Hayes confirmed, “Griffin is still alone in the room.”
I hoped that meant the two people already taken down were all that were there. The guys kept up communication.
“Clearing the house,” Kace confirmed.
“Holding position in the hall outside the bedroom,” Lyric added.
Another unlocked door allowed me to easily walk right into the room where Griffin still remained under the bed, his hands over his little ears. But not before I’d put my weapon away.
“House is clear,” Kace announced. “Taking the scumbags out now.”
All the air seeped from my lungs, and my knees hit the floor in the middle of the tiny room. I thrust my arms out toward my boy.
“You’re safe,” I told him.
He scrambled out from under the bed so fast and was in my arms instantly. Careful not to squeeze too tight because I didn’t know what injuries he might have, I let him cling to me as I soaked in the fact he was going to be okay.
He pulled back, placing his tiny hands on my cheeks as he always did, needing me to focus. Then he said five words that tore at my heart and healed it all at once.
“You came for me, Daddy.”
The chatter that had been going in my ear ceased, and I knew everyone could hear my son, along with everything either of us said. I had nothing to hide. Not from any of these men—including Hayes.
I glanced over my son’s shoulder and saw the sheriff through the glass. He gave me a nod, and I reciprocated; then he vanished.
“I’ll always come for you, Champ.” A shudder ran through my body as even more emotions began to build. “You were so brave and smart. I’m so proud of you.”
His hands dropped to his side, one sliding into his pocketas his bottom lip began to quiver. “They h-hurt M-mommy.” He pulled out Patience’s necklace, and my breath hitched. “S-she gave me this. Mommy g-gave it to me so y-you could find me.”
“Your mommy was very smart.” God, she was brilliant. “And Braxton and the guys found Mommy; she’s going to be okay, bud.”
I pressed my lips together, hoping I was telling him the truth. Patience was alert in the ambulance and taken to the hospital, but I hadn’t gotten a new update since she had gotten there, since we were in the middle of extracting my son from two people who were damn lucky it wasn’t me that had gone through the front of the house.
“What a-about the b-baby?”
My heart lurched. That was something I didn’t know yet at all. I wasn’t going to lie, but he’d already been through too much, so I said the only thing I knew to say at that moment.
“The doctors are checking on the baby right now.”
“O-okay,” he said.
His sweet face puckered up, and I pulled him into my embrace a second before he burst into a mountain of tears.
I closed my eyes, trying to focus on comforting my son and not the fury I felt for the people that made him hurt like he was right then—emotional trauma that could take time to heal.
“Hayes has Sloane and her hired thug in a cruiser. Everything is clear,” Gyth said.
While I was listening, I didn’t plan on moving until my son was ready. Without looking, I knew Lyric hadn’t left his spot at the door even though the coast was clear; his protective instinct would have him rooted to the spot until Griffin and I were ready.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before my son’s sobs quieted and were replaced by tiny hiccups that jarred hissmall frame. Then finally, his body began to relax—melting into mine even more. After one last shudder, he pulled away to look at me again.
“Can we go see Mommy now?”
Hell yes, I wanted to say but kept it clean. I was dying to see my wife, and I knew without a doubt that she needed to see her son with her own eyes and feel him against her like I just had, but I needed to make sure my son was okay before we made a two-hour trip back toward home.
“You bet we can, Champ.” I softly rubbed my hand over the top of his head, just barely skimming his hair. “We just need to get you checked out first, okay?”
“I guess that’s okay,” he said as he turned to look toward the door, his eyes widening with surprise. “Uncle Lyric. You came too?”
