Sighing, Taige closed her eyes. “Shut the door, Jilly.”
“I can’t always do it.” They’d trained Jillian to keep out unwanted thoughts by envisioning other people’s minds as rooms . . . and she kept those thoughts out of her head by shutting the door. It usually worked. Not always.
There was a muffled noise and Taige opened her eyes to see the girl coming across the heavily carpeted floor. They were waiting in a little alcove of the hotel, waiting while Cullen and Taylor had a “chat.”
Jillian stopped in front of Taige, her eyes solemn and sad.
The look on the child’s face was far too adult, far too wise. It just about broke Taige’s heart.
“Mom . . . this is what I’m meant for.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” She brushed back the dark, spiraling curls from Jillian’s face. Man, she was growing up so fast. It seemed like just yesterday . . .
Unable to think about that . . . about all the yesterdays, while the very pressing reality of today was right here, Taige pushed it aside. “You’re a bright girl, Jilly. You’ve got so much more you can do, but you’ve always been so focused on this, sometimes I wonder if you’ve ever let yourself look at the other options you have.”
“Other options.” Jillian shook her head and held out a hand. “Can I show you?”
Taige’s gut clenched. She didn’t ask what. It wasn’t like Jillian often asked to do this. How could she say no . . . even when everything inside her rebelled. Jillian saw things so much clearer than Taige ever had, felt things so much more acutely. If Jillian could live with that in her head, then Taige would accept what Jillian had to show her. Even if some part of her would rather hide from it.
Screw being a coward . . . this was her child.
Laying her hand in her daughter’s, she glanced around and then back at Jillian. They were alone, or as alone as they were going to be.
“You do things that matter,” Jillian whispered. “You always have.”
And with that, Taige fell into that bright, shining void that was her daughter’s mind.
It wasn’t bright for long.
In seconds, they were in darkness. Surrounded by screams. And pain. And death.
* * *
PATRICK eyed the skinny mess of bones Dontrez had pulled out of the holding cell.
She’d been a lot prettier than this when they’d grabbed her.
But she’d stopped eating.
A lot of them did that.
She’d start eating again.
All it would take was the right incentive.
He knew all about finding the right incentive.
He gestured to Lydia and said, “Clean her up.”
Lydia beckoned for Dontrez to bring the girl. There were screams and tears and struggles. Moments later, there was a slap. Patrick smiled. Lydia dealt with things efficiently. It was why he kept her around.
“Are you certain he’ll be satisfied with her?”
Glancing over at the man next to him, he shrugged. “She’ll do. He just wants a warm body for the most part. I’ve got my hands full with other matters. If he wants to be picky, the price will go up.”
A soft, warm little head butted his ankle and he smiled, knelt down, and scooped up Demeter. The cat snuggled into his arms as he scratched it under the chin. It was odd, how attached he’d gotten to the little thing. He’d originally gotten her for his last fiancée. He’d thought perhaps having a kitten to mother would make her stop her constant blathering about a family. It hadn’t. It had just made her that much more moon-eyed and tiresome.
He wondered what she thought of her new life now. He’d warned her more than once to stop it with the ceaseless prattling, but she hadn’t. He’d let his dick do the thinking with her. Grace had been lovely, there was no doubt about that, but she hadn’t been smart.
Ella was much more suitable.
He’d been considering discarding Grace anyway, but when he saw Ella, he’d simply known. It was like she’d been waiting for him.
So Grace was done away with. She was the property of one of his associates over in Dubai. She’d mentioned wanting to visit . . . well, she had that wish. And she’d never leave.
He kept the cat, of course.
Maybe he’d give Demeter to Ella.
As a wedding present.
Something to consider.
* * *
IT took all of Taige’s control not to react when Jillian broke contact. All of her control not