Page 63 of Better Hide

Maybe a shower will help wake me up.

The shower doesn’t help. My head is still just as foggy, and the only shampoo is some stupid, flowery soap that makes me smell like a walking Bath and Body Works. It clouds my head even more.

It’s three AM by the time I storm out of the bathroom. I stalk to the living room, where I spotted a laptop earlier. It’s password-protected. I snatch Marian’s purse off the counter and find her birthday. It works on the first try.

I smirk. When I worked as a cop, I could guess people’s phone passwords nine times out of ten. If it wasn’t 1111, then it was some variation of their birthday, their loved one’s birthday, or their social security number. Idiots.

I bring the laptop back to bed and hop on the dark web, searching for ways out of the country. It takes me a minute to figure out what to search for. I know for a fact that the feds crawl all over the dark web, hence why people talk in code. The listings themselves are difficult to trace, but the people listing their services don’t want to advertise their location.

Which is fucking important when it comes to travel.

I stare at the words on the screen until they swirl in my head, and I can’t see straight. I think I find a few listings and message the vendors. They all want an insane amount of Bitcoin for three passengers. It’s like they can smell the desperation.

These goddamn dirty thieves.

Ralph better have the kind of money I think he does, or he and I are going to have an interesting talk with the end of my gun. My dick twitches.

Yes, I think that’s exactly what I need. A little violence to wake me up out of this fog.

30

COLE

I wake up,and Jayden is slumped over next to us with a laptop on his lap.

I shake my head. He never turns off. I don’t think he’s turned off since Jo came into our lives. Honestly, I thought he would completely self-destruct until Jo.

I roll out of bed and gently pull the computer away from Jayden.

He needs to rest. He wouldn’t rest even if I locked him in a room with a bed. He might sleep, but he won’t rest. At least, not until after he makes his fists bloody from pounding on the door.

Jayden’s eyes flutter open.

“Go back to sleep,” I demand.

“What time is it?” Jayden blinks and sits up, his eyes red.

“Seven.”

Jo moans and pulls the blankets up over her head. It makes me smirk. She’s so cute when she’s grumpy.

“I’ll get breakfast. Stay in bed.”

“I’m getting up.” Jayden throws the blankets off.

I shake my head. I can’t help him if he doesn’t want to help himself.

I move to the kitchen. I’m grateful that it’s quiet and everyone seems to be asleep. I don’t want to see my mom. Fuck, I’m not sure I should even call her that. It’s not like she ever did anything motherly for me, not like what she’s doing for Sam.

My chest hurts.

I need to stop being stupid. Marian stopped being my mom years ago, probably right after she pushed me out. It’s been three decades. I should be over it by now.

I get to work making a bunch of eggs. I don’t know how to make them well, but I know Jo is tired of living off snacks and fast food.

I wonder when Ralph is coming back and what angle to take with him. I try to remember anything I can about him, but he’s just a blurry memory from when I was a kid. I caught him staring at me a lot, but he never touched me or said anything to me—not like Pat.

That familiar, sick feeling rolls through me again, and my desire to protect Jo only increases.

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