“This is good. Keep digging,” Woodcroft says.
Everyone leaves my desk when my phone vibrates. The chuckle that leaves me when I realize my woman is stuck on the floor again eases the pit in my stomach from all that I’ve learned about Charlie. I not-so-subtly suggest she make my apartment home base but don’t expect her to take the bait.
“Hey, I’ll be back. I gotta go rescue my baby mama from the floor,” I tell Juliette, grabbing my phone and keys.
“I … Honestly, that sound horrible.” She cringes. “I’m not sure she makes the idea of pregnancy a good one.”
“Yeah, she hasn’t had the best of times. That’s why I’m going to go help her.” I smile.
“Go on. We’ll call you if we find anything big.”
I hustle out to my car and head the ten minutes it takes to Claire’s apartment.
I’m whistling again as I make my way up the stairs, until I reach her front door, where I abruptly stop and go for the gun in my holster. The door is cracked open. No sign of forced entry, but something is very,verywrong here. My hand pushes open the door, happy for the first time that Claire is in a studio apartment and the only place I can’t see from the front door is the bathroom. The apartment is cleared quickly, and I find her laptop flipped upside down on top of all her research. There are chip crumbs on the floor and a spilled Diet Coke.
My phone is up to my ear without a second thought.
“Do you need help with Claire?” Juliette answers without missing a beat.
“Someone was here. She’s not here, and there are signs that someone took her.” My chest is squeezing so tight. This must be what a heart attack feels like.
“We’re on our way,” she says with zero hesitation.
I’m frozen in place. Can’t move. Can’t even begin to think about the process that needs to happen in order to find her.
A hand on my shoulder has me spinning around, gun raised, until I see it’s Woodcroft.
“Sorry,” I murmur, holstering my weapon.
“Understandable. Fill us in.”
“She texted me that she needed help getting up off the floor. When I got here, the door was cracked open but not broken into. I haven’t touched anything.” My voice is robotic. “That’s all I know.” Now it crumbles, emotion seeping into the broken cracks of my soul.
“Alright. Check everything and see if we can figure out who took her,” Woodcroft tells the team before he drags me out into the hallway. His hands go to my shoulders, and he ducks down to make eye contact. “We will find her.”
“She’s thirty-six weeks pregnant.” The anguish I feel at not protecting her and our baby is all-consuming.
“I know.”
“Who would take her?” My head tilts up to stop any tears from falling.
“We’re going to find that out.”
“It’s got to be connected to Oscar.” My head finally grasps onto something logical.
“We’ll check everything.”
“Kellen …” I look at him. “I can’t lose them.” Those tears I hoped wouldn’t fall betray me. “I can’t … They have to be okay,” I croak.
“You know we’ll do everything in our power to get them back. You have my word. Anything it takes, okay, Adam?”
I nod. It’s the only thing I can do. I’m lost to negative thoughts. Horrible scenarios in every shape and form run circles in my head. I can’t get it to stop. I sink down against the wall, head in my hands, as I try to catch my breath.
I failed them. I promised Claire she would be safe, and look what happened. How will I ever survive if they don’t?
My shoulders shake as chest-wracking sobs take over. I can’t get enough air. I can’t think.
“Hey.” Juliette’s soft voice barely breaks through the haze.
