Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Her hands shook as she tapped in Indie’s number and called her.
Come on, Indie. Pick up.
Ian watched his girl.
She still looked far too pale and fragile. Breakable. He wasn’t convinced that she should be out of bed yet. Let alone going through all this stress. The last two nights, both he and Jack had slept with her and Jack was starting to look less like he was about to go on a murdering rampage.
Thank fuck.
Though he was doing better, he was still walking right on the edge. When Ian had talked to him about Maggie’s anxiety and hair-pulling, he’d nearly lost it again. Ian had barely managed to stop him from punching another wall. Instead, he’d taken him to the gym and let him work out his anger on a punching bag.
Having her back between them was a miracle. They still didn’t know who her rescuer was, but if Ian ever met her, he’d promise her anything in gratitude.
At least the police had identified the woman and man who kidnapped her. Mostly because Maggie knew the first name of the man. Maggie had been able to identify them through photos. They were brother and sister and known members of the Purity Party. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to locate them yet. So they were still out there. Still a threat to their girl.
Which was unacceptable.
“Indie? It’s me. Maggie. What is it? What’s wrong?” Maggie’s face grew even more pale.
And he went on high alert. What was going on?
Ian studied Jack, watching as his face tightened. But he held it together.
“Oh God . . . are you all right? The baby? I will. No, I’m coming. I’ll be there as soon as I can. No, no . . . something happened. I’ll tell you later, you just need to stay calm and stay there. Yep. Yep. Okay. Did they call him? I will. Love you.”
Maggie got off the phone and she was nearly hyperventilating.
“What the fuck is going on?” Ian snapped. He knew he shouldn’t have. That he had to be calm. Jameson had warned them that the last thing she needed was more stress.
“I . . . I . . .” She was trembling, literally shaking from whatever news she’d just had. “Oh God . . . I . . .”
Something came over Jack, he let out a breath and all the tension in his body eased away. Then he turned her in his lap, holding her against his chest. Standing, he rocked her back and forth, patting her ass.
“Come on, baby,” Jack murmured. “Nice, deep breaths for Daddy. That’s it. You’re safe. I have you.”
A small whimper escaped her as she tried to burrow her way into his chest. Jack was wearing a T-shirt, which she managed to shove it up so her face was against the skin of his chest. Her thumb slid into her mouth.
He was going to put her to sleep.
Ian raised an eyebrow at Jack’s smug expression.
“What?” Jack said quietly. “I’m a Maggie whisperer. She’s overwhelmed. She needs a time-out.”
“I don’t think she needs to be alone or to have time to think,” Jameson said.
“Not that sort of time-out. She needs a break from the world. From the noise, the lights, from thinking. Don’t you, baby girl?” Jack crooned.
Ian understood. “You want to take her somewhere quiet?” He didn’t want her out of his sight. Something had hugely upset her and he wanted to know what it was. But he’d do whatever was right for her.
“I think she’s all right with us at the moment,” Jack replied.
“I have an idea.” Jameson got up and returned quickly with a blanket which he draped around her shoulders and over her head.
Jack sat down with his precious bundle, took off his T-shirt completely, then started to eat. Ian stared at him for a moment.
“She’ll come back when she’s ready. She needs a moment.”
Ian let out a tense breath. He didn’t think he could eat.
“Eat,” Jameson said. “I think Jack wants us to act as normal as possible.”
Fuck. As if he even knew what normal was anymore. Worry for her was his one constant.
But they finished their dinner and Jack brought his laptop back over to work on it as Ian put her dinner in the oven to warm up.
About ten minutes later, she started stirring and the blanket was pulled off. Leaning back, she glanced up at Jack.
“Sorry.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You know better than that, baby girl.”
Nodding, she pressed her face into his neck and shoulder. He patted her back lightly for a moment.
Standing, he deposited her in Ian’s lap.
“Ian needs you,” he whispered, even though Ian could hear him clearly. “He’s freaking out.”
Ian shot Jack a look, but the other man whistled as he moved to the oven and grabbed her dinner.
“How are you doing, Little girl?” Ian asked gruffly.