself. We’re doing everything we can, I remind myself. We will find Mia.

Returning to Lily’s room, I sit back in the chair beside her bed. Her face is peaceful in sleep, andthe lines of worry are smoothed out for the moment. I take her hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. She stirs slightly but doesn’t wake. I never thought I’d feel this connection with someone, especially not after what happened to me, but there’s something about Lily that makes me want more.

Chapter Nine

ELLIOT

The post fuck bliss I felt quickly evaporated when we were interrupted by a message from Tommy, alerting us that Mia was on the phone to Lily. I frantically typed for him to ask Lily to keep her on the phone for as long as possible so I could start a trace.

I’d barely replied when Jax burst in wearing only a towel, dripping wet, while River and I were still in a precarious position.

I might have laughed or even felt embarrassed if the situation wasn’t so dire. He didn’t know where to look as he took in our naked forms and cum soaked skin.

River seems to be the first to snap out of it. With his dick still semi-hard, he saunters over to the chest of drawers and pulls out shorts, tossing a pair at me. I catch them in my free hand. Jax clears his throat, grumbling some apology under his breath as his focus returns to his phone.

“Shit, I need my laptop,” I say, shoving my glasses on my face.

“On it,” River says, darting out of the room.

I reach for my prosthetic and have it on by the time Riverreemerges. As soon as he passes it to me, Itype in my passwordandlogin to a security network I have no business accessing.

“Come on, come on,” Isay, typing away and adding the phone number tothe search engine.

Jax and River stand over me as my fingers fly over the keypad, trying to pinpoint a physical location. I want to tell them both to back off, but I know it is of the essence. I need a few more minutes, the signal bouncing, re-calculating.

I can see the bars getting larger, and I know we’re close, but not quite close enough as the signal is shut off, breaking the connection and losing the trace.

“Fuck.”

“I was thinking about the safe house,” I say once Jax returns to the kitchen, fully dressed.

River turns, leaning back against the counter, and takes a huge bite from the sandwich he’s just made, and I realise it’s the first time he’s actually had an appetite in what feels like days.

“Yeah?” Jax walks over to the fridge and pulls out an energy drink before joining me at the table.

“I thought I could speak to Caleb and Noah.”

From my peripheral, I notice the sandwich pause at River’s lips at the mention of Noah.

Jax cocks a brow. “Oh really?”

I nod. “Yeah, you remember when they wanted Jessica out of the house after the shit with her ex?”

“Yeah, it’s hard to forget,” he replies. I’m not sure if he’s talking about Jessica’s room’s state or that it became apparent they were both with her.

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