I jump out of bed and start to dress, and Declan does the same.
“This early?” he asks as we frantically dash around the room, throwing on our clothes.
I grab a spare scrunchie from the top of my dresser and throw the upper half of my hair into a messy bun once I’m fully clothed. “I don’t know. But the address was in Fallbrook. He’s been less than an hour away this whole time.”
Declan grabs my hand, and we make our way to the door to slip into our shoes. “Are we forgetting anything?” I ask, my heart racing out of my chest. I’m going to have my girl in my arms in less than an hour, and I don’t know which way is up or down at this point.
“Nope. Let’s just go. We can call Lucas and Jordan on our way.”
I nod my head, and we race out the door and down to Declan’s truck. It’s pouring down rain, and I have to push away the foreboding thoughts.
We log the address into his GPS and head towards Fallbrook. I call Jordan once we’re already on the road, and she tells me they’ll be right behind us.
Declan wraps his hand around mine and plants a lingering kiss on my knuckles. “We’re going to get Autumn back and then all will be right in the world,” he tells me.
I let out a breath. “I know. I’m just worried about what state she’s in right now. She has to be terrified.”
Declan shakes his head. “She’s tough, and she’s smart. She knows we’re coming for her. She’s just fine.”
I don’t say anything back. Maybe he’s right, or maybe not. Regardless, I think we’re all going to need therapy after this whole ordeal. At least I know I will. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the nightmare of my child being kidnapped. It’s the worst kind of feeling because you have zero control.
We make it to Fallbrook in record time, Declan flying through the rain and darkness to get us to Autumn as fast as he can. We’re only a few minutes out from the location when Declan tells me, “We don’t know what we’re walking into, so just stay behind me when we get there.”
I swallow hard and nod my head. “Okay,” I tell him. I’m nervous about what we’re up against. Is Brad alone? Is Autumn even here?
He could be baiting us for all we know, just to get the money and run.
The last visible house we passed was three minutes back when the GPS finally signals that we’re at the right location. We pull up to a dual swing wrought iron gate, and Declan rolls down the window to press the button on the speaker box. I notice two cameras flanking the gate and immediately wonder what we’ve gotten ourselves into.
“Who’s here?” the voice on the other end calls out. It’s muffled, but I can tell it’s not Brad. It’s a woman.
Are we not at the right location? Did Brad lie to us?
“Penny and Declan,” Declan answers.
A second later, the gate opens. We drive down the pavement and curve around a small bend before we pull up to an insanely large home. There are two cars here, and Declan pulls around the circular driveway until the truck is facing back towards the gate.
“I’m going to leave the keys in the truck… just in case,” he says.
Right. Just in case. Just in case we have to run and get the fuck out of here before Brad does something stupid… like kill us all. Obviously, there is more than one person here, and from the looks of it, that someone is very wealthy. A brand-new Bentley flanks Brad’s Range Rover, the one that everyone has been looking for.
My heart starts to race, and Declan reaches over the console to plant a chaste kiss on my lips. “Let’s go.”
The house is a mansion if I’ve ever seen one. It’s not so much tall as it is wide, and even through the rain and dark, I can tell it’s stunning. I’m just wondering whose house this is. The police and Lucas checked all of Brad and the senator's properties, but this one didn’t show up in the system. The senator has more connections than God, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they have access to properties nobody knows about.
We exit the truck, and both pull our sweatshirt hoods over our heads. Declan takes my hand in his, giving me areassuring squeeze, and we slowly make our way to the front door by the lit-up path and knock on the opulent custom-carved wood.
It takes a few moments before we can hear footsteps on the other side of the door, but it finally swings open.
And none other than Senator Mary-Catherine Elias herself stands before us.
“Ms. Whitehall,” she greets.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the woman before us swings the door wide, gesturing for us to come in.
Her perfectly coifed bob doesn’t move as her heels clack against the hardwood floor, leading us into an open concept living room and kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over a lit-up pool, where the rain meets the water, creating thousands of ripples.
“Where is she?” I ask with impatience, stopping Declan and me in our tracks. I don’t want to follow her any further into the house. I want to get my child and get out of here.
