Shadowed (Team Zero #4) by Rina Kent

“You never loved me, Renee.” He sounds resigned. “I was only an item on your bucket list of obsessions.”

“Give me my daughter back. She’s mine, not yours.” She smiles and holds her arms to me. “Come here, Zoe.”

I hide my face in Dad’s neck. I’m feeling sleepy, so I close my eyes and drift away.

“Zoe, you want Mummy to be mad?” she asks in a singsong voice.

“We’re leaving. I’ll return to pack our things tomorrow.” I sense Dad walking. “Goodbye, Renee.”

“You think you can leave me?” Her hollow laughter pierces through my sleepy haze.

Dad sways and then we’re falling. The thud reverberates in the air like a crash.

I’m on my knees, shaking my head. Dad is lying on the floor, also shaking his head.

Daddy!

I try to get up, but Mum’s frosty hands shove me down on my knees. The coldness seeps under my skin and melts with my shaking heart.

“I can take the life I’ve given. Shh. Sleep now.” Mum’s haunted smile is the last thing I see.

I wake up with Daddy’s holding me. I want to sleep, but he’s letting me go.

No… No…

Don’t leave me, Daddy.

“I love you, petal.” His voice rips through the darkness. He throws me away. Something slashes through my arms and my legs.

But he’s not with me.

He’s lying on the kitchen floor. Mum is sitting on a chair, eyes closed with no care in the world.

No. Daddy. No!





Chapter Twenty-Nine





I spring to my feet and reach Zoe in two strides. I’ve been barely controlling myself while she lies there, sweating. Her lids are shut so tight, it seems painful. Now that she’s spasming, I can’t fucking take it anymore.

Mist places a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. “She has to wake up on her own.”

My fists clench as I hang on to my cool by a fucking thread. Mist goes on about ascending a staircase or some nonsense.

Helping Zoe see past her childhood trauma was all that I’ve been thinking about, but seeing her suffer like this is worse than being cut open.

Her bright green gates open fill with unshed tears. Sitting up, Zoe’s hollow, frantic gaze searches everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Once again, she’s like a frightened broken doll.

I push Mist aside and crouch in front of Zoe. My hand covers her delicate one. “Are you all right?”

She remains silent for long, scary seconds. I draw small circles on her hand to warm the cold, sweaty skin. If only I can take her pain away. I’ll cut myself fucking open if it wipes her tears away.

A few more seconds pass by before Zoe meets my imploring gaze. Tears stream down her cheeks as she chokes out. “Daddy s-saved me… he’s g-gone… he…”

“Hey.” I hold her by the back of her neck and pull her to my chest. Her fingers curl into my T-shirt as a sob tears from her throat.

My fingers stroke her hair and I let her purge it all out. If whoever is making her shed tears were a person, I would’ve hunted them down and tortured them until they begged for death.

Since killing isn’t an option, I offer her my silent support. I continue caressing the strands of blonde hair in a slow rhythm.

I never wanted to protect someone as much as I want to shield her from the whole fucking world. Even my life never held much value. Dying is inevitable in our line of work so I only lived to die.

Until Zoe came along.

This isn’t mere love or obsession or possession. It’s all of those wrapped in a consuming sense of being.

She makes me feel alive and I’ll do anything to breathe that life back in her dying spirt.

I hold her until her crying turns into hiccoughs and her breathing evens out.

Mist has disappeared. No surprise there. She’s rubbish at the comforting thing — we all are. She can watch me drown in my blood with no problems, though.

Once Zoe’s lids flutter closed, I try to place her head on the pillow so she can rest. She tightens her clutch on my T-shirt. I brush my lips on her forehead and she snuggles into me.

Although I want to keep her here and be the one to take care of her, she needs more.





No idea if it’s because of what she’s gone through or I’m that brilliant at driving, but Zoe doesn’t wake up during the entire ride. There isn’t even a stir when I take her in my arms and carry her inside Le Salon.

Now that I think about it, she really gained some weight. She does look healthy, but I hope it’s not because some disorder shit due to the stress she’s been going through.

“Zoe?”

I turn around at Natalie’s voice. She stands near the entrance of the safe house, her petite frame almost unnoticeable. Her eyes widen in shock. “She’s… she’s alive?”

“Got a problem with it?” No idea if she’s glad or disappointed.

“Of course not! I just never thought I’d see her again.”

“Now you do.” I leave her and walk inside the safe house and into my room. The same room where I used to fantasise about Zoe’s illusion during those months from hell.

I keep the curtains drawn, allowing a sliver of the afternoon light inside and place her on the bed. I find a perfect position and sit by her head. For what seems like forever, I watch those delicate features as she sleeps. I’m hoping against hope that she found the peace she secretly yearned for, but even if she didn’t, I’ll be beside her all the same.