~•Jamie•~

I've been in pain before. I've experienced pain accompanied by disbelief, sadness, denial, dissent and shock but I have never felt the way that I feel now. People say words can't describe certain things we've gone through and right now, this is one of those experiences.

No. I refuse to go through this. I refuse to believe that any of this is real, that the last couple of seconds didn't occur and everything is okay in my blissful paradise with Wolf and our somewhat newly discovered love.

My head shakes back and forth and my heart races in my chest, my ears ringing loudly as I stare at the side profile of Wolf who looked away once the words had left his beautiful mouth. She can't be...not my mommy. Not my momma bear—no, I refuse.

"What did she say? Rickson is lying! She's lying, my mom can't be dead, she's just lying to me!" I scream and shout, at the top of my lungs and Wolf takes out a wad of cash and throws it onto the table without checking how much he's giving away, before grabbing my hand and pulling me out of there.

I can't breathe. I can't breathe but I won't believe it because it's not true.

"Jamie–" I've started to shake and even the night air can't shake me from my daze as I shove out of Wolf's arms.

"Shut up! You're lying to me! You're lying and I won't let you take my mom away from me again!" I continue to scream, attracting the attention of anyone in passing and that's when he tries to reasonably calm me down but I hit at his chest as tears leak down my cheeks.

"No!"

"Hey, it's okay–"

"No it can't be true..." my lip trembles and tear after tear after tear slip down my cheeks as my knees struggle to hold my weight up.

"James—"

"Don't touch me!" I scream, shoving him away once again and letting out a sob that cuts right through from the pit of my stomach. He stares at me calmly as I break, sinking to my knees and holding my chest. I'm so angry and so hurt that I can't even stand to be in the presence of anyone else at the moment.

Wolf walks away from me and after calming my tears, it sinks in that he might have really just left me but then the sight of headlights has me up to my feet with fisted hands at my sides. He climbs out, comes around to my side and wordlessly holds the passenger side door open for me.

I stroll towards him lazily and sink into the comfy seat, palming my forehead stressfully, already angry at whoever could have done this. I'm confused, because I don't even know what has happened, I'm angry because if this is true... It can't be, but if it is then they took her from me while I was gone.

I haven't spoken to her for so long and I can't believe that I won't ever speak to her, hug her - ever again.

We sit in silence, my face turned towards the window as I brush away my tears, the hatred towards the situation settling in and making my anger flow through my veins and bubble dangerously.

.....

After getting onto a flight and flying out of Malta and instead back home for the first time in what feels like forever, Wolf and I stopped at his place to change and freshen up. I close myself away in a guest bathroom and notice my worn-out face. I wipe off my Valentine's Day makeup, then exit to go down the hallway to my shared bedroom with Wolf.

Once I've gotten ready, I pack a bag with minimal stuff then head down to Wolf's office. I walk in, seeing him gathering our passports, IDs and stacks of cash, adding a few weapons while tapping occasionally at his phone. Unlike me, he's still dressed and at the sight of his somewhat frown, guilt strikes my chest at the way I yelled at him but all that comes out is, "You should get changed." He nods wordlessly, then walks past me, brushing my arm slightly then heading upstairs to our room.

I pick up the duffel bag and then go wait at the door, running my hand through my hair stressfully while considering what could be waiting for me on the other side of that flight. I don't only feel bad for how I spoke to Wolf, as though he was just a stranger - but I feel bad because it's my fault that he has to breach our hiatus on such short notice.

Gosh...what the hell is going on?

Wolf comes back changed into dark jeans and a heavy jacket, motioning for us to go then we head back out to the car.

.....

Jamie and Wolf take their seats between one another, having not spoken the entire drive over and now the conversations happening lowly around their first-class flight just don't seem like an appropriate time to bring anything up. Still, though, Jamie rests her head slowly on his shoulder and he takes her hand to interlace through his, kissing her forehead gently.

.....

In Yasmine's house, the Davenport sisters listen to the front door open and close, followed by approaching footsteps before Jamie shows herself a few steps behind Wolf and they run over, closing the distance by embracing her into a tight hug.

"Oh, we missed you so much, Jay!" Elijah, the youngest, is the first to speak and Jamie smiles sadly, tucking her hair behind her ear then pulling her sweater closed and crossing her arms as an uncomfortable silence takes over the room.

All the girls are puffy eyed and once they meet each other's gazes...they fall into another embrace. "What happened?" Wolf asks and Nial clears her throat and explains.

"After brunch yesterday, we were all headed to our cars–mom included–but when she went in," She shrugs her shoulders. "It just exploded and security got us out of there ASAP. A body hasn't been found and after we found out about you, we were told that when everything went wrong..."

"You were the only person we could count on." The three sisters finish together and Jamie looks over at Wolf who nods, his mask still in place as his thoughtful eyes look between the girls.

"Has anything weird been happening since we left?" Is his first question but they all shake their heads. "Are you sure? Maybe Yaz had been hiding something, acting a little bit more paranoid or protective. Such as boosting up the security and such?"

"No, nothing. This literally happened out of nowhere. Since Jamie left, we haven't really been doing anything...we've been laying somewhat low, only doing occasional deals here and there for cash increase." Rickson pipes up, her appearance extremely put together even in this state. Her blonde hair is in a neat bun, her figure-hugging dress ironed and her gloves clean.

"You said there wasn't a body?" Jamie questions and her sisters nod.

"No."

"Then until we find one, mom isn't dead."

"Jamie–"

"No Rikki, until I see that she's dead then she can't be."

"Then where is she? If mom is alive why isn't she here with us and where did she go!?" The oldest sister snaps unlike they've ever seen her and Jamie shakes her head but doesn't respond, biting her tongue until she can taste blood.

"Just calm down." Nial breathes, holding up a hand and stepping forward. "Jamie is right, okay? There's got to be a better explanation to this, we can't just give up Rick."

"But Rikki has a point because if this was a scheme, then mom would have left some kind of hint. Right?" Elijah's soft voice reasons as well and Wolf just sighs.

"Let's get some rest, I'll contact a few people and ask around about your mom. But nothing is going to be solved if you kill each other. Yasmine isn't here to make you get along so I will. Be adults because that's what you are." His tone is even and serious. "Just give me some time and do me a favour and do not leave this house."

With that, the masked figure turns and leaves the girls, all of them staring down at their feet in the tense silence.

"We're all tired, let's just get some rest." Rickson murmurs before leaving first and the sisters shortly split to their separate childhood bedrooms.

.....

Wolf sits down beside a sleeping Jamie after a long day of aimlessly trying to locate his sister in need of her help with this entire situation. He does however have a lead when it comes to the car bombing that possibly left his honorary mother dead.

His fingers work to take off his laces and then he straightens and kicks his shoes off, rolling over to stare at his girlfriend.

The boundaries between them are slightly blurred and he isn't sure if she wants him to touch her. Sure they held onto each other but they haven't spoken since her freak out and... He's just not sure.

The gaze he has on her must be heavy, because she stirs and opens her eyes to lock into his own. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"It doesn't matter." He whispers, reaching out to touch her face gently.

"I didn't mean anything I said Wolfy, I love you. I know you'd never purposely hurt me, even if it's something like a lie. All you've ever done was make sure that I was safe so–"

The feeling of his lips on hers has her cut off and breathing in deeply through her nose as she kisses him soft, yet firmly. "It's okay. I'm gonna figure this out, I promise."

"I wanna help."

"I know." She smiles and rests her cheek on his chest.

"I feel guilty for sleeping when she could be out there."

"Actually..."

"What?" She straightens and looks at him right in the eyes expectantly.

"When I was at the scene, there were traces of not necessarily a bomb but an enhancement that was placed into the gas slot. The thing that caused it?" Wolf reaches into his pocket and pulls out,

"My mom's lighter. She purposely set the car on fire, didn't she?"

"I don't know, James. But there's a possibility that this is all some part of a bigger scheme."

"You don't think she's alive?" Her hope falters and he shrugs, laying down on his back and pulling her onto his torso to straddle him, stroking her hips with his thumb.

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up." He whispers gently and she nods understandably then sighs, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Well whether or not I get my hopes up...I am not giving up."

"I'm not telling you too, you're very determined, James Davenport." She smiles and leans forward, kissing his lips softly then pulling back to lay beside him.

"I am. Figures that when mom isn't around, I come back and Rickson is acting like a jerk, the rest of us are divided---basically, nobody is getting along." This isn't how Jamie expected her return to be. The happy response was so short-lived that she wishes that she'd never had to come back so soon under such circumstances.

"They're your sisters, this should be the last thing to divide you. What happened to you doing anything to protect the woman that raised you, hm?"

Jamie doesn't say anything, her jaw tightly set as she runs his words over in her head before letting out a disgruntled sigh and rolling out of bed. "She's probably asleep---"

"Yeah and it's either I apologise now or I don't."

"James!" He calls but she leaves the room and heads to her oldest sister's one, knocking nonstop. Wolf stands but doesn't follow her, only waits at the bedroom threshold to see what she does next.

"Jamie..." Rickson opens the door looking like an angel in her long satin robe and before she can react, the younger sister wraps her arms around the older.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

"For yelling at you yes, but not for what I said."

"Jay sweetie, I just didn't want you to---"

"Get my hopes up, I know. I've already had that conversation. Can't you just have a little hope though?"

"Reality is---"

"Rikki please." Jamie turns on her pleading eyes and Rickson glances at Wolf who drags up the neck of his T-shirt to cover his mouth and nose since he had taken his mask off prior.

"Only because I do have hope, Jamie. I just need to be the one prepared if all hell breaks loose. Come here." A satisfied smile later, Jamie is hugging her sister tightly as they sway from side to side.

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