I grimaced. He would be really very angry with me.
As I hurried down the hallway, I saw a sign that said, "Staff Only" and pointed to a set of stairs. I shoved through the door and leaned back against the door to hide. The stairwell was quiet, except for the roar of blood rushing in my ears. Once my breathing slowed, I pushed away from the door and tentatively started down the stairs. If Aiden had Tallulah, then maybe he was still at the hospital. That thought made me want to vomit. I was frightened by the prospect, but I refused to allow him to harm any of my friends. He needed to be stopped.
There were only three floors to go down, and as soon as I reached the ground floor, I didn't linger. I quickly made my way out into the hallway and almost fainted when I spotted Oliver. He had his back to me as he spoke to one of his officers. What the heck was I doing, standing there staring? The officer happened to look my way, and Oliver started to turn around. That prompted me to move swiftly. As he called my name, I hurried through the main doors. My escape route was cut off when an arm wrapped around my waist and a hand covered my mouth.
It took a few seconds for my survival instinct to kick in because, regardless of my intention to give myself up to Aiden, the fact that he had me was terrifying.
I was pinned down in the back of an SUV, Aiden's heavy body on top of me. I regretted not looking for a knife or scalpel before leaving the safety of the hospital. The vehicle didn't move. All I could hear was Aiden's heavy breathing and the blood rushing in my ears. Was he hoping the cops wouldn't search the car? He was a sitting duck, and I wanted Tallulah. With that thought in mind, I poked him really hard with my elbow. He grunted and shifted slightly. I took the opportunity to do it again, but he caught me. "If you want to see Tallulah, you will behave, wife."
A knee to his most prized possession would be good about now, if only I could get a leg free.
"That's better," he whispered. "Do you know what I'll do to Tallulah? She's stuck her nose into our business too many times."
"I'm thinking about what I'm going to do to you when you least expect it."
Footsteps approached. I opened my mouth to scream and found Aiden's hand preventing me. Whoever it was climbed inside and started the engine. The SUV moved slowly, and my heart raced. Why wasn't anyone stopping them? Aiden was right here.
The bastard started laughing, so I took the opportunity to elbow him in the stomach. He cursed as his breath left his body in a rush.
"What have you done with Talla?" I started shoving him and couldn't stop myself from hitting him repeatedly.
"Bitch," he snarled, drawing his fist back.
Pain exploded in my head, and then blackness drew me under.
* * *
I screeched to a stop in the drop-off zone at the hospital and ran inside, only to be stopped cold by utter chaos. Oliver caught my gaze, and I knew: Penelope. My heart sank to my feet. He pulled away from the person he was speaking to and came over to me. His expression filled with regret. "He has Tallulah."
I caught my breath and cursed. "Penelope gave herself to that bastard to save her friend." I pressed my finger and thumb to the bridge of my nose and tried to keep calm. I couldn't go off half-cocked because I'd kill the bastard, and that wouldn't help Pen or our child. "This shit is ending today!" I snapped, doing an about-turn.
"Jessop!"
I ignored him, bulldozing my way outside with my heart pounding in my chest.
"Jessop, damn it!" Oliver grabbed my arm. "Don't do anything stupid."
I clenched my jaw.
"We want to make sure he goes away for a long time,” shouted Kendrick.
"I'm going to get the woman I love. I don't care what happens to that fucker." I yanked my arm free and slammed into my truck. I pulled out of the hospital as hard as I had pulled in. It wasn't until I passed the hospital sign that I realized I hadn't asked about Dodge. Fuck!
Once I got Penelope back, I was going to lock that woman in my house. First, I had to find her, and I knew exactly where to go for answers.
I slammed on the brakes behind Hallen's, kicking up gravel. Carlisle's truck was there. That meant he hadn't left with Jane yet. She was about to be thrown to the wolves. I was too angry to care what Aiden did to her. As long as my woman and Talla came out of this just fine.
The back door was locked, so I banged on it. Carlisle was quick to shove it open. He took one look at me and knew something was wrong. I opened my mouth to tell him but spotted Jane over his shoulder. Her eyes widened when our eyes met. She turned to run, but I was quicker. I had her up against the wall with my hand around her neck.
"Fuck!" Carlisle cursed.
"Where is he?" My grip tightened around her throat as she struggled to break free. "Aiden has Pen and Talla," I told Carlisle.
I watched my brother's face turn from confusion to fear to anger. I turned my attention back to Jane. "Tell me where Aiden is," I demanded in a low, threatening voice. I shook her. "Now!" Her eyes darted around in fear before she finally whispered, "He's at the old warehouse by the marina."
Carlisle wrapped a hand around my bicep and squeezed. "Bring her with us," he growled.
"He'll kill me," Jane said, trying to tug herself free. "Let me go."
