Page 15 of Echoes of Fear

“It’s a pattern. They’re all patterns,” he whispers. “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s more than a pattern, Ghost,” I say. “It’s a signal. And a warning.”

“What type of signal?” he asks, turning wide eyes toward me. “A warning for what?”

“You might want to get the Dark Sentinels here as soon as possible,” I warn. “I’ve made contact with Emily Taylor.”

I’ve spent the past two weeks working on finding Emily. No one can just vanish without leaving some sort of trace.

Three days ago, I got a hit off of the facial recognition software I’ve been running on the last image of her that I could find. She was located at a mom-and-pop shop in Binghamton, New York. The same place her husband has been living since her disappearance.

“They’re on their way,” he says, pocketing his cell.

“One more thing,” I say, unsure how he will handle this second part. “You might want to get the girls and kids to a safe house. And tell Taylor that if he has vulnerable people attached to his club, he needs to do the same.”

“What the fuck, Knox?” he shouts.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ghost raise his voice since I met him. And I don’t think I ever want to hear it again.

“It’s just a precaution,” I add quickly. “As of right now, everyone here is safe. But, as soon as I connect with Emily again, I’ll be compromising our location. And, according to one of her warnings,” I gesture to the flickering images on the screen. “Thepeople involved are deadly. So, just to be safe, have King take them somewhere we don’t know about.”

“Again? You’ve already been talking to her? Damnit, Knox,” he mutters, pulling his phone back out and making the call to keep Maddy, Sophie, and the kids safe.

***

The Obsidians, minus King and the girls, and most of the Sentinels are all gathered around the meeting table in the office.

Not Ben, though. Interesting.

My nerves don’t seem as bad as they were the last time they were here. But it might have something to do with the man currently watching my every move. My Little side might not want to come out anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m dead.

Taylor’s very presence is demanding.

So many times, I’ve wanted to dig further into his past and find everything I could about him, but my heart wasn’t in it.

I do want to know everything about this man, but I want to hear it from him.

Not that it will ever happen. He’s a Daddy Dom and will want to settle down with a Little of his own one day. Most likely a female. They always seem to be the favorite among us Littles.

I mean, among those Littles.

Not to mention how messed up I am.

Who would ever want me and my messed-up head?

“You okay, boy?”

I glance up at Steel, who is standing next to my desk.

“Yeah,” I answer honestly. “I actually feel really calm considering the meeting we’re about to have.”

“Do you need me to stand here with you?”

I glance over at where Taylor is sitting, and I feel my whole body blush when I realize he’s looking right back at me.

“No, thank you,” I say. “I think I’m fine, actually.”

Steel looks back at the table where the men are sitting and sighs.

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