Page 29 of Fractured Hearts

“Hey, Bambi,” I say, stopping her. “I have a few things I need to do, but do you want to spar later?” Jo faces me, eyes wide with surprise. “I don’t think we can afford to be rusty,” I add hastily. I can’t decide if I want to keep hating her or try to like her. Maybe spending more time with her will help me figure out my feelings towards her.

“Yeah. I’d like that,” she says, smiling and practically skipping back into the house. Her reaction seems over the top for her until I realize I just gave her permission to kick my ass.

Shit.

twenty-five

MAVERICK

This is the tenth hotel we’ve been to in as many days. Harrison insists we spend no more than a single night in one place before moving to the next. At least until they can get a lock on Patrick. None of us even has a phone. This particular hotel at least has a minibar. I can get drunk and try to ignore the bubbling panic that the two most important people in my life are missing. Or one of the most important people and whatever Ezra is to me right now.

The hotel room door bursts open and bounces off the wall as Kai strides in, a determined look on his face. I pause, just about to crack open the little whiskey bottle, not really liking that his look is directed at me.

“I don’t think this is a good idea, Kai,” Belle says, following him into our shared room. “What if it’s traced?”

“What’s going on?” I ask, abandoning the whiskey, not wanting to ruin Kai’s sobriety. If there was ever a moment he was tempted to drink, it had to be now.

“Kai bought a phone from the gas station across the street. He wants to call Ezra,” Belle explains. I frown, watching as Kai digs through the small bag I was allowed to pack before we ran.

“You know my phone isn’t in there, and I don’t exactly keep a contact list in my underwear.”

“No, but you keep this in there,” he says, holding up my dad’s journal.

“Harrison said he would’ve ditched his phone, though.”

“They’re not the same number,” Belle says, sighing like she’s exhausted down to her bones. We all are. It’s been eight years of one thing after another.

“It’s not?” I ask. I only looked at the number once, knowing if I stared at it too long I would’ve broken down and called it. As far as I knew, Kai never saw it. No one trusted him not to use it.

“It’s not,” Belle confirms, giving me a look that says she was the one who pointed it out to him and is currently regretting it. I scramble up off the musty carpet where I had planted my ass in front of the minibar and run to Kai’s side.

“Call it.”

“Look, I know Patrick isn’t going to know to trace a burner phone already, but we don’t know if he has that number or knows about it,” Belle says. Kai steps up to her, gently taking her face in his hands. She doesn’t hide her worry from him. All her emotions are clear to read on her face.

“My brother is missing. I can’t do it all over again, Belle. I just can’t,” Kai pleads, his voice cracking. Belle sighs, leaning into the man she loves, and nods.

I don’t think any of us breathe as Kai puts the number into his phone and hits call. He quickly puts it on speaker so we can all hear.

“Took you long enough, Malikai,” a gravelly voice I don’t recognize says. I look up at Kai to see all the blood leave his face.

“Dad?”

twenty-six

MAVERICK

“I’m surprised it took you so long to call this number,” Gavin’s smooth voice says as we all stare at the phone in confusion.

“I thought this number was for Ezra,” Kai finally says.

“It would have been if he were still in New York with me.” The way Gavin says that makes it clear he thinks that’s where Ezra should have stayed. “Your brother is safe. That’s why you’re calling, yes?”

“I’m not calling to fucking chat!” Kai exclaims, having come out of his momentary stupor. “You took that option away from me when you left and gave me no way to contact you.”

“I understand you’re angry, son,” Gavin says, and it sounds like it’s taking effort for him to stay calm. “We can discuss everything soon, but we don’t have time for that right now. I’ve been working with the Sinclair family to track down Eva. She’s slippery, so I can’t be away from that for too long.”

“You’re working with them?” I ask without thinking. Of course he’s working with them. From what Harrison has told us, Gavin is some crazy-smart, government-sanctioned hacker.