Chapter 31
Elias
The moment I arrived at Cutesy’s, there was a line out the door.
I only meant to stay for an hour, but three have passed, and Harmony hasn’t responded to any of my texts.
Checking my phone again, I confirm there’s still no message.
That can’t be a good sign. Is she regretting the copious amount of sex we fit in the last twelve hours?
Maybe my earlier suspicions were right. We never did talk about a future, so maybe she’s scared she’s leading me on.
Blinking my eyes, I try to refocus on the customer in front of me. I smile and say all the right things, but uneasiness pricks at the back of my neck.
I sent Sully a text with my whereabouts today in case I’m needed for something.
After checking in with Barbara, I should’ve headed back.
But how can I leave when business is booming?
Barb is amazing, but it’s too much for her to handle alone.
It hasn’t slipped my notice that her movements are slower, and her back hunches more and more each day.
Even with Victor’s men guarding Harmony, I’m on edge and have snapped at more than one customer for no reason, causing a few raised eyebrows.
“You saved me today,” Barb says, pulling me back to the present as she wipes down the back counter. “It has been crazy all week. I’m not sure how much longer we can last with just Abigail and me. By the way, where is she? She was supposed to come in this morning, but she hasn’t shown up.”
Odd. Abby never misses a shift. I had thought her shift ended by the time I arrived, so I didn’t think much of it.
She comes in early so she can make it to her early afternoon classes.
Even during her midterms and finals, she came on her scheduled days.
She might act like she doesn’t have a care in the world, but she’s one of the most responsible people I know.
“She didn’t come in at all today?”
The bell over the door rings, interrupting us, and we turn in unison. Sully marches inside, making a beeline directly to me. Sweat beads on his forehead, and he’s panting like he’s been running.
“What’s wrong?”
He ignores my question. “Look at this.” He shows me a text on his phone, and my heart plummets. Everything around us disappears except for the words on the screen.
Unknown Number
We have Harmony. Come alone or she’ll die before you even enter the building.
There’s another text with an address. It’s not even in the same town as the hotel.
I ball my hands into fists at my sides. I should’ve fucking known they would’ve done a shitty job protecting Harmony.
At least there’s one thing we know, as long as they aren’t bluffing, Harmony is still alive. But for how long?
I move toward the exit, dust kicking up in my wake. She needs me. I need her, and I never got to tell her how I feel. Nothing can happen to her. I have to get to her before … I can’t even finish my thought.
Sully follows me out the door. Snow cracks as I stomp down the sidewalk. There’s an invisible force pulling me to Harmony, and I’m not resisting it.
“They sent this to you?” I ask as we near my Honda.
“No, it’s meant for Victor.”
“And he didn’t tell me?” I ground out before I yank open my driver’s door.
We both climb inside, and I swing my head up to finally look at Sully. His entire body is shaking. Sure, he’s known Harmony for most of her life and she worked for him, but why does he look so scared? He has always been the most level-headed man I’ve known.
“That’s why I’m here. Harmony hired me and my company, not you, so you need to remain calm and be happy that I’m coming to you.”
I bite my tongue at his retort because he’s right.
Sully is in charge of Harmony’s protection.
I’m not even her bodyguard anymore. I let out a harsh laugh.
I dropped my guard because we supposedly had the best bodyguards hired by a rich man.
And the moment I left her in their care, everything went to shit.
Something about the text doesn’t sit right with me, so I ask, “Why would someone threaten Harmony in order to get Victor to go?”
“I’m not sure, Son.”
I grind my molars. Did he have no information except for what’s in those messages?
The car rumbles to life as I turn the ignition. “Let’s go meet up with Victor and make a plan from there.”
“But what about—”
“I don’t give a shit what they say. I’m going to go get her back.”
I pull out my phone and dial John. He’s always been my backup, and I know he’ll come when he hears my battle cry.
***
Every second of the short car ride feels like an eternity when I’m not sure if Harmony is hurt.
They could be toying with her, twisting her mind until she’s not sure what’s up or down.
Suddenly, my vehicle doesn’t feel big enough, like it’s closing in around me.
I suck in a breath, but my lungs still have no oxygen.
Tugging at the collar of my shirt doesn’t help either.
I drum my fingers on the steering wheel, and Sully is eerily quiet. He brushes the back of his hand across his forehead to wipe off the sheen of sweat still covering his face.
“Do you think she’s okay?” Sully’s voice slices through the silent car.
I nod. “For some reason, they’re using her as leverage against Victor. She’s safe for a little while at least.” But will we get her out in time? My knuckles turn white as I grip the steering wheel harder. “Victor never gave me any information. I feel there’s a lot he hasn’t told us.”
Sully mumbles something under his breath that sounds a lot like, “I never got to tell her.”
Tell her what?
His words bring back Harmony’s question from the nightclub. But something deep down tells me that it’s not my place to ask. Instead, I need to get to Harmony before someone does something to her. If they harm even a single hair on her head, they’ll have hell to pay.
I park my Honda a half a mile down the street from the address Harmony’s kidnappers provided.
The entire street has warehouses that all look the same—dark brown brick.
Very discreet. Grabbing my Glock from the glove compartment, I stuff it inside the back of my pants and turn back to Sully.
We sit in silence for a few seconds. He doesn’t move.
Something about him is off. He has taught me everything I know about protecting people. He served in the military for years.
I turn to Sully and take a deep, calming breath, but it does nothing to still my raging heart. “I need you to concentrate. They could have dozens of men in there, and I can’t handle that alone.”
“We can’t go in there with no strategy.” He takes a ragged breath. “I’ve run a lot of rescue operations during my time in the military, and we planned for every scenario.”
I drove here as fast as I could, so I didn’t have a chance to plan anything. There’s no time when Harmony’s life is on the line.
A soft knock sounds on my window, and I jerk my head up. Victor stands there in a pressed black suit. About a dozen men with familiar uniforms stand behind him, but I don’t recognize most of them. Then a movement behind our small army catches my eyes, and I let out a string of curses.
I roll my window down. “What the fuck is Serenity doing here?”
“I was with her when I received the text.” The bastard has the audacity to look ashamed. “Nothing scandalous happened. We had a scheduled—”
Serenity holds a shotgun confidently, effectively cutting Victor off. Her bright green eyes were wide and wild. “My baby sister is in danger, and you’re the fucker who couldn’t keep her safe.”
I growl. “I know, okay? I made sure to have someone else assigned to her since I knew I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to truly protect her.” I run my fingers through my hair. “She had Victor’s personal guards.”
Tears spring, rimming her eyes. “I don’t give two shits if she had an entire army guarding her.” She tightens her grip on her shotgun. “You promised me you would keep her safe.”
“Please, just put that gun down before you hurt yourself.”
“Hurt myself?” She lets out an unhinged laugh and cocks it at me. “I learned how to use this gun. I’m a single mother with a small child. I need to be able to protect Summer.”
Shit. I don’t doubt Serenity learned how to shoot after everything Harmony told me about the loan sharks that are after her. But I can’t have her inside.
Victor places a hand on Serenity’s shoulder. “Please lower the gun and get in Elias’s car. All three of you need to stay here.”
I step in and say, “She was kidnapped under your men’s protection.” Victor has the grace to flinch, and one of his bodyguards that I recognize from standing outside the hotel door tenses, but I don’t care. “I’m going.”
“Me too,” Serenity chimes in. Vulnerability takes over her face. “Don’t make me stay here, please. She’s all I have left other than Summer.”
“What if you get hurt? Who will take care of Summer?” I resist the urge to cringe at how harsh my words are, but Harmony won’t ever forgive me if something happens to her sister.
“If something happens to me, you fucker, Harmony will get out, and she’ll take care of Summer. Now, anyone else have an argument, or can we get going?”
“Hey, I’m here,” John says as he jogs over. “I got here as fast as I could. Thank fuck I got a new nanny last week.”
Now that my team is here, I unbuckle myself, but Victor’s voice stops me before I can open my door. “They said I had to come alone, so don’t go rushing in there without a plan. She might get hurt or worse killed.”
Something inside Sully snaps, his copper eyes flaring to life. “I’ve got a plan, but everyone has to do what I say when I say it without argument if it’s going to work.” He looks around our group. “Do you understand?”
Half of Victor’s men must be military trained because they say in unison, “Yes, sir.”