Bridger is still sleeping on my chest as I look down at him and listen for any sign of where Keaton is.Maybe she’s still sleeping.As I continue listening for a minute, I realize the house is too silent and my eyes start to move around the areas of the house I can see.The first thing I notice is the bottle I had on the table from the second time Bridger woke up is missing.There’s also a diaper, the wipes, and a small stack of folded baby clothes now on the table.I can faintly hear the dishwasher running and I know Keaton’s already been awake.As quickly as I can, I get off the couch with Bridger against my chest.He doesn’t wake up or move a muscle as I make my way through the house and back toward Keaton’s bedroom.It’s empty and her bed has been made.
“Keaton!”I call out as loudly as I dare to without startling Bridger.That’s the last thing he needs when he’s been sleeping so soundly.“Keaton, where are you?”
I make my way downstairs to the basement I’ve heard her mention but don’t really take a look at anything as I continue calling out her name and searching for any signs of her.When I don’t notice her downstairs, I make my way back up to the main floor of the house and head for the door leading to the garage.Opening it, I notice her car is missing.Turning around after shutting and locking the door, I go to the living room and place Bridger in the bassinet by the end of the couch.He still doesn’t wake up as I watch him for a minute to ensure he remains asleep.When I’m confident he’ll sleep for a little bit longer, I move to grab my jeans and pull them up my legs while sliding my phone out of my pocket.
Pulling up Keaton’s name, I try calling her repeatedly and the calls go to her voicemail.I know she typically shuts the volume of her phone off in the evening so she can focus on Bridger and what she has to do around the house instead of dealing with all sorts of work calls and emails.I’m still not sure what she does, but I’ll find out eventually.
“Fuck!”I growl when Keaton’s phone continues to go to voicemail instead of her answering.I start to pace the living room as I yank my tee-shirt back on and realize my cut, boots, and socks are still in Keaton’s room.I don’t give a fuck at this point, it’s just something to think about as I try to figure out what the hell happened while I was sleeping.“Where the hell are you, Keaton?”
I try calling her again as Bridger starts to stir in the bassinet.Moving to the kitchen, I make him a bottle and warm it up before grabbing the diaper and wipes.I change his diaper in the bassinet instead of lifting him out while waiting for the bottle to finish warming up.It doesn’t take me long to get him out of the dirty diaper and into a clean one.Right now, I’m not worried about changing Bridger’s clothes because Keaton is more important since she’s the one who isn’t in the house with us.
With the bottle in hand, I go to call Keaton again as my phone rings before I can unlock it.Looking at the screen, I see the picture I saved as her contact from our first date.I’m holding her in my arms on the blanket as she looks over her shoulder at me with nothing but nature surrounding us.It came out better than I thought it would and I didn’t have a choice but to use it for her contact so I can see it when we message or call one another.
“Keaton?Are you there, Baby?”I answer the phone, not bothering to hide the panic in my voice as I listen intently for any sign of where she is.
“Shut the fuck up!”a man yells and my heart stops beating in my chest and I gasp because I have a feeling I know exactly who that voice belongs to—Dillon.
“Keaton!”I shout into the phone, not bothering to lower my voice.She needs to hear me no matter what’s going on with her.
Before I can call her name out again, I hear Keaton scream so damn loud.Still, I don’t pull the phone from my ear as I listen for any sign of where she might be.I know she wasn’t thinking rationally when I first got here yesterday, but if Keaton knew she had stuff to do today, she would have told me so I could go with her.This is something spur of the moment she chose to do.
“Keaton!Say somethin’, Baby.Tell me where you are!”I rush out my words before I hear commotion on her end of the call.There’s a shattering sound before the call drops.Pulling my phone from my ear, I see her name disappear and go back to my home screen.I don’t pause as I frantically try to call her number back and get that stupid recording telling me the number isn’t available at the moment or whatever the hell it says.“Fuck!”
I call Judge before I can think of anyone else to call because I’m not sure what to do now.
“Ice, where ya at?”he answers his phone as I hear music in the background and know it’s from one of the many cartoons he has playing at his house for the twins.
“I’m at Keaton’s, Judge.Somethin’ happened to her.She got the call yesterday that Dillon was released from jail until the trial.Called me barely able to talk because she was so scared.When I woke up a little while ago, she wasn’t in the house and her car is gone.I’m thinkin’ she left on her own for some reason.Just got a call from her.I heard some asshole tell her to shut the fuck up before she screamed and then the call got dropped.Tried callin’ her and now I’m gettin’ that automated bullshit about the number not bein’ available,” I tell Judge as my heart beats rapidly in my chest and I can’t seem to catch my breath.I’m not just scared to death for Keaton, I’m pissed as hell that someone had the nerve to hurt her and take her from me.
“You still have the baby with you?”Judge asks me as I try to focus on his words.
“Yeah.We were both sleepin’.He just woke up and I changed him before givin’ him his bottle.He’s drinkin’ it now,” I answer my President.
“Okay.I’m gonna let Wren know you’re on your way over here.The rest of us will be in church.We’ll bring Keaton home, Ice.You can count on all of us to find her,” Judge says before I realize I don’t have a way to take Bridger anywhere.
“Judge, I don’t have a vehicle here to get the baby to the clubhouse.I rode my bike here and I’m fine leavin’ it because Keaton has a garage I park in when I’m here.I can’t just take one of her vehicles without askin’ permission because that would be a violation of her trust in me.Plus, I’m not sure if there’s a car seat in one of her vehicles for him,” I state, looking around the living room for any sign of where Keaton could be.I don’t have to wonder who has her because I know deep in my soul it’s Dillon.He’s found her and taken her from wherever she was.
“I’ll send Tristan and Zach over in Wren’s SUV.We’ve got car seats in there for Bridger.I’ll also send a few guys out to see if they spot Keaton’s car anywhere.You get here and get on your computer.I’ll call Zeus in to see if he can start lookin’ for her,” Judge says before hanging up the phone.
I check on Bridger again and find him almost back asleep with his bottle laying next to him.Picking him up, I burp him as I bounce gently on my feet because I need something to do.I’m going out of my mind with worry and I have no clue where to even begin looking.Dillon could have taken her anywhere and I don’t know enough about him or Nora to even know where the search should start.Maybe it’s because I’m too damn close to this situation to even start looking for information.Keaton is already so important to me.I haven’t dreamed, or thought, about Ruby in the last two weeks.Every thought and dream is consumed by Keaton.
Once Bridger has burped, I lay him back in the bassinet and cover him with the light blanket Keaton has inside.With the baby monitor in hand, I make my way to the nursery so I can pack a diaper bag for the clubhouse.I’m not sure how long he’ll be there so I have to grab a ton of things.Clothes, diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, and I’m not sure what else.Keaton should be here to help me.She’d know exactly what he needs to have in the bag so he’s prepared for anything that might happen.I’m flying blind here as I start to go through his dresser, grabbing clothes without really looking to see what they are.The clothing I choose fills the entire diaper bag as I look around for something else to put the rest of Bridger’s things in.In the top of the closet, I find another bag and grab it.
After grabbing two packs of diapers and wipes, I move to the kitchen where Keaton keeps his bottles and formula.With one thought in my head, I run back to the nursery for those pacifier things.Keaton doesn’t really like them, but she’ll give Bridger one when he’s really tired or she can’t get him to calm down.There’s two unopened packs on the changing table with a bunch of other things I debate grabbing and adding to the diaper bag.Shaking my head, I leave everything else behind and go back to the kitchen.By the time I’m done packing the bags, there’s a buzzing noise coming from the living room by the front door.I rush over to the intercom and press the button.
“Hello?”I ask, hoping it’s Zach and Tristan pulling up to grab us.
“It’s Tristan,” I hear before pressing the button and moving back to the kitchen to grab the bags.
After making sure I have everything Bridger could need in my mind, I take the bags to the couch and set them down as a knock sounds on the door.My entire body is trembling from head to toe and my heart is racing as I run to the door and open it without looking through the peephole.Tristan and Zach stand there with grim faces as I step back and allow them inside Keaton’s home.They follow me and I point to the bags on the couch while heading for Bridger.Carefully, I pick him up and hold him against my chest with one hand holding his head against my body.
“What else do ya need, Ice?”Tristan asks me as he looks at the baby in my arms.
“I have no fuckin’ clue.I’m not sure if I have everythin’ he needs and I’m hopin’ I didn’t fuck this up too much.Keaton trusted me to enter her home and leave me with this baby.Maybe I’m fuckin’ it all up,” I admit honestly as I look around once more to see if there’s anything else I need to grab.
“Wren has whatever you forgot, Ice.She’s got two boys at home and knows what she’s doin’.If you forgot anythin’, we’ll make sure the baby has it one way or another.Let’s get him loaded up and to the clubhouse so we can get your girl back,” Tristan says as I nod my head and we all make our way back out to Wren’s SUV.
I get Bridger in the car seat before climbing in the front passenger seat.Zach sits in back with the baby as Tristan leaves the house behind..When we get to the gate, I give Tristan my code and make a mental note to let Keaton know this happened so she can change it if she wants to.This is another violation of her trust if I’m being honest.
