Page 39 of Graves & Griggs
I rest my hands on her belly and rub my thumbs against her gently. I know this baby is mine—there’s no way it could be anyoneelse’s. Not scientifically at least. Okay, maybe scientifically, but probability-wise, it’s mine. Don’t get me wrong, I love all my children equally; I always will, but something in me thrums with the excitement at the idea of fathering one of our children. That our whole family will be made up of small pieces of us blended together.
“I’m glad you both are safe.”
Skyla smiles at me. “I swear, my ankles are already blowing up and it’s winter. It’s kinda bullshit.”
I smile at her irritation before rolling her off me and scooting myself down to cup her feet. Slowly, I begin massaging her ankles, moving into her feet in a way that has her moaning in delight.
“Fuck, can this be your job for the rest of this pregnancy?”
I laugh at that. “Just this, princess?”
“Yeah, the others can handle everything else. You’re on foot-rub duty.”
I smile at that, more than happy to do whatever she needs to get her through this difficult time. The amount of joy she brings me each day just by existing is priceless. The fact that she’s bringing another child of ours into the world? Repayment could never be achieved.
Unfortunately, all the joy is sucked from me when my phone rings. As much as I don’t want to, I pause rubbing Skyla’s feet and answer it.
“Yeah?”
“Sorry to bother you so late. I just… I found something, and I’m looking into it. I just don’t know the origin of the entry point, and?—”
“Cut to the fucking chase,” I snap at Hutchinson.
“We’ve been hacked. Again.”
“What?” I snarl.
“I know. I’m working on more firewalls. Extra precautions, but they… they only tapped into certain things,” he stammers.
“Like?”
The line is quiet for a moment before he speaks.
“The security cameras to your private residence in Salem… and in New Hampshire.”
Motherfucker.
“Cut their access now or I’ll cut off your fucking head!” I shout. “I swear to God if you don’t fix this shit, and quick, I’ll be sending Griggs after you. This is your final fucking warning.”
I end the call abruptly and toss the phone to the other side of the room. I swear, just because I’m not as big a prick as my father, people think they can slack off. That they can get away with shit. I am the leader of one of the most powerful secret societies in the world—that doesn’t get handed to you by pussyfooting around and giving every jackass moron chance after chance. Lineage or not. If he doesn’t fix our security leak, and soon, I will personally end the entire Hutchinson lineage with a goddamn smile on my face.
“Is everything okay?” Skyla asks with a frown.
I turn to face her, shaking my head. “No.”
“Do you need to go?”
Yes.
“No, princess. I’m not going anywhere. You said it yourself. I’m on foot rub-duty.”
Chapter Eighteen
Zayden
After Dominic did an extensive deep dive, we found out everything we needed to know about Alexander Coombs. Including the home address of his brother, who resides just outside New York City. I cut off his head and a few other body parts before I shoved them into a sack, then we made the road trip to his brother’s house. You never know when he might be in the mood for a family reunion! Especially if he doesn’t feel like chatting with us. I can’t lie, walking around with a sack of body parts during Christmastime makes me feel a little like Santa. Maybe I’ll even assemble them neatly beneath the Christmas tree if we have the time for it.
Before we left, I also packed a goodie bag. I’ve been trying to tame the demons inside me when we’re at the house for my kids’ sake, but that piece of shit threatened my family. He sent pictures of my wife to the very man after her, after us all, so naturally every person he’s ever come into contact with should die a slow death. That being said, there’s no reason I shouldn’t get to have a little fun with it—it’s the holidays after all!
