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ra men He was pissed that this had happened on his watch and had co by the door stepped back and Nik pulled ht behind me

Luca, Lyric and Neveah were playing in theroom floor Harper, Lana, and Layla were seated on the couch and atching over the toddlers lovingly Jaggera nap because he wasn’t in the rooht to Felicity as in the recliner on the other side of the roo softly as her nanny soothingly stroked her fingers through Mia’s long auburn hair

I didn’t waste another second as I crossed the small distance and softly touched Mia’s back She lifted her head where it had been tucked into Felicity’s neck Her tear-streaked face brightened ever so slightly when she realized it was me “Momma,” she sobbed in a voice hoarse from tears “Momma, I’m sorry”

My chin started to tremble but I clenched it before it could Mia didn’t need to see my tears They would onlyto be sorry about, Mia All that ht now is that you’re okay You’re safe, baby No one will ever try to hurt you again I swear”

Relief washed over her face and I tried to smile for her Mia had always trusted rass was blue, she would accept that as truth My reassuring her that she was safe hatI lifted her into o lie down, baby Momma wants to hold you”

I didn’t look at anyone else in the room as I went down the narrow hall to the bedrooe of the bed and she scooted over to the middle so I could climb in with her I toed offdoith her Tucking the covers up around us, I wrapped Mia in my arms

Her auburn head rested on my chest instead of the pillows and I breathed in her clean little girl scent as I let the peace of holding her safe in an to drift closed

Chapter Three

Felicity

The bus was finally quiet Everyone had returned to their own buses hours ago and Nik had gone to bed not long after E already slept nine hours, but I knew they needed the rest After giving Jagger his usual nighttiht and closed the door to the sleep area, or as Emmie called it, the roosts

I was exhausted but didn’t think I could sleep Sighing, I dropped down onto the couch in the living roo the cheap little cellphone out of ers over the nu them in The need to call ho I hadn’t talked to ht then I needed her more than I’d ever needed her

Shaking my head, I tossed the burner phone to the opposite end of the couch and sat back, frowning at the television hanging fro it Nik had been the last one to watch it, switching back between the local and national news before settling on a baseball gaa replayed I wasn’t much for baseball, but I didn’t care as on It wasn’t like I was actually watching it

Cursing under ain and actually had the nuain Tears burned my throat and blinded et hold ofWas she back with Bash? Had she settled into being a irl? Did she miss me as much as I missed her?

Was Jet home?

That last question whispered through the back of ht of the htly I didn’t letto ht of him a hundred different times a day, I just pretended I didn’t