Prologue
BLUE
There's nothing like the fear that comes with being a mother. I may not have given birth to my daughter, nor did I raise her before she turned seven or even know of her existence, but she is ingrained in my soul.
The feelings and total love are so intense, sodeepin my bones, that I'm literally rattling with anxiety. My teeth are chattering, and I can't stomach more than a few sips of water.
My men can't help. They can love and support me in this scary time, but they don'tknowthe love between a mother and a daughter. They aren't her dads, and they didn't know her before she was already an adult, but they love her.
Our house is practically vibrating with our combined stress and fear. Not even the scent of freshly baked cookies can help alleviate the tension in the air. Roman's stress cooking just makes me nauseous.
I wouldn't be freaking out if Cassidy hadn't called meforeverago, crying and panicking about where Violet was. V is always off on an adventure, and while it sometimes keeps me up at night, I try not to worry about her. She's done her training and works hard to keep herself safe on her trips. Sometimes we don't hearfrom her for half a day, but that's to be expected considering the random places she parks her car and hikes.
This time is different. Not because three men are flipping out about her silence, but it's what followed hours later.
When Cassidy told me what the guys said, my heart broke. The heartbreak came first, then Cass said a voicemail was sent to Violet and that within minutes, all three of the guys' numbers were blocked.
Even Jamie.
I don't have all the information, nor do I know what was going through their heads when they chose to seek revenge on my sweet Violet. But those things don't fucking matter right now, because nobody has any idea where she is.
I've tried calling her so many times my phone is about to die.
Felix crouches in front of me and places his hands on my bouncing thighs. "Sweetheart, you need to rest."
"Fuck that," I snap, but my head drops into the palms of my hands, betraying my exhaustion. Another hand rubs my back, bringing tears to my eyes. "Where is she?" I whimper.
"Bee, drink some water," Jared encourages beside me. "Please, the stress isn't good for you."
I bite my lips to stop from growling at him like a pissed-off dog, but I can't stifle my glare when I snatch the water bottle from him. Jared just smiles softly at me and nods, which makes me feel bad because I know I'm also adding to their worries.
Before I can apologize, Felix speaks. "Violet going silent doesn't mean something is wrong."
"How can you say that?!" I ask, baffled. "She listened to that fucked up message and blocked them. She won't answer my calls, and nobody has any idea what her travel plans are."
Roman enters the living room with a plate of zucchini bread that makes me scrunch up my nose. He doesn't notice my reaction as he declares, "I'm going to insist she turn on herlocation again. This is ridiculous. She knows how dangerous it is to be travelling aloneandin the fucking woods. Can't believe I let her convince me she doesn't need to share her location anymore..."
We all listen to Roman grumble as he fusses over his bread. Declan snickers quietly at his brother from the other side of the living room.
Felix's face is still thunderous from my reminder of what those guys did to Violet. Unfortunately, I think he might fixate on those asshats as soon as Violet is home.
I have to hope she's coming home.I must.There's nothing we can really do until we hear from her. I refuse to think we will reach the twenty-four-hour mark before we hear from her.
I'm not waiting to make a missing persons report because she's not missing. Violet's hurting and needs some time. That's all.
My eyesight blurs, making my men stiffen with worry,again. But their concerns are cut off by the ringing of my phone. Screeching, I dive for the device on the cushion beside me, ignoring the protests. My heart sinks when I see Cassidy's name, but I answer right away.
"Is she home?!" I ask immediately, but the sniffle on the other end of the line tells me all I need to know.
Cass confirms my thoughts. "No. But we were just talking, Jamie, Nate, Ellis, and I. We believe Violet would be going to you. She wouldn't want to come here where these idiots have access to her."
Agreeing with her assessment, I nod. I remember when my guys showed up after hurting me. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible.
"That's not all, though." Cassidy's voice sounds tight and agitated. "You're going to have company."
"Shit," I curse and rub my forehead as it blooms with a headache. "They're coming, aren't they?"
"Yep." Cassidy goes on to curse Ellis and Nate, even Jamie, while I try to figure out what we're going to do. "You have about five hours. They just ran out the door."
