My eyes met Press’, and we raced out tohis SUV.
“I’m coming with you,” Bas shouted, climbing in the rear passenger seat.
Thomas came out and stood directly in front of the SUV. “Wait,” he said, resting both hands on the hood. “You need to coordinate with the others. If you go charging in without a plan, you could make things worse. Baron has resources. Security. If he feels cornered, there’s no telling what he might do.”
“I don’t care about?—”
“Isabel would care,”said Thomas. “She would want you to be smart about this. She would want you to protect her and your baby. Don’t let your anger make you reckless.”
I closed my eyes and drew a breath. He was right. I hated that he was right, but he was.
“Tryst is coordinating,” Press said. “We rendezvous with them at Gracianna Vineyards.”
“That’s perfect,” said Bas. “There’s a mountain between them. If they’re there, Baron won’t see anyone coming.”
“And what if Baron’s already gone by the time we get there?” I asked.
“Then, we figure out where he went next. Butthinkabout it, Kick,” Bas urged.
“You’re right. He’ll try to convince her she’s better off without me. Break her down until she agrees to come back under his control.” My hands clenched into fists. “That’s not going to happen.”
“No,” Press agreed. “It’s not.”
Thomas moved away from the SUV. “Let’s roll, boys.”
The drive south felt endless.
I sat in the passenger seat, my phone pressed to my ear, coordinating with Tryst. Bas, behind me, stared silently out the window.
Every mile felt like ten. I studied the security footage he’d sent to my phone, watching Isabel walk away from me, watching her hand move to her stomach, watching her disappear into that SUV.
Why hadn’t I fucking ignored Thomas’ message? Why hadn’t I questioned it? Why in the ever-living hell had I left her alone for even five minutes?
“Stop.” Press speaking cut through my spiral. “I can hear you thinking from here, and it’s not helping.”
“I shouldhave?—”
“You couldn’t have known. No one could have known. Baron planned this, and he planned it well. Beating yourself up won’t get her back faster.”
Whether Press was right or wrong, guilt sat in my chest like a stone, heavy and cold and impossible to ignore.
“When he told her he sold it, she cried for a week. Called me at three in the morning, drunk, saying she’d lost the last piece of her mother she had left.” I turned to look at Bas over the seat as he spoke. “That’s when I knew what kind of man Baron was.”
I felt my hatred for Baron sharpen into something colder. More focused.
“She won’t let him break her. Not now. Not when she finally has something worth fighting for,” Bas added.
“She’s always had things worth fighting for. She just didn’t believe she deserved them.” I looked over at Press. “Drive…fucking…faster.”
He pushed the accelerator down, eating up the miles between us and the woman we were going to save.
I closed my eyes.Hang on, Isabel. I’m coming. No matter what it takes, I’m coming for you and for our baby.
17
ISABEL
The man at my bedroom door was polite.
