Book Six: Chapter 126

“I don’t see any need for that,” he told her, taking her by the hand. She yanked it away and glared at him.

“I don’t want your pity.” Her lip trembled as a tear formed in her eye.

“Good. Because I’m not offering pity.” He patted Jack on the leg. “But I do have some questions, if you don’t mind.”

Jack looked away, her face twisting up.

“Look, Jack, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” He stood and moved across the room to pick up a pillow from one of the other couches, along with a blanket. “If you choose the easy way, you tell me what I want to know, and then we figure out what happens next.”

“And the hard way?” Jack’s tone was chilly, and the room grew colder. When he turned around, he saw that her skin was pale, but her breath was now visible as the temperature dropped.

Mike moved closer, the pillow clutched tightly in his hands. He moved behind her, pushing her helpless body forward and shoving the pillow down next to her hip. When he