Stitches (Crimson Bonds #10)

Chapter 1

Leaning back in the chair, I fold my arms and stare a hole in the two-way glass.

Whoever is watching should be aware of exactly how pissed off I’m getting.

As soon as they brought us into the precinct, they stripped us of our phones, separated Marcus and me, and then shoved us in fucking interrogation rooms. Fucking. Great.

I don’t have time for this shit. Not when I need to track down whoever shot my beautiful Camaro.

And killed Jenna, of course. Sighing, I tap my fingers along the table.

I hope Cole is at least behaving for Carter.

I hate breaking promises to our son, and we told him we’d be back soon.

This…this has been an excruciatingly long time.

When the door opens, I stifle a sigh of relief. It’s chased by the entrance of someone I don’t recognize at all; someone who definitely isn’t a cop. He strides over to me, coldness emanating from him. Holding out his hand with a grimace, he introduces himself.

“I’m Sinclair. Apologies for the tardiness. I’ve been working on something else for the Amato Family. Unfortunately, Jenna’s firm is…not able to be here.” I raise my eyebrows at the not quite hidden sneer.

“A…pleasure. I’m sure,” I drawl, impatience leaking out of me. “Is there anything we can do to speed this up? And is someone else sitting with Marcus?”

“Yes, my associate is with Marcus. As for hurrying it up…” He turns toward the door at almost the precise moment an officer enters. It’s spooky, but I’m not going to complain. Hopefully, he’s as effective as Jenna, as I am fucking ready to go.

It’s not the officer that was in charge at the scene. In fact, it appears to be the captain of the precinct. I slide my gaze over to Sinclair, but I learned from Jenna not to say shit when there’s a lawyer around who will do the talking.

The Captain glances at Sinclair warily, before taking a seat.

Without any inflection, the man states, “Our sincere apologies for how long this has taken. We understand that you are a victim here, and that you are under no obligation to answer any questions as a witness. If you could please sign this official witness statement that you filled out earlier, you’re free to go. ”

I raise an eyebrow, but quickly scrawl my name. I have too many questions, but I want out. Maybe Sinclair can tell me what fucking magic he worked on this asshole. With a nod of acknowledgment, Sinclair gestures for me to lead the way out of the room.

My worries quickly mount, but I walk out as nonchalantly as possible, knowing it’s best to say nothing.

By the time we hit the parking lot, Marcus has joined us as well, although he’s clearly struggling with not saying anything.

There’s a limo idling in the lot, and Sinclair opens the door, letting us in.

Marcus slides in first, but before I do, I turn to the man who walked in like some sort of magician.

“Thank you for your help. Are you coming with us?” I ask, wanting to press him for more details on what the fuck just happened.

His lips curl in distaste as he stares at the limo. “No. I still have other cases to take care of. Tell Javi he’ll have an updated report by the end of tomorrow.”

With that, the man spins on the heels of what must be expensive dress shoes and marches back into the precinct.

I have no clue who he’s facing in there, but if he has the Captain cowed, I’m not going to question his ability.

Jenna may have had a…brisk professionalism, but Sinclair reminds me too much of Doc.

Hopefully, as the Council’s Voice, I won’t have to deal with him too often.

I breathe easier as I get into the limo, only to blink in shock at Marcus’s tenseness. It’s because, sitting across from him is Antonio…who should not be here. Not when he has other responsibilities that don’t include acting as a transportation helper.

We pull out of the precinct before Antonio speaks. “I’m sorry…Cole was taken.”

Three words. That’s all it takes for my life to fall to pieces. For my breath to be robbed. And for my mind to spiral out of control.

I press my hand against my chest, trying to force myself to breathe as Marcus lets out a bloodcurdling scream. Thank fuck the limo is soundproofed. Goosebumps cover my skin as I stare at the man opposite of me, the person who just turned my life to nothingness.

Shaking my head, I demand, “What do you mean? He was fine when we were there. Where’s Carter? He was going to be with Cole, and there’s no way in hell he’d lose our son.”

Antonio’s face pales more, tears shimmering in his eyes.

“I…he would have been here to tell you himself, but Doc had to give him a sedative. He…went crazy. He went to Cole exactly when he said he would, but by then, the nanny had already taken Cole off the property. Leandro and Hollis are doing everything they can to find him.”

“Did he know? Did Leandro know this was going to happen?” I hiss, my fingers curling into fists. Because if he knew…I will gut him before Tennant has the chance to step in.

“I didn’t ask, but I highly doubt it. Despite this…” Antonio waves toward his face. “He’s not a monster. And I’m sure he knows what Lio would do to someone who put Cole at risk.”

Grunting, I’m not satisfied by his response, but I’ll ask Leandro myself. No, deep down, I don’t think he did it, but I need to know for sure. There has to be something…some way to find our son. Marcus is crying next to me and I pull him into my arms, my stomach churning with nausea.

Fuck. I hope Cole is safe, and that he knows his daddies are coming for him.

I know Carter will be by our side as well, because that nanny just made her last tactical error.

He’s one of the best, most protective fathers out there.

Between us dads and the uncles… Well…that nanny, and all the other fuckers who put this into play, are going to learn…

Never. Touch. Our. Kids.