Page 73 of Soul Bound

We still don’t know where in New York City the auction is taking place, we chose a hotel that is centrally located so we are somewhat close to everything. It cost a pretty penny to get a room so last minute at such a desirable location—all paid for thanks to my father’s liberated money. I’ll pay any amount of money if it means it helps us find the baby.

Once in the hotel suite, I pace back and forth in front of the large windows with my phone pressed to my ear. Ranger leans against the countertop of the small kitchen that’s in the room, I feel his blue gaze watch my every move. I can always feel when he’s looking at me, a warm tingly sensation always shoots through me when he does. Just like I can always feel the emotions rolling off of him. I’m constantly justawareof him.

The phone rings and rings and I start to get worried as to why she’s not answering her phone. With Sterling out there lurking in the corners, I worry he’s somehow gotten his hands on Esme.

I hear the phone pick up on the last ring and my pacing halts. “Winnie,” Esme says.

I let out a relieved breath. “Esme,thank God.I was starting to worry when you weren’t answering our calls or texts.”

“Sorry dear, but I wasn’t answering for a good reason. My friend Penny, who’s the high priestess in Idaho, she came up to help me with the tracking spell. I started to think another strong witch doing the spell with me could help the spell work at full power. With the modifications I made, it worked, Winnie!”

I swear my heart just stopped in my chest.

My eyes shoot to Ranger when I speak. “You have an address?”

He straightens up and stiffens, looking at me expectantly. I know he can hear Esme speaking even if the phone isn’t on speakerphone.

This is the moment we’ve been working toward for weeks and its finally here. And I don’t feel like I can breathe.

“I have an address, welltechnicallyit’s coordinates, but I have a location. I popped the coordinates intoGoogle Maps, and I know exactly where the baby is.” Esme almost sounds like she may be crying as she speaks. “She’s at the Conrad Hotel, the auction must be taking place there as well.”

“Esme,thank you.” I feel my eyes start to sting with emotion, tears threaten to fall.

“I may have not been the one to make the promise to Thalia, but I want to find that innocent child just as much as you two do. I think I want to save her because we weren’t able to save Thalia or Amara. And I wasn’t able to save you.”

Guilt.

That’s an emotion I’m familiar with. Even if my guilt isn’t founded, just like Esme’s isn’t.I feel guilty Amara died giving birth to me, I feel guilty I wasn’t enough for my adopted parents, I feel guilty it’s taken us this long to find the baby. And I need to let the guilt go.

The tears overflow in my eyes, running down my cheeks in hot streaks. “Esme, you couldn’t have known I existed. It wasn’t on you to save me. And all things considered, I made it out okay.I’mokay.”

And once I finally have Thalia’s baby in my arms, the more okay I will be.

“You guys find the baby and you hurry home. I want this whole saga to be over with, I don’t like you putting yourself in danger, Winnie.” Esme sniffs.

“I’m not in danger.” I look to the stunningly handsome man across the room from me and smile at him. His ocean eyes meet mine, and my body instantly heats. The invisible cord that connects me to him pulls at me to go to him. “I have Ranger to protect me. You don’t have to worry.”

“I’ve seen the way that boy looks at you, I know he’ll step in front of a bullet for you in a heartbeat. As for the worrying, that’s what family does, we worry about each other,” Esme softly says. “And make no mistake, youaremy family now, Winslow. And you best get used to my worrying because it’s not going to stop. If anything, it may get worse.”

“I think I’m starting to understand what a real family is supposed to be like.”Please don’t push me away, I silently add, my insecurities rearing their ugly head.

“Come home soon, Winslow,” Esme says before ending the call.

I toss the phone on the nearby sofa and blow out a long breath. “We have an address,” I tell Ranger again.

“We have an address,” he repeats, nodding his head.

I can’t stop the smile that breaks across my face or the little squeal of happiness that escapes me as I fly at him. I don’t even give him a warning; I just launch myself at his body and wrap my legs around his waist. I’m thankful for his shifter reflexes because he catches me with ease and the impact of my body hitting his barely sways him.

His big hands hold on to my butt as I wrap my arms around his neck in a grip so tight, I’m sure it’s cutting off his oxygen supply. I bury my head into his shoulder and smile against his neck. “We know where she is.” I sigh, relief washing over me.

“Now we just need a plan to get her out.”

“You mean we can’t just barge in and start knocking down doors?”

I feel Ranger’s chest move as he chuckles. “No, I think we need to think of a stealthier plan than that. We don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves.”

“Fair enough.”

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