I turned and tried to see out the windshield, praying that Lucy was far, far away from all of this. My heart dropped when I saw that she was only a few yards away, having realized that I wasn’t with her any longer. Her brown eyes were wide with fear in her pale face. Tears rolling down her cheeks. “Emmie!” she cried.

“Run!” I screamed at her. “Run, Lucy!”

Vince pulled harder and the back of my head hit the console hard, but I barely felt the pain. Adrenaline was rushing through me and I tried to sit up. Maybe if I could just hit him, or grab the crowbar I would be able to get free. Lucy needed me. I couldn’t let her down. I couldn’t let this evil monster take her.

“I’ll pay whatever you want, right now,” I told him, trying to distract him. Money was all he wanted, just as I had first assumed when Jesse told me that this man wanted his daughter. All he wanted was payment for his little girl, and then he would go away… Until he needed more money. I knew Jesse would hand over every penny he had to his name for Lucy. She was his baby, his since before Layla had even said ‘I do’. “I can get you the money. As much as you want.”

“I don’t want your money. I want his,” Vince assured me.

“I have full access to Jesse’s money.” I had access to all the guys’ money. I paid their bills, invested for them, made sure that their millions were safe. And now I would fork over an ungodly amount so that Jesse could keep his daughter.

It was what I had planned on doing anyway. Having him found, his signature put on the bottom of the paperwork that would relinquish his rights over Lucy forever. Then paying him off and making sure he never bothered my family again. But with the craziness of the last week I hadn’t put as much effort in having this man found like I should have been doing.

Instead he had found me, and this was going to end in one of two ways. He would calm the fuck down and let me get him the money, or he would hurt me—maybe even kill me—and use Lucy as ransom to get the money he needed. No doubt so he could snort it up his nose or shoot it into his arm. I had to keep my head, had to fight through the fear that was trying to swallow me alive so I could make sure that I didn’t end up dead… Fuck, I had to keep calm for Lucy who could end up in a body bag if I didn’t.

“No deal, bitch.” His fist connected with my jaw and I saw stars for a moment. “I want to see his face. I want to see that fucker’s face as he hands over the money. If he loves the girl he will bring it himself.”

“Leave her alone!” I yelled at him as I lifted. He screamed in pain as my nails raked down his face. “He will kill you and I will help him bury the fucking body,” I growled as I caught the crowbar from his slackened hands and swung it at his face.

It connected, but not with as much force as I would have liked. Damn, I was hoping to knock him out, instead it just dazed him enough for me to get free. I scrambled across the seats and out the door. I saw Lucy a ways down the street. “Keep running,” I called, running toward her.

“EMMIE!”

That was all the warning I got before I was tackled to the ground. My heart stopped, thinking about my baby as I landed hard on my stomach…

And then I couldn’t think at all as blackness suddenly surrounded me. I felt something wet slide down my face as he hit me again just before the world disappeared.

Chapter 19

Jesse

Layla’s private room was full of family. Drake and Lana sat at the window, one wrapped around the other. Shane sat in the only other spare chair with Harper on his lap. All of them were laughing with Layla as she attempted to feed Luca. He was being particular though, having gotten so spoiled with me feeding him over the last few days. He knew my scent, my touch and was looking for it.

I didn’t move from where I was standing holding Lyric, who had already had his dinner and then some. My little warrior’s appetite had picked up today and he had sucked down his bottle and cried for more after he had been burped. The nurse had rushed to get another bottle for Luca because Lyric had inhaled half that bottle too.

Layla was doing better emotionally since she had gotten to spend a little more time with the boys earlier in the day and now she was getting to actually feed them. She was smiling, her tears miles away. Now all we needed was for Emmie to get Lucy here so that my family would be complete.

For what was probably the fiftieth time I glanced down at the watch on my left wrist. It was just after five, but Emmie had assured me she would have Lucy here by four-thirty. I wasn’t happy with her going off with Harris tonight for trick-or-treating, but Emmie had arranged for one of the security guards to follow the kids tonight, offering me that safety net that I needed.

Emmie was rarely late, and when she was she always called me. I felt off, my heart starting to race with anxiety. Then I brushed it off. Em and Lucy were fine. Of course they were…

I was so lost in my musings that when my phone buzzed I jerked, making Lyric protest. Pulling the cell from my pocket I saw that it was Emmie and breathed a sigh of relief. I handed the baby over to Harper who was the closest to me and then answered the phone. “Hey. Where you at?”

“D-da-daddy?”

My heart stopped at the sound of Lucy’s voice. In that one broken word I heard a million different things. The fear that made her voice wobble is what broke me, though. “Lucy?” I breathed her name.

“Da-daddy, I’m sorry!” she cried before she was cut off.

I heard a male voice I didn’t recognize snap something I couldn’t understand and then his voice was coming loud and clear through the phone. “Jesse Thorton?”

“Yes,” I snarled. “Who the fuck is this and what the hell are you doing with my daughter? Where is Emmie?”

The room around me seemed to freeze and I didn’t even notice as Drake and Shane stood and flanked me. I was too lost in rage because even though I had no clue what was going on, I knew that this man had hurt Lucy… and probably Emmie too!

“Emmie is where I left her… Or maybe not. I’m sure someone has found her by now. Don’t worry, she was still breathing when I last saw her.” My vision actually narrowed at his words and I nearly stumbled as I reached for something to steady me. It was the end of Layla’s bed and I gripped it with my free hand so tightly I thought I heard the thick plastic crack a little. “As for your daughter… She’s not. She’s mine. But you can have her if you want… If you’re willing to pay for her.”