Chapter 42 #2
“How far are you from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania?” I asked. Determination filled me with a confidence that I forced myself to believe.
God, keep her safe until we can find her.
“Two hours.”
“I’ll be on the next flight. I’ll send you the details and an address to meet me at.”
“Okay. And Enoch?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
I ended the call without responding, tucking Shiloh’s phone into my back pocket.
“What’s going on?” Cole asked hesitantly as he peered into the bedside table with a gasp. “Who were you talking to?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered, stepping towards the door. “If you want Sh—” I cut myself off with a shake of my head. “If you want Emory to come home, then you’re going to keep your mouths shut and not breathe a word of any of this to anyone.”
“I knew she should have never trusted you,” Lottie spat. “You’re insane if you think we’re not going to call the cops. They’ll arrest you for obstruction of justice, they’ll—”
I spun on my heel, intent on putting the fear of God into her, but Jae beat me to it, picking up the gun and checking that it was loaded.
Lottie’s lips parted, eyes going wide with fear.
Mason faltered in his steps as he attempted to intervene.
Jae crowded her space until she was forced to sit back down on the bed where Hannah wrapped her arms around her.
“I’ll say this nicely one time and one time only. You threaten my family again and you’ll regret it. You want to put your life in danger; I don’t give a fuck. But you’ll be signing Emory’s death warrant if you open your mouth. So, keep it shut, or I can do it for you.”
I blinked in shock at the venom in Jae’s voice.
I knew he was fiercely protective, but to hear him threaten someone proved just how loyal he was to the family we’d created with Shiloh.
It should’ve concerned me the lengths at which he was willing to go to defend us, but all I felt was pride and relief. Relief that I wasn’t doing this alone.
I pulled Jae back by the collar and he stumbled into my chest. “Please,” I begged her friends. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Lottie blinked tears out of her eyes, and her sister squeezed her tighter.
“You’re going to her ex-husband?” Cole asked, eyes bouncing between Jae and me. “That’s who has her?”
I swallowed and nodded. “Yes.”
“We want to help. What can we do?”
I sighed. Every second I spent talking to them was a second wasted not trying to get to Shiloh.
“Just make sure no one gets the cops involved. I can’t explain, I can’t. You just have to trust us when we tell you that getting them involved will only make things worse.”
Cole stared before finally nodding in agreement. Jae threw Hannah’s phone onto the bed and turned around, shoving me towards the door.
My pace picked up as I left her apartment until I was sliding into the passenger seat of my car. Jae didn’t miss a beat, entering on the driver’s side and starting it, placing the gun in my lap so he had two hands on the wheel.
“Why did you take her gun?”
“I didn’t trust her friends. Didn’t want it getting into the wrong hands.”
I nodded slowly, pulling out my phone and opening a search for the next available flight.
“We’ll get her back,” Jae said with conviction, driving a little too fast as he turned onto the main road.
I didn’t voice my doubts, shoving them into the recess of my mind as I scrolled through the flight options.
“Fuck,” I shouted, slamming my hand against my door. “The fastest flight is still nine fucking hours with a stop in Chicago.”
“Book it,” Jae urged, changing lanes to swerve around a slower car. “When does it leave.”
“Tonight. In…” I glanced at the time, “four hours.”
Jae nodded in my periphery, and I leaned over to pull my wallet out of my back pocket, the gun a heavy weight on my lap. Another reminder of what was at stake. My hands were shaking so badly, it took me several minutes to correctly type in my credit card number as I purchased two tickets.
We were pulling up to the house just as I received the confirmation email with our tickets.
Part of me was expecting my phone to ring at any moment. Shiloh calling to tell me that she was fine, that all of this was just a fucked-up misunderstanding.
I looked to Jae as he put the car in park, “I can’t lose her again,” my voice cracked, but I forced the emotion back.
Jae placed a hand behind my neck, squeezing. “We’re not going to. Ride or die. We’re gonna get her back.”
I blinked to clear my vision, “I promised her I’d keep her safe.”
Jae squeezed the back of my neck, “Snap out of it!”
I jolted at the anger in his voice, but his hand on my neck held me in place. “You’re not gonna waste time moping and imagining the worst. Go inside, pack a bag, and let’s fucking get your girl.”
I swallowed before nodding and he released me, exiting the car.
He was right. I needed to remain focused, in control. Shiloh needed me and I couldn’t waste any more time. I’d have plenty of time to spiral on the nine-hour flight to my parents’ house where I prayed like hell that my dad could help.
I’m coming for you. Just hold on, baby.