Is Autumn being fed? Is she warm? Is he hurting her?
I have so many questions and zero answers. The fact that the police haven’t found anything either makes menervous. Where would he have taken her? It couldn’t have been that far, considering they put the BOLO out not thirty minutes after she was taken.
“We’re going to find her,” Declan promises as he takes my hand in his and kisses my palm.
I roll my head towards him, and he gives me a small smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes.
It’s nearing midnight now, nine hours since Autumn was taken, and my eyes start to water again.
I’m mentally and physically exhausted at this point, and my heart is in shambles. “What if we don’t?” I whisper back. I hate thinking like that, but there’s a possibility it could become my reality, and I need to face the music if that’s what it comes down to.
His eyes harden, and he wraps me in a hug against his chest. “Don’t go down that rabbit hole, okay? It’s not an option.”
I nod into his chest and hold back my tears. I’m ready for this nightmare to end, but I need to stay strong.
My cell phone's ringtone startles me, and I flinch at the sound.
An unknown number shows on the screen, and I furrow my brows.
“Who is it?” Jordan asks.
“I’m not sure.”
“Answer it,” Lucas demands.
When I look at him, his features are hard.
“Brad?” I question.
He nods in confirmation.
Declan squeezes my hand, and I answer the phone, putting it on speaker.
“Hello?” My voice shakes.
“If you want my kid back, you’re going to have to do something for me.”
It’s Brad. “Just give me my daughter back, and we’ll forget this ever happened,” I beg.
“That’s not how this works. If you want her back, I need something from your little boyfriend.”
I look at Declan, and he shrugs his shoulders. “And what is that?” I ask.
“His money.”
My eyes widen, and Declan takes the phone from me. “Whatever you want, it’s yours. Just give us back our daughter.”
Money? But why would he need money? His mother is rich. It’s been suggested that she does insider trading because her net worth is one hundred times more than her annual salary, but no one can prove anything. So, why does her golden boy need money?
A sardonic laugh fills the room. “She’s not your daughter, Declan,” Brad spits out, his voice laced with venom. “She’s mine.”
“Get fucked, Brad,” I interrupt. “She may have your DNA, but all you’ll ever be is a sperm donor. Give me my daughter back or–”
“Or what, Penny?” he interrupts. “It doesn’t matter what you threaten becauseIhold all the cards.”
My nostrils flare in frustration because he’s not wrong. I have no leg to stand on. He has my daughter, and I’ll do anything he wants to get her back into safe arms.
“I’ll give you the money as soon as Autumn is in our possession,” Declan says into the phone.
