Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jada

“I didn’t tell him.”

“He’s going to want to know,” Murphy insisted.

“I know, but right now I think he needs to focus on just getting better,” I hissed.

“You didn’t tell me what?”

Dammit.

I turned and moved to Creed’s bedside. He had been in and out of sleep the past day. The doctor had said it was normal, and right now rest was the best thing for his body to heal.

“Hey, handsome. You’re looking better.”

“What didn’t you tell me, Jada?” he asked again, his voice stronger than before.

I glared at Murphy. “It’s nothing.”

Creed focused on Murphy. “What is going on?” he demanded.

“Uh, maybe we should come back later,” Tatum called, her voice strained. “You really should be resting, Creed.”

Murphy stepped next to the bed, his expression serious. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with Leo or Apollo. The last time I heard from either of them is when Leo told us he was in the southeast.”

“Greer?” Creed asked, his brows furrowing with concern.

Murphy shook his head. “She hasn’t heard from him either.”

“Shit,” Creed muttered, frustration clear on his face. He struggled to sit up, but I gently pushed him back down.

“Creed, please. You need to rest. Murphy, figure this out,” I said, my voice soft but firm.

His eyes met mine, a mixture of worry and determination. “Jada, I can’t just lie here while Leo and Apollo are missing.”

“I know,” I whispered, my heart aching for him. “But right now, you need to heal. We can’t afford to lose you too.”

He sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “Okay, but I want updates. Constant updates.”

“Of course,” Murphy agreed. “We’ll keep you informed.”

The room fell into a tense silence, the weight of the situation hanging heavy in the air. Tatum and Murphy exchanged worried glances; their concern mirrored in my own heart. We were all on edge, waiting for any news, any sign of Leo and Apollo.

But that wasn’t the only thing we were keeping from Creed.

“There is one more thing,” Tatum called.

Now it was my time to glare at her. Telling Creed about Leo and Apollo was more than enough bad news right now. “No.”

Creed threaded his fingers through mine and squeezed. “Whatever you have to tell me can’t be worse than Leo and Apollo missing.”

I pursed my lips and nodded to Tatum. “Spill the beans, girlfriend.”

“Oh, uh, well,” she stammered.

“Four days ago, Candace booked a private jet to South Carolina,” Murphy blurted. “We haven’t been able to track her once she landed.”

“Southeast,” I croaked.

“It very well could be a coincidence, but you know as well as I do that coincidences don’t happen. Not when Candace is involved.” Murphy ran his fingers through his hair. “Princeton is getting things settled at Wyndemere, and then I’m going to meet him in South Carolina. We’ve got a few leads that we need to track down.”

“If Candace doesn’t want to be found, then you know you won’t be able to track her,” Creed sighed. “You need more people. You need me to help you, but I don’t think Jada is going to let me out of this bed for a while.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “Well, forgive me for wanting to keep you safe and comfortable after being shot two times,” I grumbled.

Murphy shook his head. “In your condition right now, you’d just slow us down. Rest and heal. Someone needs to stay out of danger so at least one of us is standing in the end.”

“Not funny,” Tatum pouted. “I still think everyone needs to find an underground bunker and just hang out in there for a couple of years after we find Leo and Apollo. The psycho people you guys associate yourselves with are exhausting,” she sighed.

“If you need me, you know you just have to call,” Creed reminded Murphy.

Yeah, that was not going to happen.

Murphy’s phone rang, and his eyes lit up when he looked at the display. “It’s Apollo.” He connected the call and put it on speaker. “Apollo!”

There was static on the line. We could hear Apollo talking, but it was too broken up to understand what he was saying.

“Apollo,” Murphy called again, his voice urgent. “Where the hell are you?”

“Char–ton,” came the fragmented reply.

“Charleston?” I guessed, looking at Murphy for confirmation.

Murphy nodded, his face tense with concentration. “Apollo, are you in Charleston?” he repeated, hoping for a clearer response.

There was more static, and then Apollo’s voice came through, slightly clearer. “Yes... Charleston... need help...”

My heart sank at the desperation in his voice.

The static cleared, and Apollo’s voice came through again. “They took him. They took Leo.” A loud snap of static followed. “They got him, and I don’t think he has much time.”