Chapter 33
Penny
Iwake to the sound of my phone going off, and when I look at the clock, it shows it’s only four in the morning.
I rub the sleep from my eyes as I slide the little green button across the screen. “Hello?”
“I want my money now. I’ll send you the address. Remember, no cops.”
The line goes dead, and I look down at the blank screen. It takes my brain a few seconds to process what I just heard before I finally get it together.
“Who was it?” Declan asks with a groggy voice.
“Brad.”
A ping sounds from my phone, and I open the message. It’s the address where he wants us to meet him.
I jump out of bed and start to dress, and Declan does the same.
“This early?” he asks as we frantically dash around the room, throwing on our clothes.
I grab a spare scrunchie from the top of my dresser and throw the upper half of my hair into a messy bun once I’m fully clothed. “I don’t know. But the address was in Fallbrook. He’s been less than an hour away this whole time.”
Declan grabs my hand, and we make our way to the door to slip into our shoes. “Are we forgetting anything?” I ask, my heart racing out of my chest. I’m going to have my girl in my arms in less than an hour, and I don’t know which way is up or down at this point.
“Nope. Let’s just go. We can call Lucas and Jordan on our way.”
I nod my head, and we race out the door and down to Declan’s truck. It’s pouring down rain, and I have to push away the foreboding thoughts.
We log the address into his GPS and head towards Fallbrook. I call Jordan once we’re already on the road, and she tells me they’ll be right behind us.
Declan wraps his hand around mine and plants a lingering kiss on my knuckles. “We’re going to get Autumn back and then all will be right in the world,” he tells me.
I let out a breath. “I know. I’m just worried about what state she’s in right now. She has to be terrified.”
Declan shakes his head. “She’s tough, and she’s smart. She knows we’re coming for her. She’s just fine.”
I don’t say anything back. Maybe he’s right, or maybe not. Regardless, I think we’re all going to need therapy after this whole ordeal. At least I know I will. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the nightmare of my child being kidnapped. It’s the worst kind of feeling because you have zero control.
We make it to Fallbrook in record time, Declan flying through the rain and darkness to get us to Autumn as fast as he can. We’re only a few minutes out from the location when Declan tells me, “We don’t know what we’re walking into, so just stay behind me when we get there.”
I swallow hard and nod my head. “Okay,” I tell him. I’m nervous about what we’re up against. Is Brad alone? Is Autumn even here?
He could be baiting us for all we know, just to get the money and run.
The last visible house we passed was three minutes back when the GPS finally signals that we’re at the right location.
We pull up to a dual swing wrought iron gate, and Declan rolls down the window to press the button on the speaker box.
I notice two cameras flanking the gate and immediately wonder what we’ve gotten ourselves into.
“Who’s here?” the voice on the other end calls out. It’s muffled, but I can tell it’s not Brad. It’s a woman.
Are we not at the right location? Did Brad lie to us?
“Penny and Declan,” Declan answers.
A second later, the gate opens. We drive down the pavement and curve around a small bend before we pull up to an insanely large home. There are two cars here, and Declan pulls around the circular driveway until the truck is facing back towards the gate.
“I’m going to leave the keys in the truck… just in case,” he says.
Right. Just in case. Just in case we have to run and get the fuck out of here before Brad does something stupid…
like kill us all. Obviously, there is more than one person here, and from the looks of it, that someone is very wealthy.
A brand-new Bentley flanks Brad’s Range Rover, the one that everyone has been looking for.
My heart starts to race, and Declan reaches over the console to plant a chaste kiss on my lips. “Let’s go.”
The house is a mansion if I’ve ever seen one.
It’s not so much tall as it is wide, and even through the rain and dark, I can tell it’s stunning.
I’m just wondering whose house this is. The police and Lucas checked all of Brad and the senator's properties, but this one didn’t show up in the system.
The senator has more connections than God, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they have access to properties nobody knows about.
We exit the truck, and both pull our sweatshirt hoods over our heads. Declan takes my hand in his, giving me a reassuring squeeze, and we slowly make our way to the front door by the lit-up path and knock on the opulent custom-carved wood.
It takes a few moments before we can hear footsteps on the other side of the door, but it finally swings open.
And none other than Senator Mary-Catherine Elias herself stands before us.
“Ms. Whitehall,” she greets.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the woman before us swings the door wide, gesturing for us to come in.
Her perfectly coifed bob doesn’t move as her heels clack against the hardwood floor, leading us into an open concept living room and kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over a lit-up pool, where the rain meets the water, creating thousands of ripples.
“Where is she?” I ask with impatience, stopping Declan and me in our tracks. I don’t want to follow her any further into the house. I want to get my child and get out of here.
She turns to look at me and tilts her head with a neutral expression on her face. “She’s safe.”
I let go of Declan’s hand and take a threatening step towards the woman. “Where the fuck is my daughter?” I seethe.
She walks up to an alcohol cart and starts pouring herself a glass of bourbon, like she has all the time in the world, not threatened by me in the slightest.
This time, Declan’s the one who speaks. “We want our kid ba–”
“She’s asleep,” the senator interrupts. She downs her two fingers of bourbon and lets out a long sigh. Although she’s dressed to the nines in a cream-colored suit, the senator looks tired.
“Fine. We’ll take her and go–”
“Fucking finally. I want my money,” interrupts Brad, coming from a hallway off the living room.
We all turn to look at him, and he looks completely strung out. He runs his fingers through his greasy dark waves, and I note his bloodshot eyes and wrinkled clothing.
“What did I tell you, Bradley?” the senator scolds. Brad might be twenty-six, but he looks like a juvenile in front of the senator. His eyes narrow on his mother, and his nostrils flare.
“We’ll give you the money. Just let us get Autumn. Please,” I beg, interrupting their moment.
The staring contest between Brad and his mother lasts another second before the senator says, “He doesn’t want your money. This was a huge mistake, and I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.”
My eyes widen in surprise, and Declan and I look at each other.
Before I can get a word out, though, Bradley spews, “You told me I needed to make my own way. That I needed to get my own money. This is me doing that, mom.”
Her eyes narrow, and she points a thin finger in his direction. “That doesn’t mean kidnapping an innocent child, Bradley. Get a fucking job and stop relying on your father and me to pick up your goddamned messes. Do you know what I’m going to have to do to cover this up?”
“She’s my child! I have every right,” he yells back, his voice echoing around the room.
The senator shakes her head and lets out a humorless chuckle. “You gave up your right to have any say in the child’s life the moment you made the lawyer hand her an NDA,” she points to me, “She may have been the first, but she sure as hell wasn’t the last. I am sick and tired of your shit.”
Wow. Okay. She might be a terrible person, but it looks like even she is not immune to Bradley’s ways.
“She was supposed to get an abortion!” he exclaims. “That’s what the NDA says.” He’s pulling at his hair and starts to pace. “But this is good. This is good because I can take the money, and I’ll have the rest of my life set up for me. I won’t need to work or rely on you, mom.”
He’s talking to himself now, and the senator looks like she’s at a loss.
I read and reread the NDA. It never said that I had to get an abortion, but I’m assuming the rest of them did if he thinks that.
And if that’s the case, I feel sorry for all the women he did this to.
They didn’t get a choice. I’m assuming they got a check and not so much as a goodbye from Bradley.
I can’t imagine the mental gymnastics they went through, or are going through, because of his carelessness and lack of empathy.
A moment later, the sound of my daughter’s cries echoes through the house, and not just any cries.
“She’s so fucking dramatic,” Bradley rolls his eyes.
“She’s having a night terror,” Declan spits back, clearly disgusted with Brad’s lack of remorse.
Declan instantly moves towards the sound of Autumn, and I follow after.
I can hear Brad spewing words, and his mother says something as well, but I’m not paying attention.
We need to get Autumn and leave. If the senator means what she says about us not paying Brad, then I want to be gone in the next few minutes.
We head down the hall and find Autumn in the last room on the left. Declan swings the door open and doesn’t hesitate to pick her up, going through the routine of trying to get her out of the night terror.
My eyes start to water, and I help Declan rub Autumn’s back. There’s a good chance that after this is all said and done, I’ll never let Autumn out of my sight again. Seeing her in this state is already torturous, and when you add in the kidnapping, it’s amazing I still have my sanity left.
“Put her the fuck down,” I hear from the doorway.
I turn to look at Brad, and my eyebrows hit my forehead.
He’s holding a gun.
“Bradley. Put the gun down!” the senator yells from the hall. Her hand is covering her mouth, and she’s shaking.
I step in front of Declan and Autumn, shielding them as much as I can, and put my hands in the air.
“We’re just making sure she’s okay,” I calmly say, taking a step towards him.
“Don’t touch her! I want my money first.” His pupils are blown out, and the hand that’s holding the gun is shaking.
“Penny, stay back,” Declan whispers from behind me.
I take another step towards Brad, trying to make sure his focus is solely on me. I know Declan said to stay behind him when we were in the car, but I have to protect my family, no matter what.
“Bradley!” the senator yells again. “Stop. Please,” she begs.
The sound of sirens in the distance fills the air, and my heart starts beating erratically.
“Just shut up!” he says, waving the gun at me but looking back at his mother. “I want my money. I have to have it.”
“Okay. We’ll get you your money. Just give Declan a second,” I say to him.
His eyes find mine, and the police sirens sound like their right on top of us.
“This isn’t how it was supposed to go. I said no cops.”
I can tell exactly what he’s thinking as his eyes find Autumn.
I don’t hesitate.
I rush him as he aims his gun and pulls the trigger.