All Chapters of Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele: Chapter 281 - Chapter 290

[Cordelia]Clark places a hand on my shoulder. As he squeezes gently, I turn my head just enough to see his face, warm around the edges, softened by the glow of the overhead lights. "There's more," the smiling warmth of his voice relaxes me and I know whatever it is he needs to share will be something that will add to my joy. "Jude wants to meet us in one hour. And you won't believe where..."He shows us and I laugh. "The old apartment? Didn't that get destroyed?""Not all of it," Clark explains as he then tells us about an underground passage into the basement. "His lab, the one you fell into, had another exit. That's how he was able to get people in and out without anyone noticing."I didn't mention that by "people" he means "bodies." None of us needed that reminder, especially considering he is currently the only person between us and our baby."One hour!" I pull the rest of the way from Atlas. "That's...Oh. My. God." my heart stops. "We could maybe see him? Do you think he'll hav

[Cordelia]The boys didn't give me much choice but to sit here and wait for them as they raced off to be the heroes of the moment. Atlas kissed me goodbye and Clark gave a friendly little wave as they headed down through the secret passageway out into the garage into an unmarked van with tinted windows, each of them wearing a disguise. They looked ridiculous. But maybe that's just jealousy speaking."We need you to man the fort," Atlas explained when they told me what my task would be. Frowning, I accepted that I'd be left behind to continue the subterfuge. If I'm careful, nobody is to know that they aren't here.I will be their alibi. When Magnus comes looking, all his people will see is us exactly where we should be. Stand and wait. Be a good girl. Stay safe. But I'm tired of standing by waiting for things to happen to me. I want to be the one making things happen. This game is stupid. I want my child back. Picking up my phone I text Magnus back. "Do you want the cure?" I quer

[Atlas]When Cordelia called on Theo's phone, I came back in a rush, expecting to find her there. Instead, I found an empty office and my design lead, Theo, waiting for me. "What do you mean my wife is not here?" "I mean," Theo said very slowly in the irritatingly calm way she has about her that borders on sarcasm, "that she is not here. Absconded. Left. Oh, and she took my car," she hands me a white piece of paper. "Make sure she brings that back in one place or you're buying me a new one. Better yet," she smirks, "Just give me your car and we'll call it even."Carefully I read over the note. Bakersfield. She thinks Jasper is in Bakersfield. "Throw out your phone, it's been bugged," the note warns. "And don't take your car or they'll know." "Ted down in accounting owes me a favor," Clark announces when I show him the note. "And nobody would bother tracking it. You really can't miss it."I soon know why as we make our way to the vehicle. I really should pay my employees more if th

[Jude]I've been prepared for this day for weeks now. It was waiting to see how far Magnus would take things before she was pushed hard enough to seek the truth. Cordy is a smart woman. I knew she would eventually figure out how to draw Magnus out and force him to show his hand. I only wish it had been a little sooner. Even with treatment, Jasper isn't doing well. "Hey there, little guy," I gently lift him from his crib. He's sleeping, but these days he's almost always sleeping, his lungs are too weak to allow him to do much more. "I'm going to take you to your mommy now."Scooping him up, I place a set of infant-sized sound-canceling headphones on his tiny ears and swaddle him carefully into the baby carrier on my back. He's getting too big for this carrier. Even with his weak lungs, he's been gaining weight. In my right pocket, I place several vials of his current medication. In my left pocket, a detonator for a device I put together from lab equipment. It will create a spark in

[Cordelia]"Jasper," my voice catches as I place a hand on his tiny chest, praying for it to move, just once. "Baby, Mama's here."I pull him out of the carrier and place him in my arms as Jude checks for his breathing. "He's still with us, his breathing is just very shallow," he informs us as he pulls out a syringe. "This is just a bit of adrenaline. It will help. It's part of his treatment. Once he's more responsive I'll give him the medicine I developed, but we need to get him to a hospital quickly. ""Preferably under a different name," Atlas adds looking around anxiously. "And not here."My chest hurts as we all pile into the back of the chicken truck. Every bump and lurch as we travel down the highway hits me like a bomb. My life exploded in front of me again and a part of my soul died. Even though Jasper is not dead, I might never fully recover from the shock of believing he was gone. Even holding him now, smelling his hair, isn't enough to calm my nerves. When we arrived at th