The Determining
Page 27
Owen nodded. “Is there anything else?”
Before Nemo could respond, his phone rang.
“Yes,” he answered, dismissing Owen with a look.
“What’s going on?” Thayer demanded on the other end.
Nemo couldn’t avoid this conversation, no matter how much he wanted to. “Charlotte’s been taken.” He heard Thayer’s sharp intake of breath through the phone. He could almost feel the man’s rage radiating from the device.
“How are we going to get her back?” Thayer spoke evenly, forcing himself to sound calm.
“I have someone monitoring her right now.” Nemo avoided the question. The truth was, he didn’t know how they could get her back. He needed to think, to come up with a plan that wouldn’t put them all in danger.
“That isn’t what I asked.” Anxiety and impatience broke through Thayer’s calm. “How are we getting her back?” Thayer bellowed.
“We need to wait for the right time.” He spoke softly, wishing more than anything that they could just rush in and rescue her now.
Thayer huffed angrily. “You don’t give a shit about her. All you care about is ruining her father.”
“I care about her, even more than you.”
“No. She’s just your asset, your pawn.” Thayer accused. “She’s my wife, Nemo. We need to get her back.:
The anguish in the man’s voice sent chills down Nemo’s spine. He couldn’t believe how deeply Thayer had come to care for Charlotte in such a short amount of time. If he hadn’t witnessed it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it.
“I know how you’re feeling, but—”
“Don’t give me that bullshit!”
Exhausted with this pointless argument, Nemo snapped. “I’ve been fighting this battle longer than you’ve been alive. If you think you can do better, go ahead.”
Thayer persisted. “We can’t leave her there to rot.”
“I won’t. I can’t,” Nemo vowed.
“I wish I could believe you,” Thayer said wearily.
“Believe it.” Nemo paused, debating how much he should say. But, the time had come. He couldn’t keep the secret forever. “She’s my family, and like you, I protect family.”
Silence.
“What did you say?” Thayer asked.
“Charlotte is my niece,” answered Donovan Grey.”
End of Book One
Acknowledgments
First, Mom and Dad. Thank you for your endless support and encouragement. It’s because of you both that I finished this book and had the courage to believe I could be a writer. Mom, you read every chapter when they were unedited and total crap. You are the best soundboard I could ask for. Dad, thank you for always encouraging me to keep writing!
Annie, my wonderful cousin and editor. The things you saw when you edited my book were nothing short of revolutionary to this story. You amaze me! Thank you so much for your hard work.
To my aunt and mentor. Kim. Thank you for all the hard work you’ve done on this book! Your support has meant the world to me. I can only hope that my writing will reach the caliber of yours.
To LuAnn who read this story and gave me honest feedback and Kristy and all the ladies at the Nail Spa who had to listen to me talk about this book for months on end.
Jen, Amy, and Shannon. Each of you were willing to read my book and give me your feedback. You’ll never understand how much I appreciate the time and effort you all put into reading this story.
Finally, and most importantly, it’s only because of the gifts that my Heavenly Father gave me that I even have the ability to string words together. He has blessed me beyond measure!
About the Author
Rebecca is really bad at talking about herself and she finds this section of the book to be tedious, but she decided to give it her best shot. (She refuses to be held accountable for the quality of what follows.)
Rebecca lives in Nebraska with three fish, one dog, and a ginger roommate. She has definite opinions on many varied subjects, but nearest and dearest to her heart are her thoughts on ice cream and cake mixing. It should never happen. Ever. (And she’s happy to talk about mixing ice cream with brownies and pie but she won’t go into that here.)
Writing a book has been a lifelong dream for Rebecca. The Determining is her first novel.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Acknowledgments
About the Author