Chapter 52

I loosen the vest around me as I pull my phone out of my pocket. It falls down slightly to cover more of my stomach. Not that I need to be concerned anymore. We got everyone.

Cillian informed me that my father was just here, but I find that strange. We've had eyes on him around the clock, and no one reported him leaving. I make a mental note to check in with my girls in Ireland when we get back to the house.

Maybe he's using someone on his trusted team?

Kai follows me, sitting in the grass by my side as I call Laney. She picks up after the second ring.

"What is it, babe?" Laney asks, her voice worried.

"Speaker," I say. After a second and some rustling I ask, "Is everyone there?"

"Yeah, we're all here," Laney says. I knew they were having dinner tonight with Dr. K, Akio, and Adrian.

"Good. We're going to need your help down here. Turns out what they were doing with these kids was bigger than we ever could have imagined. We have a lot of terrified children down here right now."

Kai looks at me with confusion, but I lay a hand on his arm as I remove the phone from my face.

"It's okay," I whisper. "I am going to get everyone the help they need."

He nods, accepting my reassurance, so I put the phone back to my ear.

"We need Dr. K down here to help. There are a lot of little ones we can't trace back to their families. Akio and Adrian should come meet them. Maybe their future kid is here. But for now, we just need all hands on deck."

I think about Ani and Ami and how Akio and Adrian would spoil the shit out of them. If anyone can help those girls heal, it would be them and immense amounts of therapy from Dr. K.

"How many kids, Ness?" Laney asks.

Another stretcher with a black bag exits the building, and the urge to vomit becomes stronger.

"Yes, how many are alive?" Havoc asks.

"Forty six."

Silence, and then Laney speaks. "How many dead?"

My throat tightens as the final stretcher is brought out and loaded into the ambulance. Doc looks at me and holds up his fingers, signaling a number.

"Four."

Four innocent souls we didn't reach in time. Kai takes my hand and squeezes it.

"Was my mother involved?" Arrow asks.

"Apparently this was not her idea, but she never stopped what it turned into."

From the little that Kai told us about the sponsor, we think is my father, he's the one who executed the children.

"Send us the location then, we're ready," Laney says.

Then, I remember what we originally thought all of this was for and make sure to let them know what is happening.

"This is pretty fucked up over here, but I don't want you picturing anything worse than what it is. They weren't sex trafficking the kids."

Kai's grip turns bruising, and I hope like hell it's not because that happened here. Even though from his earlier story, it seems like maybe there was foul play involved.

"What were they doing with them then?" Dr. K asks.

"Training them. That's why the four died. It was a training exercise."

And they were apparently too weak.

"Training them for what?" she questions.

I let out a heavy sigh. "War."

They hang up, and I send them the location of the house. I feel like the world is spinning as Boris and Cillian talk with Doc by the cars. Evie and Alexi grab the last of our things when a wave of nausea I know I won't be able to keep down hits.

I turn and bolt for the trees, holding onto one of them as I vomit. Kai follows me, running a hand over my back.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I shouldn't have told you to come here. I know this is a lot."

As soon as the wave passes, I stand and look down at him with a small smile.

"It wasn't you," I say with a chuckle. "I'm pregnant, and apparently stress can cause the morning sickness to come back."

Kai looks at me in shock then smiles.

"You're going to be a great mom." I pull him in for a side hug and ruffle his hair. He laughs as something moves behind us.

Lev's voice comes over the comms. "Heat signature right behind you guys!"

We both turn, and I feel him try to put his body in front of mine the second a gun registers in my vision. With less than a second to think, I push Kai to the ground just before a shot rings through the air.

I don't feel myself falling, but the next thing I know, I'm on the ground. Pain like I've never felt exploding around my abdomen.

My hands shake as they try to feel for my stomach, meeting a warm sticky mess instead.

The baby.

Panic overtakes me with the need to protect the life inside of me. I was supposed to keep them safe. It was my one job.

I hear Kai cry out as Boris and Cillian appear just above me. Cillian cradles me in his arms while Boris almost seems to hover at my other side.

I blink, but it's slow, my eyes don't want to move or open. People are yelling, and Cillian and Boris look so scared.

I want to tell them it's okay. It's all going to be okay. But my mouth suddenly won't work. I can't hear what they're shouting as my body relaxes into a warm, peaceful state.

It's almost like I'm floating in a pool as the world fades away. Then, a small smile touches my face because I know I'm going to see my sister and my baby too.

I am going to the one place where they will both be safe and I get to be with them.