Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Ellie should’ve been here by now, and with her not answering my calls or texts, I’m worried she’s pissed at me for leaving this morning without telling her. In my defense, when Dad called and said that one of our guys had captured an intruder, I took off wanting to be there to interrogate whoever it was, hoping to learn who’s targeting us.
Of course, after hours of our men torturing the guy, we only learned that he was hired to break in and cause a scene. He doesn’t know who hired him or why, only that he would be paid 10k cash if he was able to get away. Whoever it was, either hadn’t counted on us having a guard watching our parents’ house until shit gets sorted, or wanted him to get caught. But the question is why? Why would anyone pay to have someone break into our parents’ house without wanting him to hurt anyone or take anything? Something isn’t adding up.
I click on the tracker app I installed on Ellie’s phone, and it shows she’s still at the hotel. It’s not like her to miss a doctor’s appointment. She loves going to them and hearing the baby’s heartbeat. It doesn’t make any sense.
I dial Oscar’s number, and it rings until it goes to voicemail, so I start to worry something’s happened. I’m about to dial Sienna’s number, since I left Micah back at our parents’ house when I left for the doctor’s appointment, but my brother’s name pops up on the screen.
“Hey, I’m trying to get—”
“Ellie’s been taken.”
Three words. That’s all it takes to bring me to my knees, right there in the doctor’s office. My eyes close, and I pray to God that I heard my brother wrong. After a moment of silence, though, he continues...
“Oscar was shot in the parking garage. He hit the panic button on his watch, but he bled out before the ambulance could get there. Max tried to call us, but we were underground.”
Underground...We were underground interrogating some asshole who broke into our parents’ place while Oscar was shot and Ellie was taken.
“The police were called,” he continues while I remain on the floor, unable to move. “They found her phone, necklace, and watch, but Ellie is still missing. Max confirmed her abduction. He’s checking all the cameras now, trying to see if he can track where they took her.”
I pry my eyes open, knowing I need to stand and walk out of this waiting room, out of this office. I need to find Ellie and bring her home. But my body doesn’t want to move.
I failed her.
I failed our baby.
I promised I would keep them safe, and I failed them both.
While she was being taken, I was— “It was a setup.”
“What?” Micah asks.
“The guy who broke into our parents’ house. It was a setup. Whoever did this, knew we’d go running to our parents’ place. They must’ve known Ellie had a doctor’s appointment. I left, and in doing so, made her vulnerable.”
Fuck! I never should’ve left her. Or I should’ve put more guys on her. If I would’ve—
“Stop,” Micah says, snapping me from my thoughts. “Thinking about the ‘what ifs’ isn’t going to change shit, so don’t do it. We’ll get her back, bro.”
“Yeah, we will,” I agree. “And when we find who took her, heads will fucking roll.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
LINCOLN
“How many times are you going to watch those videos?”
When I ignore my brother, my eyes staying trained on the computer screen, watching as Ellie kicks and screams and gets shoved into the vehicle, he reaches over and presses pause.
“You’ve been watching these same videos for the past four weeks. You’ve got to stop before you drive yourself crazy. We already know that aside from them heading to a backroad where the cameras cut off, they don’t contain anything worth a shit that will lead us to her.”
I swallow heavily, my eyes closing slightly from the lack of sleep. If I’m not out searching for answers, threatening and bribing people for information, I’m watching the videos. Over and over again. Because it’s all I can do.
Ellie’s been gone for thirty-five days. Thirty-five fucking days without sleeping with her cuddled into my side. Without seeing her doing yoga in the living room. Without smelling her sweet vanilla scent. Thirty-five days without watching her read her romance books while she lays out by the pool. Without seeing her smile, hearing her laughter.
Our baby has grown another four weeks, is now the size of a honeydew. I haven’t felt him kick my hand, heard her talk to him. She hasn’t rearranged the nursery or bought anymore baby outfits. I have no idea if her blood pressure is up, if she’s able to take her anemia medication.
It’s been thirty-five days, and we’re no closer to finding her. It’s as if the car she got into drove off the face of the Earth. Nobody’s reached out wanting a ransom, her accounts haven’t been touched. We’ve hired the best of the best, and nobody has any answers.