Page 15 of Three to Fall

I fucking hated that these men had come into her school and tarnished something she loved.

“We’ll get you back here,” I promised her. “Back with your friends, and with your teacher. Just as soon as it’s safe.”

She didn’t sign anything, and I cursed fucking Josiah to Hell beneath my breath. I’d had hope we might have her talking again soon. She’d been loving learning signs with Chaos and Kara every night, and then teaching them to me. This felt like a huge step back.

At the side entrance to the school, the Slayers’ van waited with the prospects in the front seats. I covered Chaos while he made the short run to the back door with Hayley Jade and then I followed them in, slamming the sliding door shut behind me.

I banged my fist against the window. “Drive, prospect. Take them home.”

I’d make sure they were safe. Then I was going after Kara. I had no fucking idea where she was but I would find her, even if I had to scour the entire town street by street.

Chaos, wearing my jacket, sat with Hayley Jade on his lap, his fingers stroking through the soft strands of her hair.

Something inside my chest tightened. Swelled to a point where I couldn’t breathe.

I could have lost her today.

I could have lost him.

The feeling only intensified just thinking about the fact Kara was still out there somewhere.

I put the gun down on the seat beside me and dropped my elbows to my knees, leaning forward and sucking in great gulping breaths that didn’t feel like enough.

The panic attack swamped me hard, a vise around my chest, suffocating me with its strength.

Hayden’s hand fell to the back of my head, his fingers stroking over my short, spiky buzz cut. He didn’t say anything.Didn’t try to fucking hug me. Just comforted me the same way he was with Hayley Jade.

If anyone else had tried, I would have thrown them out of the fucking van.

But because it was him, I let him soothe some of my ragged edges, knowing the second this van stopped, so would the connection between us.

A smaller hand rasped over my hair, and I glanced up, battling to keep it together.

Hayley Jade smiled at me and trailed her fingers down my cheek.

“I love you,” I told her quietly, not knowing I was going to say the words until they fell out of my mouth.

Hayley Jade made signs with her fingers. I looked to Hayden for interpretation. He was the best out of all of us at signing.

A small smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. “She said she loves you too.”

I pulled her little head in and kissed the top of it. “You’re my girl now, you know that, right?”

She made more signs.

Chaos interpreted without me asking. “She said forever.”

This fucking kid was going to be the death of me. A lump lodged itself in my throat, and like Chaos knew I couldn’t talk, he repeated the sign so I could copy it.

She might have been named for him, and he might love her just as much as I did, but she was my kid. And fucked if I was letting anyone take her from me.

We approached the compound with emotion getting to me. Fang stepped out from behind the wrought-iron gates and opened them for us.

“See, Ice?” I called to the man driving. “That’s what guarding a gate looks like.”

Ice nodded once, looking suitably abashed. And so he fucking should. He could have gotten Hayley Jade killed today. Taking some shit from me was the least he deserved.

We rolled our way down the hill to where the compound sat nestled between the trees. Grayson’s car sat in front of the club, and I frowned at it. “What’s Gray doing here?”

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