Page 8 of Ours to Keep

Safe. The word feels fragile, as if it could shatter at any moment. But for now, it needs to be enough. I allow myself to hold on to that brief reprieve of hope, but it doesn’t last long as reality comes crashing back around me.

“Mia,” I gasp, attempting to sit up before my body has even had time to accumulate. “I-is she okay?” I cough out, my throat so dry. A hackle rises up causing a full-blown coughing fit, excruciating pain making itself known.

“Sunshine, you need to calm down.” Tommy gently eases me back while fiddling with something beside him. The bed behind my head begins to move, allowing me to sit. “Here, sip this slowly,” he says, his voice soft.

The cool liquid soothes my dry, coarse throat. I try to take slow, measured breaths, but the urgency of my question claws at my chest, demanding an answer.

“Tommy, please,” I rasp, desperation evident. “Mia… is she safe?”

His green orbs are less vivid than before. They flicker with hesitation, and a knot tightens in my stomach. “Tommy, please.”

He takes a deep breath, his grip on my hand tightening. “Sunshine, I’ll tell you, but I need you to stay calm.”

All that does is cause my heart rate to spike even more than it already is.

“Richard pulled her out of school… and skipped the country.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, the room spinning, the fluorescent lighting an assault to my senses as I try to process his words. “No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “Please, tell me that’s a mistake.”

“I’m sorry, Lily. But I won’t lie to you,” Tommy says, his voice heavy with regret. “We already have Elliot on it. He’s pulling all his contacts to track down their exact whereabouts.”

Tears blur my vision, my fear for Mia overwhelming. “Shedoesn’t deserve this. I don’t know what I’ll do if he hurts her. She’s just a child. All I’ve ever wanted to do was to protect her, and I couldn’t even do that,” I admit.

“This isn’t on you, Sunshine. I promise you, we’ll find her.”

I close my eyes, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. Richard was always a liability when it came to me. Just look at tonight. But the thought of her being caught in his web is unbearable, a nightmare I can’t escape.

Tommy’s hand in mine reminds me he’s here, that I’m not alone. His touch is a tangible presence, a lifeline in my emotional turmoil. “Right now, you need to rest and focus on healing. We’ll find Mia, have faith, yeah.”

I nod weakly, knowing he’s right, but feeling utterly helpless at the same time. “Promise?” I whisper, my voice trembling.

He leans forward, his forehead resting gently on mine. “I promise, Lily. We’ll bring her back to you. And he won’t get away with this.”

Something about how tactile he is with me solidifies something between us—something I can’t explain but that I know is significant. He pulls back slightly, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch.

“I mean it, Sunshine. We’ll bring her back,” he reiterates, his voice a low, determined baritone.

I nod, tears slipping down my temples. The exhaustion pulls me under again, but Tommy’s presence anchors me for a moment longer. I grip his hand tighter, holding on to the warmth and strength he offers.

“Tommy,” I whisper. “Please, stay with me.”

He squeezes my hand, his thumb brushes gently over the back of my knuckles. “I’m not going anywhere, Sunshine,” he promises, his voice a soothing balm. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

His words wrap around me like a weighted blanket as myeyes drift closed. I desperately cling to that four-letter word—hope. And then darkness retakes me, but this time it’s different, knowing when I wake, Tommy will be there, waiting for me.

Chapter Six

JAX

It’s been over thirty-six hours since we found Lily, and I am running on literal fumes. Tommy, River and Elliot have taken turns visiting her in hospital. It's not that I haven't wanted to be there because I have more than anything—it's why nothing will stop me from seeing her today.

The doctors wanted to keep her in for observation, considering the nature of the assault. They say she was fortunate.Fortunate?I'm not sure if I see it quite that way. It never should have happened.

Richard, it turns out, has fucked off to France, taking Mia with him. Elliot is busy trying to hack into the main computer in his home office. Something tells me there's much more to this than we realise, and I'm determined to get to the bottom as soon as possible.

The police, as expected, have been pretty unhelpful. They want to interview Lily, but I refuse until she’s been discharged from the hospital, which, all being well, will be tomorrow morning. She's been in and out of it. Whether it's the pain relief they have her on or her body’s way of self-preservation, I'm not sure. But there was no way she was being leftalone.

“Jax, you're dead on your feet,” Elliot saysas he approaches me in the kitchenwhile I make another black coffee.

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