Within the Shadows by J.D MCG (book recommendations .TXT) 📗

replied as she opened up a new cut in his chest.

Barnes kept his screams silent again and moved his head away from her line of sight. He didn't know how long he'd be able to hold out before giving her the answer she needed.

'You're stronger than I imagined, Joe. I honestly thought you'd have broken by now,' she laughed slightly.

'You're crazy, you know that? You threw away everything, just for revenge. Jacob, his family, they treated you like you were their own.'

'It needed to be done.'

'No, it didn't,' he retaliated. 'You could have just lived your life, knowing what your sister did was just plain evil. But you didn't and acted just as awful as she did. Jacob loved you. He still does love you, but you've broken his heart and completely destroyed the life you both built together.'

'I wish things could've been different, but they couldn't. I needed to do what I did. I owed that much to my sister. I needed to bring my mother back.'

'Back? Back from where?'

'My mother worked for a company. You must already know she worked with Ava's parents. Daisy found my mothers research, which is how she knew what she was doing would bring our mother back,' she explained.

Barnes laughed. 'What a fairy tale. Let me guess, this story doesn't have a happily ever after?'

'Not yet anyway,' she turned away from him.

'So where is your mother?' he asked.

'I have no idea. I don't even think Daisy knew. All I know is the diamonds are the key. That's what was in my mother’s research.'

'But why the ritual killings? What do they have to do with the diamonds?'

'I never had the diamonds to begin with. The ritual was to bring the diamonds to me. It was the only way I would be able to get them,' she explained. 'So I need you to tell me where they are now.'

'I don't know,' he continued to lie.

She turned back around with a larger knife in her hand. 'You're doing this to yourself,' she said pointing the tip of the blade into his stomach.

It penetrated its way past his skin making a small incision. Barnes couldn't resist but to yell out in pain. His screams echoed throughout the warehouse, but only he and Lily could hear them.

Chapter 4

Another sunrise woke Jack from his slumber. 8.17 am displayed on the clock next to his bed as he decided to drag himself out of bed and make himself and Charlotte a cup of coffee.

He slowly made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, boiled the kettle and waited. His eyes couldn't help but stare out of the kitchen window. Minutes had passed and the kettle had boiled, but Jack continued staring out the window. Charlotte entered the kitchen and saw her husband standing completely still.

'So much for the coffee,' she joked.

Jack snapped out of his trance. 'Sorry honey,' he replied.

'What were you thinking about?'

'I don't know,' he stared at her with a confused look upon his face.

'What do you mean, you don't know?'

'I can't remember,' he admitted, trying his best to remember.

'It was only a few minutes ago, Jack. How do you not remember?'

'I just don't!' he raised his voice at her again.

'I think there's something wrong with you, Jack,' she expressed her concern.

'What are you talking about? I'm fine.'

'Then why have you stopped running? You used to go out every night for a run, but now you don't. Why?'

'I just don't want to do it anymore, okay?' he continued shouting at her.

'You're scaring me, Jack. You've never behaved like this our entire marriage. What happened that night?' she asked him, knowing something about it was bothering him.

Suddenly his head began to pound with an ungodly headache. He held his head in his hands and cried out in pain.

'Jack, what's wrong?' Charlotte asked with concern.

'My head is killing me,' he yelled.

'We need to get you to a doctor.'

'It's just a headache. I need some paracetamol and I'll be fine.'

Charlotte grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with tap water, before grabbing the paracetamol.

'Here you go,' she said as she handed it to him.

Jacob shot up, sweating from his nightmare. Nightmares have become a common thing for him lately. His current nightmare was about his mother's murder. He and Adam were just kids when their mother was killed, and they could hear the whole thing from the closet they were hiding in. John Wright always believed she was murdered by Daisy Blackwood's crazy killing cult, but there had never been any evidence to prove it.

Jacob could see Belle in the kitchen making her breakfast. He nipped off to his bedroom and headed straight for his en-suite bathroom. Jacob's body was covered in sweat. The nightmares he'd had, terrified him. It felt as if his own brain was trying to torture him as much as possible. His life wasn't getting any easier.

After Jacob got dressed, he headed for the kitchen. Belle was already halfway through her cereal when he joined her and noticed she was dressed in a uniform for the local cafe.

'How come you're dressed like that?' he asked her.

'Got me a job, didn't I?' she replied with a huge grin.

'Well done, Belle,' he congratulated her. 'I'm guessing it’s for the cafe down the road?'

'Yep.'

'I'll have to pop by sometime.'

'Have you found your boss yet?' she asked, before pushing another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

'Not yet. We've got no leads. I just hope he's still alive,' he answered her question while placing his head in his hands, trying not to get too emotional.

Belle patted him on the back. 'You'll find him. You're a fantastic detective and an awesome human being,' she comforted him. 'You took