Bite Force by J.A. Konrath

Author:J.A. Konrath
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Joe Konrath Books LTD
Published: 2022-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

PHIN

The same trio I’d spoken with earlier was at the nurses’ station. Doug, Doris, and Shelby. None of them had seen Sam.

At least, they told me they hadn’t seen Sam. But if any of them were the Destiny Drac and took Sam, they’d deny it.

I wheeled myself back to the room, so fast I was sure I’d popped a stitch or three, hoping that Sam would be waiting there when I returned.

She wasn’t. But Jack was giving Harry the riot act.

“Even if I saw her go, what was I supposed to do, Jackie? Hop after her with a shattered leg?”

Jack had her arms folded across her chest. “You could have told her she couldn’t leave the room.”

“Isn’t that what you and Phin told her? If she wouldn’t listen to you, why would she listen to me?”

Jack’s face pinched. “What if someone… took her?”

I’d been hot with panic, but Jack vocalizing my worst fear made my heart go icy.

I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I felt mean.

I’d had more than a few fight-or-flight bouts with adrenaline since knowing Jack. I’d fought for my life, and for hers. I’d been upset at times. Angry at times. I’d lost control at times.

But it had been a long time since I’d felt the steely, ugly urge to murder someone in cold blood.

If someone had my little girl, I’d do things to that person that would make Amnesty International puke.

At the same time, I knew I was a lame duck.

It wasn’t just about my age, and losing some of my strength and reflexes.

It wasn’t even about being injured, stuck in a wheelchair.

It was an overall loss of self-confidence.

Yes, I’ve become happier since marrying Jack and having Sam.

But I’d also become domesticated. A busted bronco.

I was once a survivor. An alley rat. You couldn’t kill me if you tried.

These days I couldn’t even protect my own family.

My dark thoughts weren’t a threat.

I wasn’t a threat.

I was useless.

“She wasn’t taken,” Harry insisted. “Sam is smart. She would have woken me up somehow.”

Jack wasn’t having it. “While you’re stoned off your ass on morphine and who knows what else?”

“Edibles, mostly. I might have also taken some sleeping pills. And some muscle relaxants. And maybe a tranquilizer. I know for sure I didn’t take any meth because that would have woken me up. Or molly, because I don’t have any.” Harry raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any molly?”

Jack narrowed her eyes. “You’re useless, Harry.”

“And you’re blaming me when you should be blaming yourself. Or your husband. You’re her parents. If you didn’t trust me you shouldn’t have left her alone with me.”

Jack and Harry had a stare-down, and Jack looked ready to strangle him, and I would have probably let her.

Not that I could have stopped her anyway.

Harry sighed, long and dramatic.

“Look, Jackie, we can’t focus on blame. We can’t close the barn door after the cow got out. Or close the barn door after the cow was abducted by a blood-guzzling psychopath. Or hate

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