Page 96 of Stolen Love

West slows and parks the truck away from the house. "It’s best if we go in quietly. We don’t know what we’re going to find.”

We fan out around the house. Rebel and Riot take the front. West and I walk around to the back. Adira around the far side.

It’s chillingly quiet. Our movements the only noise. With my hand in my pocket, I cradle the gun in my palm. If I have to I will use it. If it’s on Alec, I can’t imagine I’ll regret it.

West approaches the door first. Fingers wrapped around the handle, he makes eye contact.Ready?

Yes.Is this triplet telepathy? I don’t know.

“Rogue!” Adira yells my name so loudly it shatters the silence.

My heart stalls out and then gallops as I take off running in his direction. I don’t know if West follows me or if I left him behind as I sprint across the lawn and jump a small pond.

I find Adira standing in front of a thicket of pink roses. Dizzy is on her knees in front of him, Ivy’s head cradled on her lap. Tears streak Dizzy’s face. “I don’t know what happened. One minute we were talking. And then she fell.”

More footsteps come running.

“Oh God.” I collapse on the ground next to them as Rebel and Riot appear around the side of the house. Ivy is pale. Still. I brush her hair out of her face. “Baby, wake up.”

“We should search for a pulse.” Adira crouches next to me. “Check that she’s breathing.”

“Right.” I press two fingers to the inside of her wrist until I feel a beat.

Adira puts his ear to her nose. Nods. And some of the fear melts from his eyes. “Come on, Love. Time to wake up.”

“Her pulse is weak,” I say frantically. “Not as strong as it should be.”

“Alec is gone, but I found this.” West tosses a thick leather file at Rebel. “Dizzy, are you okay?”

“Help, West,” Dizzy begs.

“Move out of the way. I have medical training.” West tosses the keys over his shoulder at our younger brother and shoves me aside to start checking Ivy over. “Riot, get the car and bring it as close as you can.”

Riot sprints off.

“West.” Dizzy continues to cry. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know you didn’t.” His voice is calm and soothing. A far cry from the callous man we’ve dealt with all night.

“I did everything just the way you taught me, I promise.”

“She’s alive, my sunshine. She’s still with us.” He reaches over and cradles her cheek for a second before focusing back on Ivy. “I promise she’ll be fine. She just needs a little more care than you and I can give.”

“Jackson poisoned her,” she sobs. “I gave her the pills. I don’t understand.”

“We’re going to take her to the hospital,” he tells her then turns to me. “We need to get her to the car.”

I scoop Ivy up and carry her across the lawn as Riot drives through the gates.

“She’s my sister, West. She really is my sister,” Dizzy says.

We all pile into the vehicle and I hold Ivy cradled to my chest. West directs Riot from shotgun, Dizzy on his lap.

The trip is tense. West and Dizzy continue their quiet exchange, but everything else is quiet. Rebel flips open the book he’s still holding. He sucks in a breath. “Fuck.”

“It’s…” He starts paging through it. “It’s twenty years of criminal acts Nicole Hawthorne has been a part of. Kidnapping. Fraud. Murder. Ivy’s dad documented it all.” He turns back to the first page. Taking out his phone, he starts snapping photos. “I’m going to send these to Jason to send to that detective. And Marty’s editor. If we can take down Nicole, and Nathaniel corroborates…”

I’ll be free and clear.

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