Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Catharina
I give Alexis another hour before heading up the stairs to wake her, my heart pounding with every step.
Pausing outside her nursery door, I drag in a deep breath, mentally trying to shake off the unease.
I’ve spent my life walking into rooms where I knew I’d have to fight for what I wanted against people who wanted nothing more than to see me fail.
Surely I can handle one naughty Little girl.
And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that something is very, very wrong as I turn the knob and push the door open a small fraction.
“Alexis? Are you awake, baby?”
Silence greets my question, so I open the door the rest of the way and step inside. For several long moments, my brain refuses to accept what I’m seeing in front of me.
An empty crib, and my babygirl’s diaper and bikini top abandoned on the floor.
And no sign of my Little one anywhere.
Now it’s panic rather than simple unease clawing at me, tearing at my chest, my throat as I race for the bathroom. Maybe she was upset and decided to use the potty instead of her diaper.
But no. The bathroom is as empty as her crib, and a sob rises in my throat, strangling me.
“Gavin!” As I scream for my assistant, I race for the closet, only to find it empty as well.
“Cat? What’s wrong?” A pause, and I know he’s seeing the same thing I see, though he can’t possibly be feeling the same terror that currently has me by the throat. “Where’s Alexis?”
“I don’t know.” Stepping out of the closet again, I gesture at the empty crib. “I came in to wake her up and she’s gone. She’s just gone. I don’t know where she went or if she’s safe or—”
“Okay.” Gavin steps forward to grip my arms, his touch like his voice gentle but firm. “Take a deep breath for me. In through your nose and then out through your mouth.”
As I inhale sharply through my nose, he smiles, though it’s distinctly strained at the edges. “Are you going to punch me in the face if I say ‘good girl’?”
Despite my panic, my terror, a laugh bursts out of me. “No. I’d go straight for your balls.”
“Fair enough. Now, take your phone out and call Evander so he can use that clever little tracking device around your Little one’s neck to figure out where she is. She can’t have gone far, the island isn’t all that big.”
Relief nearly sends me to my knees as I yank my phone from my pocket. “Evander. How the fuck did I forget about Evander?”
I’m dialing as I speak, and a moment later Evander’s gruff voice fills my ears. “Cat?” Amusement and curiosity wend their way around his words. “To what do I owe this dubious honor?”
“Alexis is missing. I need you to track her, find out where she is.”
And just like that, he’s all business, his tone brisk and firm when he speaks again. “Pulling her tracker information up now. How long has she been missing?”
“I don’t know. I put her down for a nap after the waterpark, but that was nearly two hours ago.”
Two hours. Once more, fear claws at my chest. She could be anywhere by now.
“Well, the good news is, it doesn’t look like she got far. According to the tracker she’s in the woods just outside your house. If I had to guess, you’ve got yourself a sulky Little girl who is throwing herself quite the pity-party.”
Spinning away from Gavin, I stride toward the nursery door, anger now warring with the fear still constricting my chest. “I swear to god if that’s what she’s doing, she won’t sit properly for a week.”
“Don’t blame you. All right, go out your front door and head to your left. She didn’t go very deep into the woods, far as I can tell.”
I hurry down the stairs as fast as I dare, and then race for the front door, not even bothering with shoes. The thick socks Gavin brought me after I put Alexis down won’t protect me from everything, but I can’t stomach the thought of waiting a second longer to get my arms around my babygirl again.
“I’ve got a lock on your phone. Head west a bit more. No, the other way.”
“Nobody fucking knows which way is west, Evander,” I snap into the phone as I shift my direction once more.
“I do. Bet the lumberjacks know.”
“Evander.”
“I’m just saying. Hang on, let me zoom in a bit more… okay, yeah, you’re headed in the right direction.”
As I stumble over grass and twigs and rocks, I look around for any sight of her, my head whipping from side to side as my heartbeat grows ever more erratic. “I don’t see her.”
“She might be hiding. But she hasn’t moved, so that’s good. You’re getting closer… There! You’re right on top of her.”
I stop dead in my tracks, my stomach dropping to my feet as I look around the empty forest. “She isn’t here.”
“You sure? The tracker says she’s right there.”
“Alexis Paige!” My voice rings out, echoing through the forest around me. “If you’re hiding from Mommy, you need to show yourself right now, little girl. You have until I get to five. One!”
I pause, my ears straining for any rustling, any cracking, any little sound that might lead me to my errant babygirl. But I’m only greeted by silence, and the growing dread in my stomach that she isn’t actually here.
“Two! I’m serious, little girl! This isn’t a game!”
More silence, and my throat tightens as the same terror I felt before begins to wrap itself around me, squeezing the very life from my lungs.
“Three… Four… I am not playing, Alexis Paige. Five!”
Nothing.
“Evander, she’s not here.” I know it in my soul. I think I knew it even before I stepped foot in this forest, though I didn’t want to believe it.
“I’m on my way, and I’m bringing the others with me. Don’t worry Cat. One way or another, we’ll find your baby.”
Alexis
The trek to the docks must have worn me out even more than I’d realized because I wake, groggy and disoriented in the closet without even realizing I’d fallen asleep. Rubbing at my eyes, I blink to try and orient myself in the small dark space.
Pain rolls through my limbs as I try to move, and I wince as I shift up onto my knees, rubbing at my stiff muscles.
Food. I need food and to figure out where the hell I’m going to hide out while I’m on the ship.
Sooner or later someone will need supplies from this closet, and the longer I can go without being discovered, the better.
I don’t know anything about the men who ship lumber to the island, except for Tori telling me they’re all brothers and, from what I’ve seen, they’re all fucking giant.
Even bigger than Gavin, if that’s possible.
Definitely not the kind of men a girl wants to be trapped on a boat with, all alone.
Fuck. I really didn’t think this through.
A pressure in my chest tells me I’m close to another bout of tears, so I force myself to breathe, to drag air into my lungs, willing them back.
Not only do I need to be clearheaded and focused for my recon mission, I can’t afford to lose any more water than I already have.
God only knows how much access I’ll have to food and water on the boat, so I need to be careful.
Once I finally have control of my emotions again, I gather my courage and reach for the handle on the door, slowly twisting it. I open it just a crack, enough for me to listen carefully, and when I don’t hear any voices, I slip out of the closet, gently shutting the door behind me.
There aren’t, unfortunately, any signs immediately visible to me that might tell me where to go. A glowing neon “Perfect hiding place this way!” would be really helpful right about now.
Lacking that guidance, I head to my right. Worst-case scenario, I can just turn around and come back the way I came.
Unlike the photos I’ve seen of cruise ships, these hallways are dimly lit, and there are no boisterous crowds or music or any of the other entertainment one could expect to find there.
But there are sounds. Noises that freeze me in place as I listen, trying to decide if I’m about to be discovered or if it’s just boat noises.
For what feels like hours, I wander that way. Up and down corridors, and stairs, freezing every few feet to ensure I’m not caught. Every now and then I do have to duck behind things or into other hidden closets to hide from someone.
My stomach is growling at me, very annoyed that we’ve clearly missed dinner, and I’ve just about given up on ever finding the kitchen when a gruff voice meets my ears.
“Gray isn’t going to be happy about it.”
“When is Gray ever happy about anything?” an equally gruff voice responds and they both laugh.
Whoever Gray is, he sounds like someone I do not want to cross. But the more immediate danger is headed my way, as evidenced by the shadows gradually growing larger with every passing second.
Reaching behind me, I run my hand over the wall, and when I discover a handle I twist and shove the door open behind me, tumbling backward into a brightly lit room. I only have a split-second of relief before a deep, smoky voice reaches me.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”