Sweet Pain (Amatucci Family #3) - Sadie Jacks Page 0,94

and Beverly to any of the other names?” Jessa asked, her voice damp.

“Yes. I set up an algorithm to trace any travel, emails, vacations, business stops, or bank transactions between Winslow and Beverly and any of the dots on Errington’s map.” Nik hit another button.

Willow jumped from my lap. Raced to the bedroom. I ran after her. “Keep going. We’ll be back.”

I heard the retching as soon as I crossed the threshold of the bedroom. My heart broke for her. I knew too well the horror of living with a monster. Hers had been in the closet or under her bed for most of her life. Nik had just torn even the semblance of normality out from under her.

I grabbed a wash rag. Ran it under cool water until it soaked. I wrung it out and moved to the toilet. Quiet sobs added to the symphony of pain that oozed from my girl.

I got behind her, braced her up, and put the wash rag on the back of her neck. I held her until my knees went numb. Until her body sparked a slight fever.

Turning my head to the side, I bellowed, “JESSA!”

Willow shivered and quaked in my arms. I tried to hold her tighter. To still the shaking, to absorb the trembling.

Jessa’s feet slapped across the bedroom floor. “What’s wrong?”

“She feels really hot,” I said.

Jessa got to her knees. Turned Willow’s face towards hers. “Oh, baby. It’s not your fault. None of this is.” She took the wash rag and pushed to her feet. She rinsed it out and wrung it out again before bringing it back to Willow.

Jessa washed Willow’s face. “Does anything hurt?” Her quick smile was sad. “Other than your soft heart?”

Willow jerked against me. “My belly.”

Jessa chuckled dryly. “Well, you’ve lost your dinner. I can only imagine that it hurts. Lean back against Ryker for a minute. Let the blood drain back down where it’s supposed to be.”

I tipped back onto my ass, thumped into the wall. I settled and pulled Willow back against my chest. Her head fit in the space between my neck and shoulder. Tears still tracked down her cheeks.

“Do I have that in me?” she asked in a terrified whisper.

I opened my mouth.

“No,” Jessa said. Her voice was hard as granite, sharp as a scalpel. She grabbed Willow’s chin, tugged it down so my girl was forced to look in her eyes. “No. There is zero chance that you are like them. Their darkness honed you. Crafted you into a being of pure light and joy. Your asshole ex tempered you in the fires of hell so that when you could emerge, you would be unbreakable. Your light might dim and your soul might fracture, but you will never break. Not because of the darkness.” Jessa leaned forward, her gray eyes sparkled like silver. “Never doubt that you carry nothing of them inside you. If you start to waver in that belief, you come find me.” She smacked her lips to Willow’s.

“Hey,” I pulled Willow back. Growled at Jessa. “Mine.”

Both girls laughed.

“Only because I don’t have a dick,” Jessa said.

I snapped my jaws at her. “Even then…mine.”

Jessa slid the wash rag over Willow’s cheeks again. “Tummy better?”

Willow nodded. “I don’t feel like the top of my head is about to explode either.”

Jessa smiled. “Good. Just too much blood being forced both up and down. Your body was trying to figure out where everything went.” She pushed to her feet. Reached down to help Willow up.

“I’m going to sit here for a bit,” Willow said. “If that’s okay.”

Jessa smiled, nodded. “I’ll beat the crap out of anyone who says otherwise.” She turned and walked out of the bathroom. I heard her pull the bedroom door shut.

Willow’s body slumped against mine.

“You believe her, don’t you?” I asked.

Willow shrugged. “I want to kill them, Ryker. Slice them up like Ethan did to all those girls. I want to cut off pieces of them and dance in the parts like it’s confetti. I want to shower in their blood while their screams provide the dance track.” She shook her head. “That’s not normal.”

I snorted. “I think you might want to ask your other family members what they want to do to your parents. I would think you were in good company. Not the odd man out.”

She tipped her head back. “What do you want to do to them?”

I licked my lips. “I want to sell them to someone. I want to line up an eternity