“Save it, man.”
“He took her, Eric.” Derek’s eyes filled as he jerked against his brother’s hold. “He fucking beat her.”
“I know.” His brother spun him around, looking as though he were fighting his own tears. “I’m pissed as hell, too, but this isn’t going to do you or her any good.”
Derek continued struggling to break free from his brother’s tight grip. “I have to find her. I have to—”
Eric got into his face. “You need to calm your shit.”
With his chest heaving and nostrils flaring, Derek stared back into his twin’s eyes. Normally Derek would take his brother on, but his emotional state suddenly left him weak and damned near defenseless.
Shoulders slumped, he didn’t even bother to fight Eric when he pushed him up against the truck’s grill.
“Listen to me, Derek. We. Will. Find. Her. But you can’t lose it. Not now. Charlie needs you too much.”
Derek’s eyes and nose burned. He blinked back more tears as he spoke.
“She jumped from a fucking car to get away from the bastard, Eric. Do you know how terrified she must have been to do something that crazy?”
“Bullshit.” Mac walked up to them. “Charlie might be scared, but it wasn’t crazy to jump from that car. It was smart, and it was fierce. Just like her.”
His teammates and York surrounded him now, the look in their eyes familiar. Derek was struck with a strange sense of Déjà vu, the scene eerily similar to when Olivia—Jake’s wife—had been taken.
Coop stared him down. “Mac’s right, D. Charlie’s tough. She’s not going to give up, and neither are you.”
“She needs you, Derek,” Jake added. “Trust me, I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to put your emotions aside and get your head in this.”
There was a haunted look in the man’s eyes, and Derek knew he was thinking of his wife.
Trevor put a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “Wewillget her back, man, but you’ve got to approach this like a mission. It’s the only way we’re going to save her.”
Derek looked at his teammates. His brother. Even Detective York. They were all here, ready to fight. For Charlie. For him.
His gaze slid back and forth between Trevor’s and Jake’s. Both men had gone through hell to get their women back from evil. He would do no less for his.
Grateful they were willing to set his ass straight, Derek rubbed his face and cleared his throat.
“You’re right. You’re all right. Thanks.”
“No thanks necessary.” Jake gave him a look. “Now come on. Let’s go get your girl back.”
Coop looked to Derek for direction. “What do you want to do? Should we keep driving or what?”
“No,” he answered his friend. “We don’t have time to drive around aimlessly. We need a plan.” Derek looked over Coop’s shoulder to the road. “They were clearly going that way, so I don’t want to waste time backtracking. I’ve got the computer, so let’s go down a ways and find a side road to pull onto so we’re not parked on a curve known for killin’ people.”
As they got into their vehicles, Derek felt very grateful, knowing these people had his back. No matter what.
****
