After about another hour of Keiran’s grilling, we had all grown impatient. “The ransom note didn’t give us much to go on, and we’ve searched everywhere. Do you know something we don’t?”

“If we searched everywhere, Kennedy would have been found. What’s the deal with the house in Camden?”

“It was a dead end, but we’ve been keeping surveillance on it. Nothing’s popped up on the radar.”

“Q, when do you have to go back?”

“I’m good for another week.”

“Jesse, how safe are we hacking these satellites?”

“As long as I continue to jump between satellites, I can be in and out before anyone can pick up I was ever there.”

Keiran had begun to pace back and forth, and when the silence stretched too long, I interrupted. “What are you thinking?”

“There’s one place we haven’t looked.”

“Where?” we all collectively shouted.

“Four years ago, John told me the story of how he met our mother. Mitch kept her prisoner in a house no one knew about until John found them. I don’t know how he found them, and he also never told me where it was… Where did he say he was going again?” Keiran asked as he pulled out his phone.

“He didn’t,” Q answered before cutting his eyes toward me.

Fuck. There was no way Q could know where he had gone, but I knew he suspected something. The look he gave me confirmed it.

I had promised John I wouldn’t tell Keiran where Mitch was but was a secret built from the need for revenge really worth my daughter’s life? I had just made my decision when Keiran started to speak into the phone.

Keiran hung up a short time later with a tense expression.

“What did he say?” Sheldon asked. Her hands shook and her chest heaved up and down. I took in her body and once again noticed how thin she had become in such a short time. It was something I noticed last night, but my head was too clouded with lust to look into it further. Thinking back, I hadn’t seen her eat or drink so much as a bottle of water since waking up in the hospital a week ago.

“He said he was on his way.”

That explained the frustration he wore on his face. I pulled my vibrating phone from my jeans and read the message that lit up the screen: Don’t say anything.

It was a text from John. I considered ignoring it, but what would it mean for Kennedy if I did? Would John keep the information secret if I spilled his? What would it mean for Kennedy if I didn’t tell?

“How long until he’s here?” I hadn’t realized I was staring hard down at my phone until Sheldon’s voice snapped me back to the present.

“He said a few hours.”

I jumped to my feet and looked around the room at all the tired faces. It was evident that each person in this room had hardly slept since Kennedy was taken. The love that clearly surrounded her was something I had not seen at her age. For as long as I could remember, I had only been given isolation.

“Well, I’m going to go help your mother with the volunteers,” Mr. Chambers announced. “Dash, are you coming?”

“No, I think I’m going to stick around in case something comes up.”

The way he looked at me told me the real reason he chose to stick around. He didn’t trust me, and I gave him every reason not to. In some way, I also think he was hoping I’d change my mind. That was Dash. He was always the positive one.

“Be careful, Dash. Just remember what’s at stake. Empires don’t run themselves.”

“Dad, my niece—your granddaughter is what’s at stake. I’ll do whatever it takes,” he responded coldly.

Given the conversation between Sheldon and her mother at the hospital, I wasn’t surprised at his reaction. However, Keiran was completely oblivious and currently looked on the verge of murdering him where he stood. Mr. Chambers wisely stormed out without a response.

“What the fuck was that?” Keiran asked as soon as the door closed.

“Leave it alone,” Dash gritted.

They seemed to have some sort of staring contest and neither was willing to give in.

“Baby,” Lake called. She stood to lay a hand on his chest and started to rub in a soothing motion that defined how adept she’d become at abating his anger. “I’m really tired, and I know you must be, too. What do you say we get something to eat and relax while we wait for John?”

Her attention seemed to work when Keiran and Dash backed off each other. I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. The dynamic duo had never been at odds with each other until now. Ruining Keiran’s friendship with the only person who had been brave enough to stick by him all these years would have been the cherry on the top.

Lake led Keiran upstairs by the hand, and Dash left shortly after receiving a phone call. The tense look on his face only deepened so I knew the phone call couldn’t have been a good one.

“What do you say we get something to eat?” I asked Sheldon once we were left alone.

“I’m not hungry.”

“I can see your bones, so hungry or not, you’re eating.” I retrieved her clothes and ordered her to shower and dress.

* * * * *

I took Sheldon to a restaurant just outside the city that was known for their pancakes. I hadn’t realized all the little things I gave up when I left.

“I don’t see why we had to come out to eat,” Sheldon griped as we took our seats. We were seated immediately due to the late hour for breakfast. “I’m sure there is plenty of food in your kitchen.”

“I wanted to make sure you ate since you can’t take care of yourself, and it’s not my kitchen.”

“I can take care of myself. Anyway, why should I eat when I don’t even know if my daughter has eaten in a week?”

“So, starving yourself is going to bring her back? You can’t punish yourself.”

“No, I can’t, but only because you’ve been doing a good enough job of it for me.”

“Did you honestly think I would make this easy on you?”

“No. I’ve learned not to expect anything good when it comes to you. You wrecked me, Keenan. In more ways than one.”

The waiter came for our orders before I could respond. To Sheldon’s annoyance, not only did I order for her, but I also ordered an entire platter of breakfast all of which I knew she would never be able to consume.

“I can speak for myself, and I can’t eat all that.”

“Too bad because you aren’t getting up from this table until you do.” I smiled wide for good measure, which only served to piss her off more.

“You’re feeling incredibly sure of your power today.”

“Last night, I had my cock buried deep in your ass while you screamed for more… why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because it was a mistake that won’t be happening again.”

“It will happen again as often as I want it. It can happen now, right over this table if you don’t eat your food. My daughter is going to need her mother in good shape when she comes home. She doesn’t deserve to see you like this.”

That seemed to shut her up, forcing us into an uncomfortable silence. The waiter came with our food and we ate silently. I happened to look up from my food in time to catch her wipe a tear away.

“Does it bother you this much?”

My question seemed to break down the floodgates. “I need her back. I feel helpless because I don’t know where to look, and I don’t even know why she was taken from me, but what I do know is that she is with strangers who don’t know how to take care of her. What if she has a seizure?”

“She’ll make it through this.”

“How do you know that? You don’t even know her.”

“Because I know her mother. She’s grown into an incredibly strong woman who can fight.” I lifted her chin and forced her gaze on me. “And she’ll continue to fight because she knows that’s all she can do.”

“Why are you being so nice to me? Don’t you hate me?”

“I owe it to the daughter I’ve never met to keep her mother in one piece,” I said dismissively. I didn’t like the hopeful way she watched me. We weren’t living a fairytale anymore, and it was time she remembered that.