I knew why he thought that. When I heard about Ruby, I told him I was almost finished with the client and would see everyone at the hospital after I picked up Gemma from school. He’d told me Summer would bring Peyton and Piper with her.
Scanning the room one more time, as if she would magically turn up, my gut clenched and it felt as if the floor dropped out from under my feet when I still didn’t see her. But when Peyton and Piper rushed up and wrapped their arms around my legs asking if their mom was okay, my heart crumbled to tiny pieces.
They couldn’t lose her.
I couldn’t lose her.
After squatting down to be closer to my daughters, I hugged them tight. “I promise I’ll find her.”
I hadn’t been thinking on the way there. I was so determined to just get to her that I forgot to look at the app on my phone to see if it was tracking her.
Something was terribly wrong, I could feel it deep in my bones.
And I had probably wasted precious time.
“Go sit with the other kids, Daddy has to go get your mommy.” I let go of the girls and they stared at me for a minute before doing as I asked.
Jurnee cuddled each of them into her sides to comfort them and for the millionth time, I was so grateful for the people in our lives.
Standing, I grabbed my phone from my front pocket and pulled up the app I needed. As it was loading and a picture was coming onto the screen, my phone pinged with a text.
The oxygen left my lungs seeing it was from my wife.
Momentarily forgetting the app, I opened the text as the guys all circled around me. Something in my expression along with the harsh exhale that left me must have alerted them that there was something big going on.
There was only one text and it wasn’t even finished. What happened to her?
Gemma: I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you. I love you so much. It’s Paxton’s mom. Please—
I was trying to keep my composure because of the kids but inside I was losing my shit. My wife had been kidnapped by her brother’s mother. We finally knew who was involved but that didn't help us right now because we didn’t figure the crap out before she got to Gemma.
Needing to rage, to break something, or shove my fist through a wall, none of which was possible with the children watching, I grabbed the back of my neck in a strong grip with my free hand and dropped my head toward the floor as I attempted to calm myself by taking deep breaths.
“What’s going on?” Paxton rushed to ask. “Is it Gemma?”
Bringing my gaze to Paxton, I handed him the phone. When he read it, his face drained of all color.
After the other guys peeked at what the text said over his shoulder, I grabbed the phone back from him and reloaded the app. There on my screen, it showed where my wife’s phone was.
Please let her be there too.
The area she was in was an old industrial area and had some abandoned buildings. Why she would have possibly been taken there gave me chills.
Looking up at the guys, I said, “I’m going to get my wife.”
“I’m going with you,” Paxton told me.
I nodded. It was his mom and he was trained. I could use all the help I could get but I wasn’t going to drag all the guys away from Lyric and Ruby’s moment.
“We can go too,” Gyth added.
I shook my head. “No, you all can’t leave Lyric and Ruby here.”
Braxton took charge. “Lyric is with Ruby of course. Landon and Rowan will stay with the ladies and kids. Gyth, Kace and I will go with the two of you.”
After shooting off a group text of the location, I started to turn to leave but walked back over to hug my little girls again first. I could tell they sensed something was wrong from the second I asked where their mother was. Gemma had taken that role seriously and she was an amazing mom. She showed the girls love every damn day and they needed her..
Reluctantly letting go of them, I walked toward the doors, the guys following. All of a sudden Peyton called out.
