Three weeks later
It had become a habit for Maxi to check the newspapers in the mornings for news about her sons.
She would come down to the kitchen, make them breakfast, call them down, then browse through every tabloid and local paper with murder in her eyes. The press had been a nightmare since Sam and Christine had broken up, with one idiot or another picking on him or his brothers for some silly reason. What hurt most was the blame they were taking for Snitch Gravel's actions, as if it wasn't clear as day they were only trying to protect everyone.
They couldn't be everywhere at once. They couldn't predict what that madman was up to. They could only do so much.
And while, in the beginning, everyone seemed to understand, now they all sung a different tune. They'd raised enough in the eyes of the public. Now it was time for them to fall. And what a fall it was.
It broke Maxi's heart that she had her own part in this, because everything that could go wrong for her children seemed to have gone wrong. They'd all broken up with their girlfriends except for Kyle, their jobs and studies were draining them, the press hounded them, and now, to top it all off, she and Freider were divorcing.
Well, in theory at least. She couldn't divorce by herself, and Freider hadn't shown his face since punching hers and storming out. Not that she minded. She didn't need papers as long as he was out of her life. And he had been, well before she'd said the words.
If only there weren't times when she missed him. Nights when it felt much too cold without a body to curl up against. Even if they hadn't gotten along for some time, as much as she tried to block it out, most of their life together had worked. He'd dotted on her, doing his best to make her happy. It wasn't his fault that he never could. That was on her. But they'd been happy, he'd been a good father for a long time. Until Snitch Gravel decided to reenter their lives.
Her fists clenched around the paper and she crumpled it and threw it off the table. That bastard was the sum of all her misery, the reason her kids were in constant danger, the reason everything had fallen apart around her.
Focus on the good news. Because for the first time in what felt like forever, the papers were devoid of news about her sons. True, there had been no attacks over the past few weeks, and after Lisa published her piece on Sam, most of the bigger papers left him alone. Maxi was more likely following Christine lately. That bitch had broken her baby's heart, and Maxi wanted to make sure she wasn't getting away with it.
She glanced at her watch and noticed she'd called her kids down almost twenty minutes ago. The three plates of food awaited, the omelet getting cold. Her heart tightened as she glanced at Kyle's plate. Even if he and Kay were technically still together, Maxi wasn't blind. He slept home a lot, was there most of the time. Even if he claimed it was to keep Sam and Tom company, she knew better. His relationship was also falling apart and all because he couldn't decide to propose and fix everything.
The sound of a breaking window had Maxi jumping to her feet. Heart pounding, she ran out of the kitchen, through the narrow hall and into living room. The window overlooking the front yard was broken and there was something small and black in the middle of the rug. She tilted her head, squinting at the tiny object. What was that?
A pair of arms wrapped around her the moment the sound of the explosion filled her ears. A wave of heat engulfed her body and she shut her eyes as her body flew through the air, useless. A scream filled her head, but her throat felt burned to a crisp so she wasn't sure she actually let it out.
Her body slumped and landed, cushioned by the protective arms cradling her. She cracked and eyelid open. Everything was blurry and grey, but she could make out Kyle's form. When her sight finally cleared, she took in a sharp breath. His eyes were filled with fire, and she'd never seen him more focused as he scanned their surroundings. He then looked down at her and said something, but she couldn't hear so she just shook her head.
YOU ARE READING
Lose Control (The Jewel Project #5)
Adventure"It's never going to end, is it? The rivalry, the hatred, the madness. Not even now. Not even after so many years." It has been three years since the last jewel was recovered, and the Agency seems to have put the project to rest. They have a new tar...
