Page 69 of Bookgasms
“Honestly, I’m surprised I could. I didn’t think I’d fall asleep.” He tugs on my hand. “Just come lie down with us. Maybe your body will just give in like mine did.”
I scoff, knowing just how unlikely that is, but let him drag me down beside him. He hums as he cuddles into my chest, and he’s asleep in seconds.
Fuck, I love him so much.
Glancing at Maya and Andrés once more, I realize just how much I love all of them—even Maya. Sure, the love I feel for her is more familial than with the others, but it doesn’t make it any less true.
When Dani makes it back to us, I don’t care what I have to do. I’m keeping my damn family together.
Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to rest my eyes for a bit, I let them fall shut as I wrap myself around Jason.
At some point, I must fall asleep because the next thing I know, I’m being jerked awake by the sound of my phone.
I roll away from Jason, grasping for it on the bedside table and answering it without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Victor Ackland?”The voice on the other end sounds vaguely familiar in my half-asleep state.
“This is him.”
“Oh, good. This is Officer Ellsworth. We’ve recovered Danielle Williams.”
That has me shooting up in bed. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?”
Her laughter travels down the line.“We found Dani, Victor. She’s okay. A little worse for wear, but she’s going to be fine. She’s on her way to the hospital now.”
“Which hospital?” I ask, already climbing out of bed.
“Victor?” Andrés sits up with a frown, but I hold my hand up as Officer Ellsworth gives me the hospital information.
“Was it him? Was it Gary?”
There’s a moment of hesitation.“The abductor is in custody.”
“Come on, Officer Ellsworth. Don’t start holding back on me now.”
“Fuck. You’re trying to get me fired, aren’t you?”She curses again.“Fine. Yes. It was Gary Monroe. He had her tied up in his spare bedroom with a gag in her mouth. The walls wereplastered with pictures of her from early in her life, leading up until now. Victor, he’s extremely off in the head. There were pictures of her when she couldn’t have been older than six or seven.”
“Fucking hell. So he’s been stalking her that long?”
She sighs.“I can’t say for sure, but it looks like it’s possible. Look, when the detectives come to inform you of this, you need to pretend like you don’t already know.”
I nod even though she can’t see me. “We’ll keep your job safe. Plus, I’m sure Dani will tell us most of this.”
“Yeah. Maybe. I have to go. She’ll be arriving at the hospital in about five minutes.”
“Thank you,” I tell her genuinely before ending the call. When I look up, I see three hopeful faces staring back at me.
Relief courses through me as tears fill my eyes. “They found her. She’s okay. She’s on her way to the hospital.”
Maya immediately bursts into tears. Andrés and Jason wrap their arms around her. I climb onto the bed and join them as all four of us cry tears of relief.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” Maya chants repeatedly, although it takes me a while to figure out what she’s saying.
I pull back so I can see her face. “Who are you thanking?”
“God? The universe? The fates?” She snorts. “I have no idea. I’m thanking whoever made sure she came back to us.”
I laugh, running my hand over my face. “Okay, we need to get to the hospital, but I’m sure it’ll be a while before we can see her. They’ll need to check her over first, and I’m not going to lie—we all smell like shit. We all need a shower before we leave.”
