Chapter 29

Since when?" he asks sharply, like he already knows. "Since my parents died. She's all the family I had," I modify my stomach lurching.

"Is she dead, kitten? Do you know it in your gut? Reach beyond the fear. Yes or No?"

No.

Relief slips around me like a blanket. "I don't think so," I croak. I'm fascinated by Jackson's reliance on gut instinct over logic. A man with a brain like his? if he trusts it, so do I.

Jackson gives a single nod. "Then we need to crack this code and find her."

I square my shoulders, the mantle of purpose returning. My brain launches into dissecting what I've seen of the malware. I pull out my computer.

"Mind if I work in the car?"

"I'd be pissed if you didn't."

We drive another ten minutes in silence with me studying the unlaunched code I copied from the thumb drive earlier. When we reach Jackson's mansion, the automatic gate swings open, and he pulls into the drive.

I snap my laptop closed and shove it on my bag, looking up at the house. Jackson's black wolf