Page 50 of Broken
“I’m gonna tell Ethan that he gets to have a sleepover with you guys before I take off.”
In times like these, Prescott appreciated that he was a master at controlling his emotions. He was able to focus on taking care of tasks without letting his nerves get in the way. He could see the fear in his mom’s eyes, but he needed to push forward.
He and his mom returned to the sunroom to find his dad reading Ethan a children’s book. The small child sat on his dad’s lap, his tiny thumb in his mouth, staring at the pictures in the book. The sight tugged at Prescott’s heart strings.
The child saw him and smiled, his thumb still in his mouth. Prescott knelt close by. “I have to go out for a little while, but I’ll be back very soon. The child nodded. “My mom and dad—”
“We thought it would be easier if Ethan calls us Nana and Papa,” his dad explained.
Prescott offered a grateful smile. “Ethan, Nana and Papa are going to have a sleepover with you until everyone gets back.”
“Where’s my mommy?”
“She’s at the store with Addison and Uncle Nicky,” Prescott lied.
“Is she coming back soon?”
“Hopefully not too soon,” his mom interjected with a smile. “We’re having too much fun and we don’t want you to leave yet.”
“I’ve got blankets and pillows in the upstairs hall closet,” Prescott said. “I’ve gotta grab a few things before I take off.”
“Bye,” Ethan called.
Prescott tousled the boy’s wild head of hair. “You’re a good boy, Ethan.”
In his first-floor home office, Prescott attached his ankle holster, opened his safe, and slid one of his Glocks inside it. Next, he yanked off his shirt and armored up. As he was pulling his shirt back on, his mom walked in. Her eyes widened when she saw the bullet-proof vest.
“You’re scaring me,” she said. “What is going on?”
“It’s gonna be okay, Mom.” He didn’t have time to explain and he wasn’t sure what he’d say. He needed to get to the hospital and get a vest on his brother. Not knowing the extent of the women’s injuries, he grabbed the other two vests, then kissed his mom on her forehead. “I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”
He bolted through the kitchen and into his three-car garage. Rather than take his truck, he jumped in his ALPHA SUV, tapped the garage door, waited for it to rise, then drove out. After the door closed, he backed out of his driveway, hit the gas, and sped off in the direction of the hospital.
As he pulled into the parking lot, he was convinced a predator was out there, hunting down and killing ALPHA Operatives, one at a time.
8
THE UNTHINKABLE
Prescott
With a Kevlar vest in hand, Prescott sprinted into the busy ER waiting room.
Too damn crowded.
His brother stood near the entrance to triage, talking to a nurse. Prescott strode over as the nurse hurried back inside.
“Thanks for getting here so fast,” Hawk said.
Prescott held out the body armor. He expected a full-on argument, but his brother yanked off his blood-stained T-shirt, pulled on the vest, then tugged the shirt back on.
“I didn’t think to bring you a clean shirt,” Prescott said.
Two nurses standing behind the reception desk eyed them. “You’re gonna give us a heart attack,” one of them said. “What’s with the vest?”
“I liked him better without his shirt,” said the other nurse. “That sent my heart into an arrhythmia.”
Hawk shot them a smile. “It’s all good. I’ve just got an overprotective brother.”
