“Fine. Whatever. It’s big?—”
“Sweet Jesus, stop before your brother finds out we’re talking about my dick and tries to kick my fucking ass.” I scrub a hand down my face. “The answer is no. Find a different deal.”
My phone vibrates again as the phone on Liv’s desk rings, and I pull mine out. “Can you give me a minute?” I don’t wait for her response before I answer the call, “Hey, Dad. Is everything okay?”
“Jamie . . . Are you with Liv?” Dad asks.
“Yeah, she’s right here. Why?” Liv’s phone rings again, and I watch as she steps away and takes the call.
“I need you to get her to drive you home. Now, son.” Dad’s voice is calm. Too calm. Forced calm.
“What the hell is going on, Dad? Why does Liv need to drive me?” Liv’s eyes fly to mine from where she’s whispering on the other side of her desk to whoever called her.
“It’s Ashton . . . Come homenow, Jamie.”
Liv ends her call and grabs her purse from her desk as my world spins.
“Dad—”
“Don’t say anything to anyone, Jameson. Just come home. Now.”
“Dad—”
“Jamie.” Liv takes my hand and pulls me to my feet, then takes my phone from my hand. “Hey, Aiden, I’ve got him, and we’ll be there in ten minutes. Yes. I understand. Not a word. Okay. On our way.” She hands me my phone, then lifts Kyrie’s carrier and hooks it on my arm and pushes me out of her office.
“Olivia . . . What the hell is happening?”
She walks us to my car as my mind races with every possibility. I was just with Ashton. Everything was fine. “Give me your keys.”
“You’re not driving my car, Liv. I don’t know?—”
“Keys. Now, Jameson.” She stomps her foot, and I swear to God if someone doesn’t tell me what the hell is going on, I’m going to lose my shit.
I hand her the damn keys and snap Kyrie’s car seat in place, then get in and look at Liv. “Are you going to tell me now?”
“Let’s just get you home first.” Her voice is too soft, and my nerves are too frayed.
“Liv.” I soften my voice, masking the anger raging in place of the fear. “What happened?”
Liv pulls to a stop at a red light and turns to me, her terror staring back at me, not at all the in-control woman she likes everyone to see. “Ashton’s been taken.”
“Walk me through it again,” I demand, and everyone in the room starts speaking at once. Lexie, Dillan, and Kaleigh all recounting Jonah’s story.
Jonah, who’s in the other room, is being checked out by Finn. His mother’s been called, but she has a clearance level job that requires her to check her phone before she goes into the government building, and no one has been able to reach her yet.
Mom sits on the couch next to me, holding Kyrie as the chaos erupts.
“Stop,” Dad snaps, halting everyone, then sits on the coffee table, his elbows on his knees and his eyes locked on mine. I hold my phone between us as I wait for a call. Please God, let this phone ring. “Ashton and Jonah walked into the parking lot to put something in her car. Two men jumped them. They told Jonah to tell you that you weren’t to call the police. That if you did, they will kill Ashton. And to wait for a call. That’s all we know, son.”
“You can call the police, Jamie,” Mom adds but doesn’t sound sure.
“They’ll kill her if you do,” Finn moves around Mom and Dad, giving voice to my fear.
I see red like never before.
She’s been taken.
Someone hurt her.
