Page 99 of Silver Sanctuary
A hand came down on Nash’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s take a walk. You need a break.”
There wasn’t a single fucking cell in Nash’s body that wanted to listen to Stone in that moment. “Doc, what I fucking need is to find my daughter.”
“I know. But you’re not going to be any good to the team, or to her, like this. Let’s go. A walk. Now.”
Nash nodded. “Sorry, Gage. I know you’re doing everything you can.”
“You bet your ass I am. And I know we’ll find her in time.”
Stone held the door open for him, his eyes darting down the hallway to the courtyard door. Lacy was out there—he should go to her. Make sure she was okay. Clearly Stone knew exactly what he was thinking, because instead of letting him walk down the hallway, he shoved Nash toward the gym.
But they didn’t even make it that far, because Nash stumbled into the kitchen, his eyes stinging with tears he knew he couldn’t let fall.
“Let it out.”
Nash shook his head, but his back pressed against the wall and he slid down, the weight of failing someone else he loved crashing over him.
“This is my fault.” His lip quivered as he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “How the fuck is this happening again, Stone? How the fuck am I this bad at keeping them safe?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I failed Gage. I failed Sloane! I should have seen the signs that something was escalating with Lacy before she got the shit beat out of her. And now… I couldn’t keep Embrie safe. Someone fucking took her! You know what that sick fuck Adam did to Lacy! What if someone worse took our daughter?”
“We don’t know that’s the case. Focus on the facts, Wings. There just isn’t enough information to crash out over all the possibilities.”
Fuck. Nash’s stomach rolled at the thought of an unknown monster taking Embrie from them. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“It’s supposed to give you hope. Because as bad as thingscould be, there could also be something else going on here. Something we don’t understand. Something that means Embrie is safe.”
“That’s not how this fucked up world works, and you know it.” Nash’s hand smoothed across his forehead before pushing his fingers through his hair.
“And this isn’t howwework. We don’t rush into situations without knowing the details. We don’t fuck around with emotional what-ifs. Get it out—right here, right now. Because the minute something comes across one of those deputies’ radios out there, you’re gonna want to be a part of the play. And they won’t let you be if they think you’re close to losing it.”
“You’re right. I just… I lost it for a second.” He cleared his throat, standing up. “I’m good.”
“Nash?” He turned from Stone back to the doorway, where Sloane was standing.
“Hey.” It wasn’t hard to miss the tear tracking down her face. “You okay?”
“I didn’t know. I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear that. But I didn’t know that you felt like you let us down.”
He shrugged. “How could I not? I was supposed to have your backs. I was the reason you guys were taken. Everything you suffered through that night was because of me.”
Sloane shook her head, walking right up to Nash before pulling him into a hug. “Don’t you ever blame yourself for that night again. I don’t hold one single second of it against you, and neither does Gage. Understood?”
His hands wrapped around her back. “Yeah.”
“Good.” She released her hold on him. “I’m going to go check on Lacy now. She’s been on her own for long enough.”
“Sloane, she…”
“Yeah, I know. She thinks I blame her too, doesn’t she?”
He nodded.
“I’ll make sure she understands the only person I blame can’t hurt any of us anymore.”
How long could someone stay underwater without taking a breath? Surely, the average person would only last a few minutes, but Lacy had been drowning all day. Since the moment she answered her phone.
