Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
“Useless,” I said as I shoved open the doors of the sheriff’s department. “Absolutely fucking useless.”
Tomas and Laurel stayed behind me, trying to smooth things over in my wake, but I had no interest in that. I was going full scorched earth, and if you weren’t helping, you were in my way. I didn’t care what bridges I had to burn to get Devyn back. Hell, I’d burn the whole town to ash if it meant my wife was back in my arms.
When I reached my truck, I smacked the side of my fist on the door panel, barely feeling the pain that followed. It had been almost five hours since we’d heard from the kidnapper, almost five hours since my heart exploded inside my chest. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was her, out there somewhere, waiting for me. I’m sure Devyn was afraid, but I also knew my girl. If anything, she was probably being reckless, unable to stop pissing off the person who thought they could take her from me. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. I didn’t know if that made me more afraid for her or unbelievably fucking proud.
Someone’s hand landed on my shoulder, and I whipped around, ready to fight anyone who tried to get in my way. Tomas stepped back, holding his hands in the air. “Be cool, Gray. It’s just me.”
“Shit,” I hissed as I leaned against my truck. I ran my hands over my mouth and beard. “I’m fucking losing it, man. I need her back.”
“I know,” Tomas answered. “We’re going to make sure that happens. But we need help, and you threatening the cops isn’t doing us any favors.”
“They’re not doing anything!” I screamed. “You heard them. There’s no evidence, nothing that shows this was a kidnapping besides a call coming from Devyn’s phone. They’ve already made up their minds that she just took off. That she left me.” I dropped down, resting my elbows on my knees. All of this was too much. My guilt consumed me. Maybe if I had never pulled Devyn back into my world, maybe if I’d never brought her to my cabin, this would have?—
I cut off that thought, because no matter what happened next, I would never regret a moment I had with Devyn, and I knew she would feel the same. I loved her, loved my wife more than anything in this world, and I refused to let this be the end of our story.
Laurel rushed over and crossed her arms as she studied the two of us. “Are you done wallowing? Because I just got a text from the kidnapper. It’s their demands.”
She held up her phone so we could see the message sent from Devyn’s phone only minutes earlier.
DEVYN
All the evidence you’ve gathered in exchange for your sister’s life. Midnight at the cove.
“Done,” I said, moving to open my car door. But before I could climb inside, Tomas slammed it closed .
“It’s not that simple,” Tomas protested. “We don’t even know who is asking for the evidence.”
“Obviously, it’s coming from David or one of his lackeys. He must have gotten onto our investigation, and now he wants whatever proof we have,” I bit back. “He gets his freedom, and I get my wife back. Seems pretty fucking simple to me.”
“Nothing about this is simple,” Tomas insisted, his tone going soft. “I care about Devyn too, but there has to be another way, one that gets her back and keeps the ball in our court.”
I glanced over his shoulder at Laurel. “Let me guess: you agree with him.”
Her deep green eyes narrowed at me. “Absolutely not.”
“What?” both Tomas and I snapped at her. Laurel stood there, her arms clasped around her waist. She glanced between the two of us, her expression harder than I’d ever seen before. It was rage, pure and simple, and I would have hated to stand in Laurel’s way.
“Lord, give me fucking strength,” Tomas muttered under his breath as he stepped back from me. “Let’s get one thing clear—we are all on the same side. We all have the same objective. But we can’t run in there, drop evidence at this guy’s feet, and expect to walk away unharmed. Maybe he will give us Devyn, but it’s just as likely he’ll kill all of us. Is that what you want?”
“Obviously that’s not what any of us want,” Laurel sighed, turning her attention fully to him. “If you want to talk us out of this, you have four hours to come up with a plan. Otherwise, we’re going to do what they ask and whatever else we need to do to bring Devyn home.”
Tomas’ gaze softened, and for the first time since the motel, pure admiration shined back. “Okay, we’ll do it your way, gorgeous. We’ll figure out a plan that keeps everyone safe.”
“In case that doesn’t happen, I’m running home to grab the files,” I said as I pushed past Tomas and climbed into the driver’s seat. I looked over to the other side of the bench, almost expecting to see Devyn sitting there, rolling her eyes about my overbearing tendencies. I didn’t care. She could make fun of me for the rest of our lives after I got her back.
“Wait,” Laurel said, her eyes glued to her phone. She answered an incoming call. “Hey, Calla, what’s going on?” Her eyes widened when her sister spoke—she was so loud, I could hear her through the cracked window of my truck. “No, you made the right call. Stay where you are, Calla. Do not go back in there. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
She hung up, tucking the phone into her back pocket. “David just arrived at the Isadora. Calla was visiting with our mother when he barged into the apartment, demanding answers. She got out through the exit in the kitchen and is safe in the parking lot, but she’s really worried about our mom.”
“Answers about what?” Tomas asked.
Laurel shook her head. “I have no idea, but we need to get over there. Now.”
I nodded, knowing I would need to wait to grab the files. If David was the one responsible for Devyn’s abduction, there wasn’t much that could stop me from confronting him. But as I thought about his smug expression and the years he’d threatened my wife, a plan came to mind. “I’ll meet you over there.”
“What?” Laurel snapped. “No, we need to go now , Gray. Who knows what he’s going to do to my mom.”
“I swear, I’ll be right behind you,” I promised. “But I’ve been waiting to confront this asshole for a long time, and there’s one thing I need to get before I can finally cross it off my list.”
Laurel shook her head, muttering obscenities under her breath as she walked away from me. Tomas followed and grabbed her elbow, directing her toward his parked motorcycle. “C’mon, I’ll take you. We’ll get there faster on my bike anyway.”
She locked eyes with me as she pulled on the spare helmet. “Five minutes?”
“I swear,” I barked as I shifted my truck into reverse. Because no matter what happened next, David was going to pay for what he’d done to my wife.
Calla was the first person I saw when I pulled into the Isadora parking lot. Her face was tear stained, and her body trembled as she leaned against her large SUV. As soon as I put my truck into park, she rushed over and squeezed her arms around me.
“Hey, you’re okay,” I said, patting her back. “You’re safe, I promise.”
“I know, but you should have seen the look in his eyes, Gray. The man is losing his mind. He came in screaming about Devyn and some asshole trying to screw him over.” She looked up at me, her wide eyes stained with fear and anger. “Gray, where the hell is my sister?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered as I released her. As she took a step back, I opened the back door to my truck and grabbed my bat. I hadn't swung the bat since Devyn returned to my life, but I was ready to show those guys why I'd gotten drafted. My hands tightened, feeling the wood in my grip. Shocking that it didn’t splinter under the intensity .
Calla’s eyes widened as she took in my bat. “Gray, what is going on? Where is Devyn?”
I wanted to answer her, wanted to soothe away her worries, especially with her being so late into her pregnancy. However, anything I could have said to ease her fears would have been a lie, so I gave her the only truth I could. “I am going to get her back. No matter what it takes.”
Calla stared at me, her lower lip wobbling at my words. The poor girl had already been through a lot, and I hated adding to her stress level. But before I could say anything else, her resolve steeled and her eyes narrowed. “I’m coming with you.”
“No fucking way,” I barked, moving in front of her. “I’m not letting you in there. And pretty sure if you step foot inside that building, Theo’s head would explode.” I placed my free hand on her arm. “So if you don’t want to stay here, do it for him. Do it for your daughter.”
She huffed. “Low blow, Anders.”
“Do what I can, Winters.”
She squeezed my hand once then backed away toward my truck. “Bring her home, Gray.”
“That’s the only fucking option.”