“We have our finest officers looking for her right now, sir,” skinny twig assured me, obviously the more diplomatic of the two. “An Amber Alert has been issued and we have road blocks up throughout the city.”

“Perfect.” Emmie gave them a tight, fake smile. “Thanks for all your hard work. But I really do think the doctor should come in now. I’m not feeling very well.”

Skinny closed his notebook. “Of course, ma’am. But we will have to come back in the morning for you to sign the statement. And we will be in touch as soon as Miss Thornton is found.” The last was addressed to Jesse who only gave him a brisk nod.

Both cops turned to leave and I waited until the door was closed behind them before stepping closer to Em. “I want to go with Jesse and Nik to make the drop.”

Emmie shook her head. “You and Shane are needed here, Drake. I need you to keep Lana calm so she can soothe Layla. I’m not able to be there to help them, so I am really counting on you.”

She was right, and I didn’t want to make this any harder on her. She wasn’t allowed out of bed for twenty-four hours to make sure she wasn’t having a miscarriage. That didn’t stop the burning need in me to go with my band brothers to get Lucy back. Or the intense desire to kick the guts out of Vince Grady.

“They won’t be going in unprotected,” Emmie assured me. “I’ve called Seller. He’s going to be in the background when Jesse hands the money over. As soon as they have Lucy, he’s going to take the bastard down.”

The door opened before I could ask another question and the doctor came in. “I really do need to get you stitched up now, Mrs. Armstrong. Then we can get you into your room and the tech can do the ultrasound.”

“One more minute!” she snapped at him.

“No,” he told her calmly and moved to the sink across the room to wash his hands. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid I must insist that I tend to the lady. You need to step out, all of you.”

“Like fuck.” Nik didn’t budge, tightening his hold on Em’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Mr. Armstrong…” the doctor began, but it was Emmie who got him to leave.

“It’s okay, baby.” She tugged him closer and he bent to kiss her lips. “Besides, you and Jesse need to get moving. Right?”

He looked torn and then Jesse put his hand on Nik’s shoulder. “We have things that require our attention, man.”

“Right.” Nik grimaced. “I love you.”

Emmie kissed him again, lingering this time. “I love you too. Be safe.”

He only nodded as he followed Jesse out of the room. I took Mia to her mother so that she could kiss her. “Does your head hurt, Momma?”

“A little.” Emmie smacked a kiss on Mia’s cheek. “But I’ll be all better in the morning, flower fairy. Now go with Uncle Drake. Help him take care of Aunt Lana and Layla for Momma, okay?”

“Okay, Momma. Daddy will kiss your boo-boo better later,” she promised.

“I know, baby. Be good.”

Mia wrapped her arms back around my neck, but I was reluctant to leave her alone. “Em…”

She caught my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Take care of them for me. They need you more than I do.”

“This fucking sucks.” I brushed a kiss over her cheek. “Here.” I handed her my cell phone. “Call Lana’s cell if you need anything.”

When I got back to Layla’s room the twins were gone, having been taken back to the nursery for the evening. Shane was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Layla’s hand, while my angel stroked her hair. Layla looked like she was in shock, her face pale, her eyes vacant. Her tears had dried, but their trails on her face still remained.

I placed Mia on her feet and crossed to hug Angel, who didn’t look much better than her sister. Her free hand went around my waist and she placed her head on my chest. For the longest time no one spoke. Not even Mia who climbed into a chair by the window and just sat watching all the adults around her.

It was Harper who finally broke the tense silence when her cell phone buzzed and she muttered a curse when she saw the text she had received. “It’s Rex. He says that the tabloids have gotten wind of everything. Some rookie cop blabbed his mouth, looking for some quick cash. They know the Amber Alert is for Lucy.”

“Em already had Seller tighten security earlier today,” Shane said, his voice quiet as he continued to hold Layla’s hand. “They won’t be able to get in here.”

I felt Angel tremble and urged her into the chair beside Mia. She looked wasted. Her face drawn and pale. Her eyes bloodshot and puffy. “Get off your feet, Angel.”

“Layla needs me,” she protested.

I kissed her to quieten her. “I’ll take care of her.” Another quick kiss and I moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

“She’s probably scared right now,” Layla whispered, a sob in her voice. “I want her here with me. I want to hold her and tell her it’s going to be okay.”

“You’ll have her by the end of the night,” I promised her. “Lucy’s strong. Brave. Sassy just like you and Angel. She’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”

“What if he hurts her?” She covered her face and her shoulders started to shake. “Oh gods, what if he hurts her?”

“Then Jesse will grind him into dust,” Lana burst out. “He will kill the fucking bastard and burn the body.” Beside her, Mia made a distressed tone, not used to her Aunt Lana like this. Angel sucked in a calming breath and reached for the little girl. “Sorry, baby,” she whispered against Mia’s hair as she kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t like this night,” Mia informed her aunt.

“That makes two of us, baby cakes,” Harper assured her. “This night royally sucks.”

I had to agree with them. It sucked balls. And all we could do was sit and wait.

Chapter 22

Lucy

So this was my real father? The man who had helped Lydia Daniels give me life.

He was kind of ugly-looking and I was suddenly very glad I looked more like the woman who had brought me into the world than this disgusting man. I don’t call her my mom. I had never really called that woman Mom. From the time I could remember it had been Lana who had taken care of me until Lydia had died and we had moved in with Layla. It was then that I really understood what a mom was like. Layla was everything a kid could want in a mom. And this man? He was everything nightmares were made of. His teeth were yellow, his eyes all glassy-looking. He was kind of skinny, boney really. Tattoos up his arms that didn’t make much sense to me. His hair was messy and smelled nasty, like he hadn’t had a shower in a while.