Page 204 of Heir

“Baby, move back and cover your ears for me,” I said.

She did as I asked, and I shot at the padlock. It weakened, and I broke it apart with the butt of my gun.

I opened the cage, and Gemma rushed out to me.

Fuck.

I wrapped her tightly in my arms as she shook and sobbed in my chest.

“Shh, it’s okay, pretty girl. Everything is going to be okay.”

She nodded.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.” She grabbed my hand and pushed it against her stomach. “We’re okay.”

Fuck. They were okay.

My family was okay.

I took her into my arms again, holding her tightly as the numbness I had felt dissipated until what was left was anger, sadness, regret, and gratitude.

“I’m never fucking letting you go,” I vowed.

She nodded. “Okay. Don’t ever let me go.”

35

GEMMA

Three days passed in a haze.

The rescue from the ship seemed to have happened a long time ago, even though it really hadn’t. I still had nightmares about the cages, and I didn’t think they would go away any time soon. Though having Kai with me helped.

If I had been clingy with him before, I was much more so now, but that was okay. It didn’t seem like he minded at all, because he was just as clingy with me.

He hadn’t gone back to work in the three days, even though there was a lot that needed to be done in the aftermath of it all.

But I liked that we had holed ourselves up in the apartment, even if the apartment held some bad memories for me.

Dominic had arranged for a cleaning crew before we came home, and even though everything looked as good as new, the fact that Ace and Vice had died here protecting me was almost too much to bear.

We might have to move.

And I didn’t think it was such a bad idea, considering Kai had rented this apartment because of the view of the Sacramento River… for Jude.

Now…

We didn’t need the reminder.

The nineteen women on the ship with me were dropped off at a center for women who went through what they had gone through. They were getting the help they needed. We didn’t worry that they might talk, since Dominic had kept them on the lower deck until Blue arrived with another patched brother in two boats, and they didn’t really know what had happened.

We got into one boat, and the women got into the other, unaware of the King’s Men’s involvement.

The two women who were in the cages next to me probably heard Jude when he talked to me.

I didn’t think they would talk, though I did tell Dominic and Kai about it.

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