Praying for Grace (The Grace Series Book 5) Read Free Page A

exhausted. I lifted him from the cold floor.
    “Abs, grab a diaper and a blanket from the pack?” I asked.
    I could have done it myself but wanted to give her a task to help occupy her mind. Emmett’s sleeper suit was soaked-though with urine and his diaper was falling off from overuse. I peeled both off and set them aside. Abbey was at our side quickly with a fresh diaper and receiving blanket. The baby was breathing in irregular gasps from the exertion of crying, so I quickly diapered him and loosely wrapped him in the soft baby blanket.
    “Thanks, Abs. Can you sit here with us till they make sure Susan’s ok?”
    The girl didn’t answer, but sat beside me while I pulled my shirt up to nurse the baby. Once he was latched on, I reached my hand out and took Abbey’s in my own. I could feel her trembling. We watched absently while Susan stripped down from the waist-up and Nathan and Boggs looked her over. She was free from wounds, aside from the one on the side of her head. True to her word, a large clump of hair and skin was missing from her temple. Nathan and Boggs did their best to wipe the area clean with Nate’s shirt, but the bleeding made inspecting it difficult.
    “I don’t see any bites or scratches, Zo,” said Boggs. “She’s missing a big wad of hair, though.”
    “Does it hurt?” I called out. “Gus left some pain pills in one of the bags on the beach.” My heart dropped in my chest at the mention of his name.
    “It’s pretty bad,” she admitted. “But I think I’ll be ok.”
    Baby Emmett had calmed down in my arms and was nursing contently.
    “Zoe, didn’t you sense that fucker?” asked Nathan.
    “Not till it was already on her,” I said, trying to not startle the baby.
    “It’s not her fault,” said Boggs in my defense. 
    “We need to secure the window,” said Danny.
    “Nate, let’s get you and Susan resting. Danny and I can stack the crates against the table.”
    Susan and Nathan helped each other to an empty spot against a wall near the stove. “Can I go over by them now?” asked Abbey, sounding very much like the little girl I had first met.
    I nodded. “Go ahead, sweetie. I’ll help with the window.”
    Abbey sat next to Nathan, who wrapped an arm around each of his girls. The three sat quietly. I watched as Boggs and Danny made quick work of moving crates. Eventually Emmett fell asleep in my arms.
    Boggs came and sat beside me and the baby while Danny began looking through some of the boxes.
    “Danny and I want to check out the rest of the place,” he whispered to me.
    “Do you think Susan’s ok?” I asked, just as quietly.
    “Honestly? I do. I’m glad she’s fallen asleep, for her sake. Her head looks like it hurts like a mother fucker.”
    “When will you and Danny explore?”
    “As soon as we can. We need light, though. He’s checking through boxes for anything helpful.”
    “Want me to come help look?”
    Boggs shook his head. “No, just keep the baby comfortable for now. He’s had a long day too. It might have been his crying that attracted the dead fuck.”
    I nodded, knowing he was right. “Where do you think it came from?”
    “No idea. Maybe it’s what you saw from the shore below?”
    “Maybe. I’m not sensing them like I was.”
    “I’m starting to think this fucking island was a bad idea.”
    “Boggs, what do you think the flashes in the sky were?”
    “I suppose a meteor shower. We’ll probably never know.”
    “I suppose not,” I mumbled.
    “Boggs,” called Danny. “Jackpot.”
    Boggs stood and walked to the teenager. I listened as they fiddled with something, but the room was too dark to see what Danny had found. Within a few minutes the beams of flashlights blinded us all.
    “Flashlights?” I asked.
    “Inside an emergency kit. Abbey, can you take this thermal blanket to Susan?” asked Danny.
    She stood and took a small thin metallic blanket from him. She unfolded it and wrapped it around both Nathan and Susan, who didn’t