Chapter 32
Penny
Declan’s father comes back a little while later sans lawyer.
“My contacts are trying to get a hold of the senator with no such luck so far. But Carlisle is going to gather as much information as he can against Brad. We’re not going to leave any stone unturned.
I have a feeling the senator knows what her son is up to. ”
I was afraid of that, too. “And the cops can’t find anything?” I ask the room, looking at everyone.
Lucas answers. “Nothing so far. I have a couple of my guys looking into Brad, but from what we can decipher, he’s so clean he squeaks.”
“So, what can we do in the meantime? There has to be something.”
“I think the best thing you can do is to get some rest, and we’ll keep at it in the morning. The police are taking this seriously, and they are doing everything they can to find Autumn. If they haven’t made any progress in the morning, we’ll shift focus,” Lucas says.
I blow out a breath. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight knowing my baby girl is out there with Brad. None of us has any clue as to how unstable he is. And considering he kidnapped a child, I would say his mental state is close to unhinged.
“I’m heading to a hotel, but I’ll keep trying to make contact,” Phillip says.
He comes over and shakes Declan’s hand, and when he steps in front of me, I pull him into a hug. His arms tentatively wrap around my shoulders, but he returns the gesture. “Thank you,” I tell him. “I appreciate what you’re doing for my daughter.”
When he pulls back, he gives me a warm smile. “If you need anything else, just call. I’ll be right down the road.”
“We’re going to head home, too. But we’ll come back in the morning,” my dad tells us as he and my mom wrap us in hugs and head out the door as well.
It’s just Becca, Jordan, Lucas, Declan, and me left.
Becca starts rummaging through the cupboards and pulls out a half-empty bottle of tequila. “Sleep isn’t happening right now. We need alcohol and ideas. There’s no way that little bitch boy just disappeared into thin air.”
Declan looks at me, and I shrug my shoulders. Becca’s right. I’m not going to sleep until my daughter is back in my arms, safe and sound. Might as well settle in and try to find out anything we can about Brad and where he might have taken my daughter.
I know the police are doing everything they can, but I need to feel useful.
Once Becca pours everyone tequila over ice, we all settle into the living room. Lucas has his laptop open and is using his work programs to go over anything we might have missed, and Becca and Jordan are using my tablet to search Brad’s Facebook while Declan and I search his Instagram.
“Does this guy love himself, or what?” Jordan says out loud. “I’ve never seen so many selfies of a dude in my life.”
She’s not wrong. Every other picture on his Instagram is of himself.
He’s with a different woman in every other photo, too.
It makes me wonder how many of them had to sign an NDA.
If he poked holes in condoms, that means Autumn potentially has siblings out there in the world… unless those women did what I couldn’t.
I have no doubt there have been women in the same position I was in, and it makes me see red. Brad can’t get away with any of this. If his mom weren’t in such a public role, I have no doubt he would have already been behind bars.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Declan questions.
“Anything you might think would help. He turned off his cell phone, but there might be a chance he’ll log onto one of his social media accounts.
We could potentially track him through that,” Lucas relays.
“My contact at the police department says Brad's records are sealed, and if that’s the case, he’s done things his mother doesn’t want anybody to know about because it could potentially ruin her career. ”
“There’s no doubt Brad gets all of his personality from her,” Becca seethes. “How do such awful people get away with the shit they do? It’s not fair.”
It really isn’t. But I suppose you have to have some sort of evil in you if you’re going to use power to control the people around you.
And the senator has no problem abusing her power.
She’s been known to manipulate and undermine whomever she can, to advance her career, not caring about the good of the public in the slightest. She’s a snake who has many people in her pockets and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty if she needs to.
I finish off my tequila and lean my head against the couch in defeat. I don’t see anything that can help us, and the further into the night it gets, the more helpless I feel.
Is Autumn being fed? Is she warm? Is he hurting her?
I have so many questions and zero answers. The fact that the police haven’t found anything either makes me nervous. Where would he have taken her? It couldn’t have been that far, considering they put the BOLO out not thirty minutes after she was taken.
“We’re going to find her,” Declan promises as he takes my hand in his and kisses my palm.
I roll my head towards him, and he gives me a small smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes.
It’s nearing midnight now, nine hours since Autumn was taken, and my eyes start to water again.
I’m mentally and physically exhausted at this point, and my heart is in shambles. “What if we don’t?” I whisper back. I hate thinking like that, but there’s a possibility it could become my reality, and I need to face the music if that’s what it comes down to.
His eyes harden, and he wraps me in a hug against his chest. “Don’t go down that rabbit hole, okay? It’s not an option.”
I nod into his chest and hold back my tears. I’m ready for this nightmare to end, but I need to stay strong.
My cell phone's ringtone startles me, and I flinch at the sound.
An unknown number shows on the screen, and I furrow my brows.
“Who is it?” Jordan asks.
“I’m not sure.”
“Answer it,” Lucas demands.
When I look at him, his features are hard.
“Brad?” I question.
He nods in confirmation.
Declan squeezes my hand, and I answer the phone, putting it on speaker.
“Hello?” My voice shakes.
“If you want my kid back, you’re going to have to do something for me.”
It’s Brad. “Just give me my daughter back, and we’ll forget this ever happened,” I beg.
“That’s not how this works. If you want her back, I need something from your little boyfriend.”
I look at Declan, and he shrugs his shoulders. “And what is that?” I ask.
“His money.”
My eyes widen, and Declan takes the phone from me. “Whatever you want, it’s yours. Just give us back our daughter.”
Money? But why would he need money? His mother is rich. It’s been suggested that she does insider trading because her net worth is one hundred times more than her annual salary, but no one can prove anything. So, why does her golden boy need money?
A sardonic laugh fills the room. “She’s not your daughter, Declan,” Brad spits out, his voice laced with venom. “She’s mine.”
“Get fucked, Brad,” I interrupt. “She may have your DNA, but all you’ll ever be is a sperm donor. Give me my daughter back or–”
“Or what, Penny?” he interrupts. “It doesn’t matter what you threaten because I hold all the cards.”
My nostrils flare in frustration because he’s not wrong. I have no leg to stand on. He has my daughter, and I’ll do anything he wants to get her back into safe arms.
“I’ll give you the money as soon as Autumn is in our possession,” Declan says into the phone.
“I want all twenty-five million.”
Every head in the room snaps to Declan, but he doesn’t skip a beat as he says, “Fine. Tell us where you are right now, and I’ll wire the money when you give us Autumn.”
“I’ll send you a location in the morning. And no cops. Otherwise, your precious Autumn will no longer exist in this world.”
The line goes dead, and we all sit in silence for a beat.
“Twenty-five million dollars?” Becca screeches. “You have that kind of money?”
Declan’s cheeks tinge pink. “It was an inheritance I received when I turned thirty. I haven’t touched it, though, so it’s just sitting there in my bank account.”
“Well, I’ll be. You’re buying us all a round at the bar when this is over,” Becca says.
“How did Brad get access to that kind of information?” Jordan asks.
Lucas tells us, “It’s not that hard. If you know someone who is willing to bend the rules, you can find out almost anything about a person nowadays.”
“So, what are we going to do?” Jordan chimes in.
“It’s up to you, Penny,” Lucas says, “The fact that he’s demanding money means he’s desperate.”
“I’ll give him every cent as long as he keeps his word,” Declan cuts in.
When I look at him, it’s clear he’s serious. He would do anything, including giving away an exorbitant amount of money, just to get Autumn back.
“I don’t know,” I shake my head, “I can’t ask you to give up that kind of money, Declan. It’s not fair.”
His eyes harden. “You’re not asking. If he wants the money in exchange for Autumn, he can have it. It means nothing to me, Penny.”
I search his eyes and fall even more in love with him. “Okay,” I whisper. I turn to Lucas. “No cops. I’m not risking my daughter’s life. If you think he’s desperate, that means his threat could be real.”
He nods his head. “Okay. Now we just wait for him to call in the morning.”
“Let’s take a shower and lie down. Maybe try to get a few minutes of rest,” Declan says to me.
I nod my head. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Jordan and Lucas promise to come back in the morning before dawn, and Becca heads out too.
When the door finally shuts, and Declan and I are the only two left, he grabs my hand and leads me to the bedroom. He takes his time stripping me out of my t-shirt and jean shorts, and then strips out of his clothes as well.
He pulls the covers down, and we both climb in, naked and facing each other.
His eyes search my face, and then he grabs a strand of my hair, twirling it around his finger.
“I don’t think I told you, but I love your short hair. It suits you.”
I search his face for the lie but come up empty. “Really? You like it? Most guys like long hair, though. That’s why I haven’t cut it again.”
He shakes his head. “I like the way the short haircut shows off your neck, and I love how it draws attention to your eyes.”
“Our hair is almost the same length, though. It doesn’t bother you?”
He moves his hand and tangles his fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck, moving to lay his body over mine. “Nope. Not at all. You look sexy,” kiss, “hot,” kiss, “and you look like you’re mine,” he says, kissing all over my face.
His free hand slides down the front of my body, and his fingers start to work my bundle of nerves.
“Tell me what you need, baby. Tell me what my good little slut needs from me.”
Oh. Fuck.
He works his fingers lower, dragging my wetness from my opening to my clit and then back again, never entering me but still giving me the torturous pleasure I crave. The pleasure that my body so desperately needs right now.
“Make me forget for just a few minutes,” I breathe out. I capture his lips with mine, and he doesn’t hesitate to lick into my mouth.
His growl is feral as his fingers pull away, and he replaces them with his cock, entering me in one go.
He takes my wrists in his hands, pinning them next to my head, and I cry out loud as his mouth works mine in a searing kiss, blurring the edges of what my mind is trying to think about and the moment I’m in.
“Are you going to be a good little slut and come on my cock?”
“Yes,” I whisper against his lips. The more he talks, the easier it is for my mind to stay with him, in the here and now.
“Your pretty little pussy swallows me so well. Such a good girl for me.”
His thrusts become punishing as we work our bodies against each other, and his words of encouragement take me higher and higher.
He pulls back slightly and wraps a hand around the front of my throat, putting just the right amount of pressure on the sides. “You’ve been such a good little slut for me. You’re all mine, and I’m going to make sure everyone knows that, including you, every day for the rest of our lives.”
My pussy starts to spasm as his thrusts get harder and harder. His tongue trails up the side of my throat, sucking on my earlobe, just before licking up the side of my cheek. “Come for me, my beautiful slut. Come for your husband.”
My whole body starts to convulse at his words. “Holy fuck,” I breathe as he continues his punishing rhythm. That’s when I feel him explode too, his warm cum coating my insides.
The orgasm overtakes us, and my pussy constricts around his cock, sucking everything out of him.
The feeling of him coming inside of me is something I’ll never get used to.
It’s so primal, so hot, that every time he does, my whole body lights up like it’s the best thing she’s ever felt.
It makes me irrationally hornier, and I would be lying if I said I wanted him to use condoms again.
“You did so good, baby. So fucking good,” he praises as we both continue to chase the high of our combined pleasure.
His thrusting finally slows down, and he says, “You were made just for me, Penny. You’re mine. You understand that, right? You don’t ever get to leave me. Till death do us part.”
My mouth parts, but before I can say anything, his lips land on mine, his tongue tasting my mouth like he wants to devour me whole.
“I love you,” I whisper against his lips as his thrusts completely stop.
He pulls his head back, just enough to look into my eyes. “I love you too, baby.”
He really is the best husband, and I should have never asked him to keep our marriage a secret.
Autumn missed out on knowing she had a father figure, a stepfather, this whole time.
When we get her back, I want to tell her everything.
The stress that comes with keeping all of these secrets is too much, and from here on out, I want to be honest with not only my daughter but also our friends and family.
Declan finally pulls out of me and spoons me from behind, making me feel safe and loved.
We don’t say anything else as we both start to drift to sleep, and all I can do is hope that when the morning comes, Brad holds up his end of the deal.
Because if he doesn’t, I’m going to burn the world to the ground getting my daughter back.