Bradford's Orders Book Two The Legacy Series

Chapter 26

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Chapter 26

Holly

Tempy was shaking in my arms. Whether it was from the cold or the shock or the nightmare we'd just lived through, I couldn't tell. Probably all of it.

I crouched in the grass, still wrapped in the wet blanket Bradford had thrown over us when he pulled us out of bed, Tempy's head buried against my neck. Her tiny fists were clinging to my sweatshirt, her breath coming in short, jerky gasps.

I rocked her gently, my own chest aching with every breath. Smoke still lingered in the air, thick and acrid, clinging to my throat like poison. The fire hissed and snapped behind us, the flames lighting up the night like some kind of hell-born sunrise. Point Conception was burning.

The house. The legacy. The heart of the Bradfords.

Gone.

And I couldn't stop thinking if we'd waited another five minutes... if Tempy had been asleep just a little deeper... if Bradford hadn't woken up when he did...

I swallowed the lump in my throat and held my daughter tighter.

I'd never known safety until Bradford. Never felt love the way he gave it without conditions, without hesitation, without making me feel like I had to earn it.

And just when I started to believe we might actually have a future, that this family might really be mine too, that Tempy would grow up knowing she was protected and wanted...

Zane came back.

He always comes back.

I lifted my eyes toward the cliffs that rose behind the house, those jagged edges of rock that framed the property like a crown. The moon hung low and silver above them, and for a second, I thought I was imagining the movement.

But I wasn't.

My breath hitched.

There. On the ridge. Just beyond the twisted silhouette of the old pine tree.

A shadow shifted.

Deliberate. Patient. Watching.

My heart plummeted.

I knew that posture. That stillness. That arrogance.

Zane.

He was up there. Watching the fire. Watching us.

I could feel it - his satisfaction. His twisted, smug pleasure at what he'd done. He wanted to see it. Needed to see it. That was who he was.

Tempy whimpered in my arms, and I pressed a kiss to her hair, forcing my voice steady.

"It's okay, baby," I whispered. "I've got you."

I stood slowly, scanning the others. Bradford was with Georgia, his back to the cliffs. Easton knelt beside Lowe, his hand on her belly, concern etched deep into his face. Blake was pacing. Emma was helping gather supplies from the vehicles.

I saw Lowe brace herself, one hand gripping Easton's shoulder, her other resting on her stomach. She was pale, sweat clinging to her forehead despite the cold.

I moved to her side with careful steps, kept my body close, my arm sliding gently around her back like I was comforting her.

But my mouth was near her ear when I said it.

"Don't look. Don't react."

She stiffened.

"Zane is here," I whispered. "He's on the cliffs. He's watching us."