Page 112 of Desperate Victory

“I can think of a couple.” Then he locked eyes with me. “What are you going to do if we find him?”

“Make sure gets home.”

Levi stared for a long moment, searching my face for the truth. Whatever he saw must have settled him, because he started up the stairs and took them two at a time.

“There’s a place on the fourth floor near the roof access…”

Chapter

Thirty-Four

LAINEY

In the kitchen, I wrapped my hands around the huge mug of coffee that Ezra had made for me. I hadn’t even realized there was an espresso machine in the place. It made sense, I supposed. Exhaustion draped me like a cloak, but there was elation amidst it all.

Andrea was with us. Doc had checked her out briefly at the site, but he advised a more thorough exam at home. I planned on that too. I’d broached a couple of uncomfortable topics with her. As much as she told me about the school, about the other kids, she was circumspect on so much else.

The only saving grace I received at all was the fact she hadn’t been raped. She promised. It had taken coaxing to convince her to leave and come to the apartment we’d rented. The guys were all on edge, they needed us out of the open. I needed us out of the open.

When Andrea realized two of her friends were coming with us, she relented. Margareta took charge of the rest of the children. I would call her later. She told me we were going to identify them, and see if we could get them back to their families.

“And if they don’t have families?” Levi did, but no one had known about his family before Bodhi found him.

“Then we will find them new families.” The absolutism in Margareta’s voice convinced me more than the words themselves. “Go on. Take your sister back. Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.” She turned to go then.

“Margareta…”

She paused and glanced back at me.

“Thank you. Thank you for—” I motioned to the school then just spread my hands. “Thank you for everything.” We would never have located Andrea so quickly but for Margareta’s intervention.

“Get some rest, darling girl. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Her smile was gentle, but firm.

The drive back had been almost as exhausting as the rest of the day. Theo rode up front with Kellan. He’d refused to get in the back with Levi and Andrea. Despite everything, he was holding himself aloof from Pretty Boy.

It irked me, but Milo shook his head once at my questioning glance. Levi had taken the news from Bodhi with a kind of curious calmness. Theo was just angry. Frankly, all things being equal, who could blame them? Once back at the apartment, I stayed with Andrea while she showered, then helped her into my clothes.

After I tucked her in, I kept staring at her and she’d given me a plaintive look. “Lainey, I’m tired.”

“I know sweetheart and I promise to get over this need to keep my eyes on you soon, but I’m going to sit here for a few more minutes until you sleep. Okay?”

She groaned, but then reached for my hand and squeezed it tight. “I missed you too,” she whispered. “I missed you guys and Mom and Dad and everything.”

I pressed a kiss to her head and just stayed there holding her hand until she was asleep.

Adam ducked into a shower while I came down. Unsurprisingly, he’d been in the hall listening. When I slipped out of her room, he’d wrapped me up in a tight hug and I had to blink back my own tears.

We still had to tell her about Harper and Melissa. I just didn’t have it in me tonight. That brought me down here with the coffee and the standoff in the living room.

Theo had his arms folded, his expression mutinous and the hard line of his jaw did not belong on a teenager. Or maybe it did. He was in that awkward stage, lanky and a little awkward, like his body was too big for him.

Where Levi looked like Bodhi—the resemblance was clearer in actual light—Theo and Milo looked nothing alike. Theo looked like King though and even if we hadn’t had his identification courtesy of Hans…

“You should get some sleep,” Ezra said in a low voice, while running his knuckles up and down my arm. “It’s going to be dawn soon.”

Was it? “That explains why I’m so tired.” Leaning my head against his shoulder, I hugged the coffee to me. As weary as I was, I didn’t think I’d sleep if I laid down.

Too many loose threads. Far too many. Em’s show opened tonight too. I wouldn’t miss it.

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