Page 126 of Legacy

I nod, and she jumps up and down.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

“Give me a hug. I might be home late tonight.”

She throws herself at me, wrapping me in a giant hug. “Love you!”

When she pulls away, there’s no more fear or worry. She’s bursting with excitement as she runs to Austin and Tempe. There are so many things in her life I’ve had to protect her from, but I’m not prepared to protect her from this.

Which means I need to get my shit together and fix it.

I mouththank youat Tempe from across the room, and she nods once before guiding the kids out of the clubhouse. Tempe and I aren’t particularly close, but she’s been there for Bea on more occasions than I can count lately, especially with Margaret getting sick. And eversince Reagan showed up, she’s taken her under her wing and made her feel welcome.

I’ve been so wrapped up in myself that I haven’t bothered to appreciate what everyone is constantly doing for me and my daughter. When this is over, I need to change that.

With Tempe and the kids gone, Steel walks back over to me.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.” I pop my knuckles. “Let’s go get some answers.”

While Havoc and Chaos are tracking down Sera, I’ve got time to kill and only one way to do it.

There’s one more person who needs to be dealt with. One more person who had eyes on Reagan today, so they might have information.

Lincoln.

A man I’ve been itching to get my hands on, and now we’ve finally got him.

36

Reagan

Through the small, barredwindow, daylight fades. But even night does nothing to cool the basement. Heat hangs heavy in the air. So thick it’s hard to breathe.

My tailbone digs into the dirt floor with how I’m sitting, so I try to readjust myself. But nothing is comfortable.

As if being locked in here isn’t bad enough, the waves of nausea rocking through me make it feel like the room is spinning. I’ve managed not to puke, but each time my stomach turns, my vision blurs, and I almost lose my battle. Aimee warned me to hide my pregnancy, but I can’t figure out how I’ll do that for long with how lightheaded and sick I’ve been today.

“You good?” Aimee glances over when I flinch at another wave of nausea.

She’s sitting in her cell, facing the staircase like I am. Her messy brown hair is pulled off her face, showing off her dirty cheeks and exhausted gaze.

“I’ll be fine,” I lie. “How long have you been here?”

“A couple of days.” She rests her head back on the bars and closes her eyes. “They bring water and food every morning. And then around midday, they move whoever is leaving.”

“Where do they move them to?” I glance around at the other cells, where two girls are sitting like we are, and another is curled in a ball, crying.

The girl on my right glances in my direction, but her stick-straight black hair nearly shields her chilling blue eyes. Unlike Aimee, she hasn’t said anything to me since I arrived, but I sense her watching everything.

“I don’t know where they take them.” Aimee tucks her hair behind her ears. “All I know is they don’t come back.”

“It sounds like they plan on moving me soon.” I swallow hard.

Aimee’s frown deepens. “Maybe they won’t.”

“Or maybe Jesse will find me first.” Hope might be wasted, but it’s all I have.

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