Page 132 of Shattered Souls
“Baby,” I hedge, forcing my voice into a calm I don’t feel. “I need you to stay here for Mommy.”
“No, Mommy!” Aurora cries earnestly.
“Yes, baby.” My voice is firm. “You’re my brave girl, right? I need to go get something, but I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
She’s still shaking her head and sobbing hysterically.
“Do you remember the adventure Perry the Caterpillar goes on?”
Sniffling, my daughter frowns but gives me a confused nod. It’s her favorite book. We’ve read it so many times she knows the entire thing word for word. It takes less than ten minutes to read from start to finish.
“Recite Perry’s Adventure, and I’ll be back before you finish, okay?”
Hiccupping, she clutches her blanket, but again, she nods. I brush my hand over the side of her face, drinking it in before pushing myself to my feet and forcing myself to leave her behind. It’s my only option if either of us is going to make it out of this house alive.
The smoke is already thicker in the hallway, and I hold the pillow cover over my nose and mouth as I keep low and hurry to the dining room, squinting to see through the smoke. My eyes burn, and my lungs feel like they’re on fire. The dizziness in my head grows more substantial.
I make it to the dining room on pure adrenaline, finding the candlestick. The metal is deceptively cool in my hand amidst the sweat licking my spine and dotting my brow.
With one hand holding the pillow cover to my face, I haul it back to the den, coughing and spluttering. I have to stop and lean against the wall more than once when the spinning becomes too much. My mouth tastes like ash, and no matter how big a breath I suck in, it never feels like enough.
I’m acutely aware that I’m running out of time.
Reaching the den, I hear Aurora’s hacking cough through the door. I wince at the smoke, which has grown deceptively thicker in the room since I left.
“I’m back, baby. We’re going to get out of here, okay?”
My voice is weak, hoarse. I don’t sound like myself.
Marching for the window, the room sways. Black spots have taken up permanent residence in my vision, however I push past them as I plant my feet in front of the window. Mustering the last of my strength, I tighten my hand on the candlestick before swinging it at the window.
Glass shatters, and I bring a hand up to my face as I turn away. Shards embed in my skin, scraping against my arms and leaving little nicks in their wake. However, I don’t feel any of that as fresh air sweeps into the room, bringing sweet relief with it.
I use the candlestick to knock out the remaining shards of glass before dropping it with a clatter. Glass slices into the soles of my feet as I hurry back to Aurora, bundling her in my arms before moving back to the window.
“Ugh.” I blink furiously as I fall against the wall with her in my arms. The room is spinning so fast that everything is a blur.Nearly there, I tell myself as I squint. Focusing on the dark shape of the window, I stumble toward it.
“I’m going to lift you out the window, sweetheart. Then I’ll follow right behind, okay?”
I’m not even sure if she answers me. My throat is so dry. My eyes are filled with sand.God, all I want to do is sleep.
“On you go,” I somehow manage, ensuring the blanket is wrapped securely around her to protect her from any stray bits of glass or wooden splinters before setting Aurora on the windowsill and ushering her through.
She slides across the sill before dropping down on the other side. She’s so tiny that all I can see is the top of her head as I lift a leg to follow her through.
That’s when everything goes sideways. The world tilts upside down, spinning around in a whirl of color until everything goes black.
I’m not sure if it’s in my mind or not, but the last thing I hear is my daughter’s terrified scream.
37
ROYCE
The car roars down the dark roads, its headlights piercing through the inky blackness. My hands grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles are white, urgency throbbing in every beat of my heart. Grayson sits beside me, his eyes locked forward, with a tension in his jaw that mirrors mine. Logan is in the back, his leg bouncing faster with every passing mile.
“I can’t believe I never considered our family home,” Grayson chastises himself with a shake of his head.
After tracking Bertram’s car, which shows it’s been sitting outside his house all evening—and hacking into his security system to check he definitely didn’t have our girls there—Blue turned his focus to the apartment building in Halston and was able to identify the corporation that owns it. Once he discovered that, he tracked down other assets the company owned.
