Semua Bab Side Chick Era… Over: Bab 2421 - Bab 2430

"I'm not! I've been keeping track for a long time!" Harper shot back loudly. "A while back, Daddy came home from a business trip, and Mommy stayed in bed all day and didn't come downstairs. Then I saw marks all over Mommy's neck, and her lips were swollen too—Daddy must have hit her. "And last time, Mommy was limping so badly she could barely walk. And the time before that, Daddy didn't let Mommy sleep all night, and the next morning she had dark circles under her eyes... "And another time, I heard Mommy crying when I was standing outside the door, and the next day her voice was all hoarse when she talked, and she looked so weak. I knocked on the door, but Daddy wouldn't open it no matter what—he obviously didn't want me to know he was bullying Mommy in there. "A few days ago, I snuck into Mommy and Daddy's room and found handcuffs and rope in a drawer. Daddy's gone way too far!"Harper rattled off her list of "evidence" without missing a beat, then threw her arms out, shieldi

Sharon glanced around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Thomas's expression, though, kept growing colder by the second."Sharon," he said quietly, "call for backup, now."Sharon didn't know what was happening, but she trusted him completely, and she was already dialing before he finished speaking."Go get Carter," Thomas told her. "I'll bring the kids.""Be careful," Sharon said, looking at him."I will."They split up—Sharon heading toward Carter, Thomas toward Grayson, Harper, and Theo.Carter had just hung up his call when he saw Sharon walking toward him, clearly caught off guard. Whenever he'd met with Sharon before, Thomas had never once let them be alone together."Sharon, what's wrong?"Before she could answer, a sharp gunshot rang out.*Bang!*Both their faces went pale in an instant. They turned to see a group of men in black closing in on Thomas and the three kids, surrounding them while firing as they came.Thomas shielded the three children behind him, his e

"Thomas!" At that life-or-death instant, a slender figure threw herself in front of him.Warm blood splattered across Thomas's face and white shirt.His whole body went rigid with shock.Sharon's body crumpled to the ground, and there was no telling whether she was still alive. In the instant before she hit the pavement, Thomas caught her in his arms.Standing a short distance away, Grayson and Harper watched it happen, their eyes flooding red. Terrified of distracting Thomas, neither of them dared make a sound—Harper clamped both hands over her own mouth, while Grayson bit down hard on his lip, letting tears fall silently onto the backs of his hands.Liam's stomach dropped too. He quickly ordered the rest of the men to finish off the remaining gunmen while he rushed over to help Thomas himself.A few minutes later, every last attacker had been dealt with....Harsh white light spilled from the emergency room. Sharon had already been wheeled into surgery. Carter, Theo, Liam,

Liam spoke again. "Theo, you really don't need to feel guilty over this. Once you're an adult, you'll run into plenty of situations just like it. Everything in this world balances out eventually, and risk and reward are always proportional."His words seemed to ease some of the weight off Theo's shoulders.Not long after, Wendy heard what had happened and rushed to the hospital to see Sharon. The sight of Sharon hooked up to machines and tubes brought tears to Wendy's eyes. Sharon had already been through so much to get this far.Around the same time, word reached Xavier, John, Claire, and Scott, and they came by the hospital as well, though only to look at Sharon through the glass from a distance.A week later, Sharon's condition had stabilized enough for her to be moved out of intensive care and into a regular room. Still, she hadn't woken up.Thomas kept watch at her bedside every day. Sometimes, he'd talk to her for a while; other times he'd just sit there in silence, watching

The man stared into Harper's eyes, and for a moment he seemed to lose himself in them. She looked so much like Sharon.After a bit more talking, Harper seemed to have lost her fear of him. Young as she was, she could tell clearly enough that this man meant them no harm."Can I ask what your name is, sir?" Harper asked.The man looked down at her. "Jamie Walton.""Jamie," Harper chirped sweetly.Jamie studied her expression closely, then asked in a low voice, "Has your mother... ever mentioned me to you?"Harper thought about it, then gave a small shake of her head.Jamie lowered his eyes.The elevator came to a stop as they spoke, and the three of them stepped out. Jamie pulled two keychain-style protective charms from his pocket, each engraved with the image of an adorable tabby cat."Since this is our first meeting, take these as a greeting gift," he said.Harper and Grayson each took one. Harper fell for hers at first sight, turning it over in her hands, unwilling to put i