Page 69 of Haunted Hearts

“I told him you weren’t an idiot,” he says with a sigh.

“Tell me what the fuck is going on, now.”

“Hold on, we just got back.” He pauses. “I’m gonna step out for a minute, okay?” he says, presumably to Calli. Then to me, “Alok took over Jack’s body the night you got back.”

“I thought we had an understanding, Kai,” I say through gritted teeth.

“I couldn’t fucking tell you, Cade; this is a hell of a lot more complicated than you understand.”

“You’ll have the opportunity to tell me when I get there, I’m getting my truck.” I hang up and sigh.

“I just want her to be safe,” I hear Gen say quietly next to me.

“Join the fucking club, but she’s good at getting into trouble,” I reply.

“You said you’re going there; are you going to tell her?”

“Not now with everything happening at once. I’m going to wait for Jack to wake up. The mission is still on and I need to talk to Kai. Their hotel is near the airport. Jack knows a pilot there.”

“Solid plan.”

“How long did you say it will take for him to wake up?”

I’ve been sitting here impatiently for an hour, waiting for this asshat to wake up. How the hell does one even go about becoming possessed?

Idiot. He better fucking wake up because I’m never going to let him live this down.

I see his hand twitch and I quickly grab it.

“Jack?” His eyes slowly blink open.

“What? Is he gone?” Jack says, he sounds disoriented.

“Holy shit.” I exhale a sigh of relief. “Yeah, he’s gone. Genevieve said you’re gonna be okay. What do you remember?”

“Not too much, I remember him talking to me.”

“What did he say?”

“Just that he needed to be with Kai and Calli, and that I would be useful to him. He told me what he was and would make conversation sometimes, but everything was a haze—I feel fine. Honestly, it feels like it was a dream.”

“I genuinely don’t understand how I didn’t see this sooner.”

“Right, how dare you not know everything,” Jack says with a smile.

“Glad you feel well enough to be sarcastic, because we are going to find Kai and get Calli the fuck away from him.”

“Dude, those fuckers are Gods,” he says, sitting up.

“Details we can work out on the way. I’m not leaving Calli with someone who can so easily betray us.”

“What are you gonna do, punch him?”

“Probably,” I say honestly.

“Cade, I think we both know that we need them.”

“Sure, I also know that Kai needs to be confronted for putting all of us at risk. Get up; they’re only about thirty minutes away, close to the airport.”