Chapter Twenty-One

Talia's POV:

Anger built inside me. I wanted to slap him across the face for addressing me like I was a thing. But, I had to suppress it and find out more. "Is he—" I feared that asking him might anger him the more, but I had to ask anyway. "Is he . . . alive?"

"For now," he said, his eyes warning me, "He's in the hospital with a mild concussion."

I was so relieved I slumped against the wall. And then the full meaning of his words hits me. "What do you mean, for now?"

Mr. High and Mighty shrugged. "The survival of Jake is dependent on you."

I swallowed the lump forming on my now dry throat. "What do you mean by dependent on me?" I asked fearlessly.

His fingers trailed my face again and pushed the hair back behind my ear. I so wanted to punch this man in his stomach. At least inflict some pain that he would never forget in a hurry.

So help me, God. Because I didn't think I would be able to hold it together for long.