Page 7 of Pieces of You

“They’re gonna find Shay,” he said. “River and Reese—they will bring him home.”

I swallowed hard. It was insane how swiftly the pain in my chest came back. And it proved that I couldn’t talk about him. I needed to be useful. I wanted to help and…

“I know you, Tate,” he murmured. “You’re gonna try to stay busy.”

“Lee, I…” I deflated and felt my eyes well up. Fuck, I just couldn’t deal. “He can’t be gone, Master.”

“He’s not gone. He’s…temporarily unavailable.”

I sniffled as tears spilled over, and I shook my head. This was bigger than Shay. It was about…River and Reese. They needed Shay like they needed air. It was about the evils in the world and how they were now on our doorstep. It was about the society in which we raised our two daughters. And it was about vibrant relationships. Memories. Heart. Shay once tried to teach Noa and Kit self-defense. Christ, that had been a fun Saturday. Or the time Shay and Nora pushed both River and Reese into the pool on the first day of spring? I’d laughed so hard I’d almost cried.

With Shay kidnapped, every memory went dark.

Hundreds and hundreds of memories just…cloaked in darkness.

Replaced by cries for help and despair.

I clutched my stomach.

Oh my God, they had to find him.

Lucas Carter

“Mr. West? Can you please give me something to do?”

I stopped and glanced over my shoulder, spotting Cameron coming out into the lobby from the kitchen hallway. He looked just as helpless as the others who’d arrived.

“Master keeps telling me to sit down and just be, and I…I can’t,” he finished.

I swallowed and nodded with a dip of my chin, and I brought out my phone to check my list. I’d sorted it already, after the fourth sub had asked me for something to do. Most recently, Kit and Gael, both of whom were now bringing down blankets and pillows from the guest rooms.

In other words, I had a list of things for those we tended to coddle because of our lifestyles.

“Of course, sweetheart,” I replied. “If you’re up to it, you could take down the picture frames that show anything revealing.” I pointed to the wall behind the front desk. “Just put them in the office.”

He glanced back at the wall, then at me again. “Sir?”

“We don’t know how long this hell is going to last,” I explained. “It’s highly possible members will need to bring their children at some point, so we’re concealing anything kink-related.”

Our plan was clear. The club area was going to be our crisis center. Members could come here and share their worries, talk, follow the news, and simply…not be alone.

“Okay.” Cam nodded. “I’ll get started right away.”

“Where is Lucian, by the way?” I wondered.

“He and Master Greer are picking up a big TV at our place,” he answered.

“Ah—good. But you make sure to let your Owners know what you’re doing,” I told him. “I’m happy to hand out chores, but nobody’s suppressing their emotions on my watch. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll let Daddy know right now—he’s outside with Noa.”

“Good boy. Let me know if you need anything.” With that, I continued into the club area and checked my watch. Half an hour till the press conference. We had two smaller flat-screens ready; Colt was on top of that.

Nathan had set up shop on the patio as our resident trauma counselor, Ash was searching for news with James and Kingsley, Tate and Macklin had claimed the kitchen—and Archie would join them when he and Sloan arrived—and Max, Reid, and Walker were moving kink furniture into storage.

I hoped with every fiber of my being that this would be over soon. In fact, I wanted every measure we took to be completely unnecessary—because the police or the Tenleys were going to find Shay unharmed bright and early tomorrow. Right?

Except, Greer, Colt, and Santiago said that all evidence pointed to something else. Santiago, especially, having worked in homicide… Fuck, I couldn’t shake the memory of the grim look on his face when he’d arrived earlier with his partners.