All Chapters of BOUND IN IRON AND INK: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The Door Kirrily”Rindy”Cross povThe lock flashed red.I froze.For one horrible second, I forgot how to breathe.The balcony door stood between me and freedom, its glass reflecting my pale face back at me. Behind that reflection was the bedroom I had spent the last few hours pretending was a safe place.It wasn't.Nothing inside this house was safe.Not the locked doors.Not the guards outside.Not even Jaxson.Especially not Jaxson.I tightened my grip around the small hairpin in my hand and glanced toward the bedroom door.Silence.Then footsteps.My heart slammed against my ribs.Someone was coming.I slipped the hairpin into my palm and hurried away from the balcony, forcing myself not to panic. The footsteps stopped outside my room.I waited.One second.Two.Three.The handle moved.I held my breath.The door opened slightly.A guard looked inside."Everything okay, ma'am?"I nodded."Yes."My voice almost betrayed me.He stared at me for another second before closing the door.The lock clicked.I waited

THE IRON SAFEKirrily”Rindy”Cross pov"They found him."Jaxson's words knocked the air out of me.I stared at the monitor.Toby.My baby.Somewhere out there, someone had his photograph in their hands.My knees almost gave way."No."I shook my head."No, you said he was safe.""I said I would protect him.""You promised me.""I know."Jaxson stepped toward me, but I moved back."Don't."My voice trembled.He stopped.For a moment, neither of us spoke.The screens continued glowing behind him, showing ships moving across dark oceans as if the world had no idea mine had just fallen apart."Where is he?" I asked.Jaxson's eyes hardened."We don't know yet."My chest tightened."Then find him.""We are trying.""Trying isn't enough."I turned away from him.I couldn't look at his face.If I did, I was afraid I would see the same fear I felt.And I couldn't afford to fall apart.Not now.I wiped my eyes quickly and looked around the study.Something felt wrong.Jaxson had reacted too quickly when he saw the screen.Not

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE NAMEKirrily”Rindy”CrossI stared at Jaxson.His question kept echoing inside my head."Who told you she was dead?"For a moment, I couldn't move.Couldn't breathe.Couldn't even blink.Because there was only one answer to that question.Everyone.Everyone who had known Evie was gone had told me the same thing.The police.The doctors.The people who had come to my door with lowered voices and careful expressions.And me.I had watched my sister's life disappear piece by piece until there was nothing left except memories I couldn't bear to touch.I had mourned her.I had cried for her.I had spent four years trying to survive the guilt of being alive when she wasn't.And now Jaxson Lawson was standing in front of me, looking at me like I'd just asked him a question that could destroy both of us."Answer me," I whispered.His eyes didn't leave mine."Evie wasn't what you thought she was."The words struck harder than a slap.I shook my head."Don't.""Kirrily""Don't you dare."My voice b

THE TRUTH BETWEEN USJaxson Lawson pov:I knew she was angry before I opened the door.The silence told me.Kirrily was never quiet when she was afraid. She argued. She questioned everything. She pushed until she found an answer she could live with.Silence meant she was thinking.And that worried me more than her shouting ever could.I stepped into my study and closed the door behind me.She stood beside the heavy mahogany desk, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her eyes met mine immediately.There was no hesitation in them.Only anger.“You lied to me.”I stopped.The accusation hit harder than it should have.“I didn't.”Her laugh was short and bitter.“You expect me to believe that?”“I expect you to let me explain.”“You've had plenty of chances to explain.”She stepped toward me.I stayed where I was.“You followed me,” she said. “You had people watching me. You knew things about my life that I never told you.”My jaw tightened.“I was trying to keep you alive.”“That doesn't give you the

THE TRUTH I WASN'T READY FOR Kirrily”Rindy”Cross pov:I couldn't look away from the photograph.My father's name was written beneath it.Four words.That's all it took to tear apart everything I thought I knew.Meeting with Kirrily's father.My fingers tightened around the photograph until the paper bent.“No.”The word barely left my mouth.Jaxson stood across from me, completely still.I looked at him.“Tell me that's not real.”He didn't answer.“Jaxson.”His eyes met mine.“It was taken four days before Evie died.”My chest tightened.“That doesn't mean anything.”“It means something.”“No.”I shook my head.“My father wasn't involved in this.”“You don't know that.”“I knew my father.”The words came out sharper than I intended.Jaxson didn't argue.That somehow hurt more.I looked back at the photograph.My sister was standing beside someone I didn't recognize.And somewhere beyond that picture was a conversation that had happened without me.A conversation my sister had never told me about.I suddenly f