“I always do.”
“You’d think so. But I’ve got a list a mile long that says otherwise. Gavin. Carter.”
Jessie sighed. “Yeah.”
“I want that. With you.”
Jessie set her gun on the steps between her feet. She tilted her head back to look up at Dominique. “Is that right? I had no idea.”
“Don’t sass me,” Dominique chided gently. “I want that. Don’t you?”
“You want to be tied to me like that?”
“Yes.”
Jessie shrugged. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
Dominique kissed her.
I stepped away from the window.
IT WENT LIKE THIS:
“We’re getting on the plane now,” Kelly said, the sounds of an airport filtering in through the phone. “We’re coming for you. I swear it. Carter, wait for us. We’ve got backup. More than I thought we would. Don’t do anything stupid.”
I laughed. “When have you known me to do anything stupid?”
He wasn’t amused. “Please.” His voice cracked when he said, “I can’t… not again.” Then, “It’s bad, Carter. Joe’s not talking. It’s like it was before, when we were going after Richard Collins. He’s shutting down.”
I said, “Put him on the phone.”
“Joe. Joe. Here. It’s for you. Would you just fucking take it? Don’t do this to me.”
I heard him breathing. He didn’t speak.
I said, “He’s okay. Ox is okay. So is Gordo. So are we. We’re here. We’re waiting for you.”
He breathed and breathed.
I said, “Once, when you were… three? Maybe four. You were this chubby little kid. And you talked and talked and talked. About everything you could see. Look, here’s a leaf. Look, here’s a bug. Look, here’s a rock. And one day you were in my room. You were reading a book about wild things. Or at least you were pretending to. You were making up your own story since you couldn’t read the words. You were sitting on my bed next to me. I remembered something Dad had said to me. He said that I was your big brother. That even though you were the Alpha, my job was just as important. He told me that I had to keep you safe. I remember being floored by that. I was just a Beta. What could I do for a future Alpha? Dad said I’d know when the time came. So I listened to your story.” I cleared my throat. “And then you were taken. I—I was so lost. You came back, but it wasn’t the same. I carried you around everywhere I went, begging you to talk. I took you to my room. I set you on my bed. I went to the closet in the hall and found the little book about wild things. And I told you the same story you told me. It wasn’t what was written in the book because your story was better. You didn’t talk, but when I finished, I swore you were looking at me like you knew me. Like you remembered.”
“I did,” Joe whispered. “I remembered everything.”
“Good. That’s real good, Joe. Hold on to that. I have. And I always will.”
“I’m scared, Carter.”
My heart broke. “I know. Me too. But we’re strong. You’ve made us strong. And it has nothing to do with you being an Alpha. It’s because you exist in the first place.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” His voice was stronger. “Thanks, Carter.”