“All right. Well, we are on our way now, okay?”
“Travis,” he said the second our son was back on the line. “How are you?”
I didn’t blame the kids for calling T first. I would have done the same thing. The man was a rock. Not just a rock but a forcefield. An entire barrier of fierce energy that made not just me feel protected but our kids too.
“I know, son. It’s okay.” He went on, his voice reassuring. “You did good. Are you okay to drive?”
My heart rate spiked, and pungent fear slammed into my chest. “Trent.”
“You sure?” he asked, then nodded. “Okay. Meet you there. Be careful. If anyone follows you, drive straight to the police station.”
My hand slapped onto his arm and squeezed. “Trent.”
He ended the call and dropped the phone into his lap before performing a sharp U-turn right there in the middle of the road. The engine responded beautifully as he shot forward in the opposite direction.
“What in the ever-loving fuck is wrong with people?” he spat, pushing the Mustang harder with his wrath.
I wanted to demand an explanation. I wanted all the information. But my heart was in my throat, panic swelling my tongue.
“It’s one thing to send bullshit letters, but approaching a child in public?”
Ice formed in my veins. “What?”
His face whipped in my direction, realization dawning. He lifted a hand to wrap it around mine and squeeze. “They’re fine.” He assured me. “There wasn’t an accident. They’re fine.”
“Then why was Andi crying?” I demanded. “Where are they?”
“They’re on the way home from the ice cream place. Trav pulled over after he got them out of there because Andi was so upset.”
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and I braced myself.
I blew out a long exhale. “Is this about those goddamn letters?”
Trent’s lips rolled in and then popped open. “Yeah.”
Here’s the thing. There is no bracing yourself for fuckery involving your children. There never was and there never would be. Kids were off-limits. Full stop.
But here’s the other thing… Some people had no limits. Some people would do anything for a payday. Including hurting my baby girl.
“Oh, hells no,” I roared.
The rage.The fucking ragethat swept through me was unmatched. It burst in my center with so much intensity that it hit my fingers and toes in record time. The tips of my ears burned, and I fought past the whooshing sound filling my head to turn to Trent.
Trent didn’t try and calm me. There was no calming down a father whose children were being threatened.
“Apparently, she tried to take her. Told Andi she never gave her up and we just took her.”
Black spots swam in my vision. “I will kill them.”
“Not if I get there first.”
“Now’s not the time for your one-upping, Trent,” I snapped.
“I’m serious.”
A heavy hush suffused the interior of the car. His words lacked the poison I used to spew mine, and somehow it made the threat much more lethal. T was an even-tempered guy, laid-back and watchful.
But God help the soul who evoked his anger.
