Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 285

Julius gave Cecilia a brief nod before addressing Wade. "Wade, go home and get some sleep. You've earned it after these last forty-eight hours."

"It's nothing, Boss. But man, I didn't expect your wife to be so stunning—and vicious. She didn't trust me for a second."

"She's young. She was just spooked," Julius replied protectively.

Wade just chuckled. She definitely looked young, but "spooked" was the last word he'd use for a woman holding a combat knife to his throat.

He didn't stick around to argue. Two days straight of surveillance had wiped him out; it was time to crash.

Julius effortlessly scooped Stella into his arms and carried her to his SUV.

Once she was buckled in, he immediately dialed Ian to tell him to head to the precinct.

He then shot a quick text to Jason Blackwood. His brother had been tearing the city apart looking for her too; he needed to know the hunt was over.

By the time they finally pulled into the driveway of the Imperial Gardens, the clock read 3:00 AM.

The Eames family had been a chaotic mess for the past two days. Exhausted from hitting dead end after dead end, Cecilia's parents had finally collapsed from sheer fatigue and gone home to rest.

When Ian's phone rang in the dead of night, he shot out of bed like a bullet.

"Julius? You actually found her?" He knew leveraging Julius's vast network was the right call.

"Yeah. Get down to the station; she's giving her statement now."

"Oh my god. Okay, I'm on my way. Julius, thank you. Seriously."

Adrenaline flooding his system, Ian threw on his clothes and bolted downstairs. In his frantic rush, he crashed into a decorative stand in the foyer, sending a massive vase shattering to the floor and waking his parents.

Sleeping on the first floor and already plagued by nightmares about their daughter, they were out of bed in an instant.

"Ian? What's going on? Is there news about your sister?" Mr. Eames demanded, voice trembling.

After washing up, she padded downstairs in search of food, only to freeze at the kitchen entrance. Julius was at the stove, cooking.

She slipped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her cheek against his broad back. "Why aren't you at work?"

"It's Sunday, remember?"

Even if it hadn't been Sunday, there was no way in hell he was leaving her alone after what she went through yesterday.

"Right. The last few days have been such a blur, I completely lost track of time."

Julius turned off the burner, gently unlaced her fingers, and spun around to pull her into a deep, lingering kiss.

"You are going to give me a heart attack," he murmured against her lips. "I couldn't eat or sleep. I was terrified." He hadn't truly rested until she was safe in his arms last night.

"Hey, I'm perfectly fine," Stella soothed, rubbing his chest. "I know my limits. I'd never pull anything reckless and risk getting killed. I value my life way too much."