All Chapters of BOUND IN IRON AND INK: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

BENEATH THE FOGKirrily “Rindy”Cross pov:The first thing I noticed was the cold.It slipped beneath my coat the moment I stepped onto the docks, biting through the fabric and settling against my skin.The second thing I noticed was the fog.It had swallowed almost everything.The shipping containers disappeared into a pale wall of mist. The giant machines for lifting heavy objects stood above the protected place like silent skeletons, their long arms stretching into the darkness.Somewhere beyond them, the ocean moved.Slow,heavy, and restless.I wrapped my arms around myself and kept walking.I shouldn't have come.That thought had followed me from the moment I left the warehouse.But fear wasn't the only thing pushing me forward.There was something else.A need to know.Four years ago, I had lost almost everything because I trusted the wrong people.I wasn't going to make that mistake again.Not now.Not when the truth was finally close enough for me to touch.My shoes made soft sounds against t

IRON SKULLSKirrily”Rindy” Cross pov:I didn't move.I couldn't.Every muscle in my body had locked in place.The voice I'd heard disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the faint echo of footsteps behind it.Then another sound reached me.A door slammed somewhere near the entrance.I flinched.More footsteps followed.Not one person.Several.I looked toward the warehouse floor and felt the blood drain from my face.Figures were appearing from the shadows.One.Two.Three.Then more.They spread across the concrete floor, slowly surrounding the area where I stood.Leather vests.Heavy boots.Dark clothes.And on every vest was the same patch.A skull surrounded by crossed blades.IRON SKULLS.My stomach twisted.I'd heard the name before.Whispers.Rumors.Things people mentioned quietly before changing the subject.I had never believed I would actually stand in the middle of them.My first instinct was to run.My second was to scream.Neither happened.I simply stood there, staring.One of the men lifted his

THE SOUND THAT BETRAYED MEKirrily”Rindy”Cross pov:I couldn't breathe.The stranger's words were still hanging in the air.She's not the one you're looking for. She's the one he told us never to touch.Never to touch.I didn't understand what they meant.I didn't understand why anyone would give an order concerning me.But somehow, that was the most terrifying part.Because whoever had given that order knew I was here.They knew who I was.And they had known long before tonight.I pressed one trembling hand against my chest, willing my heart to slow down.It wouldn't.The warehouse suddenly felt too large.Too dark.Too quiet.Every shadow looked like a person.Every distant creak sounded like footsteps.I had spent days chasing pieces of a mystery I couldn't understand. Every answer had only created another question.My father's name.My mother's secrets.Adrian's strange reaction when he looked at me.The photographs.The ledger.And now this.Someone had apparently given instructions that I was never to

THE FATHER WHO CAME BACKJaxson’s POVThe moment I saw her, everything inside me stopped.Kirrily.She stood a few feet away, half-hidden behind the stacked crates, her face pale and her eyes wide with terror. For one brief second, the ruthless part of me,the part that had survived years of blood, betrayal, and enemies disappeared.All I could see was her.Alive.That was all that mattered.I crossed the distance between us before I even realized I was moving.“Kirrily.”Her eyes found mine.And then she ran straight into me.I caught her before she could stumble, wrapping both arms around her as she buried her face against my chest.Her body was trembling.Not the kind of trembling someone could easily hide.She was shaking so badly that I could feel it through my clothes.My jaw tightened.I lowered my head, listening.Her heartbeat was frantic.Fast.Too fast.I pressed one hand against the back of her head and held her closer.“You’re safe,” I murmured.I wasn't sure if I was telling her or myself.

The BetrayalKirrily”Rindy”Cross pov:The message stayed on Jaxson’s phone.Ten minutes.That was all we had.I stared at the screen until the words became hard to read. Then I looked at him.“You knew.”Jaxson raised his eyes. “What?”“You knew this would happen.”“No.”“You’re lying.”“I’m not.”“Then why does everyone keep coming after me?”He said nothing.The SUV moved faster, and I grabbed the side of the seat as the tires rushed over the road.“Stop the car.”Jaxson didn’t look at me.“Stop the car!”“We can’t.”“You kidnapped me!”“No.”“You dragged me into an armored car without asking me!”“I got you out of a building full of armed men.”“And I’m supposed to thank you?”His jaw tightened.“No.”“Then what do you want?”His eyes met mine.“You are alive.”For some reason, those two words hurt.They should have made me feel safe.Instead, they made me more confused.Because I believed him.And that scared me.I leaned forward.“Who are you?”Jaxson frowned. “You know who I am.”“No, I know who everyone thinks