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PREVIOUSLY…
BREN
Glancing around the dark room, I struggle to make anything out in the poor lighting and sweat beads on my forehead. I don’t have long and am acutely aware of it. I already hear the thunder of footsteps above us. Moving deeper into the basement, a small whimper draws my attention toward a corner of the room. My hand fumbles in my pocket to locate my phone, then I hold it up and put the torch on, shining it in the direction of the low noise. A bundle of something is scrunched up in the corner, and a surge of regret hits me like a Mack truck. Fuck, I’m a bastard for letting this happen.
Shaking off the guilt, I move toward the shadow, and knowing it’s her, makes every step heavier with what I’m about to discover, and I hate myself for it.
She shuffles back, as if trying to hide. Her head is buried into her knees, and her hands are bound behind her back.
“Tia?” I question as I kneel in front of her, unsure whether to touch her or not. Her entire body trembles, and my heart aches for the poor girl. “Tia, sweetheart. You’re safe now. But I gottaget you outta here.” I glance toward hushed voices heading our way. “Gonna get you home to your babies. To Harper.”
Her head snaps up, and her eyes latch onto mine, and just like that, my stone heart plummets to the floor and the air is sucked from my lungs. My mouth is so dry I can’t even fucking swallow. Staring into her wide blue eyes is like a knife slicing through my heart, because she is a replica of my wife. My Sky. My fucking everything.
The woman I protected from day one. Who engrained herself so deep inside me, I never want to be without her, and the thought is too much to bear.
My blood is frozen, making it difficult for me to move, to breathe, to function.
A wave of nausea rolls in my stomach as her face merges with Sky’s. They’re so much alike, and I hate myself for not protecting her as I should have. Hate myself for not allowing Sky to meet her.
Jesus, I need to make this fucking right.
In that moment, while our eyes remain locked and my heart freefalls, I know what I have to do. My head drops forward.
There’s not a doubt in my mind that what I’m going to do is the right thing, the only thing. I need to give my girl her family back, at whatever cost.
Without realizing what I’m doing, my thumb swipes away a lone tear streaming down her dirty face. The swelling, bruising, cuts, and dirt that coat her pretty features make my blood boil and my jaw grind. How anyone can treat a woman or child like this is beyond me. They’re monsters, sick fuckers who deserve to have their lives extinguished... painfully.
“Harper?” Her voice is weak but laced in concern for her little girl.
I take out my penknife and lean over her, cutting the cable ties, and she winces.
“Harper?” she repeats.
Her question makes me jolt, the sound of her voice different from Sky’s yet familiar. “Harper is with her dad, whichever fucker he is.” I attempt to joke and can’t help but curl my lip into a smirk at the thought of this scrap of a woman taking on three men. She must have fire in her. Like my woman.
A sound outside the room has her body shuddering and her lips parting in terror. I glance over my shoulder and know time is running out. I need to get her out of here. ASAP.
Moving quickly, I unclip my bulletproof vest, but my eyes remain locked on her. “My name is Bren O’Connell.” I hold her gaze, and she gives me a nod. “Gonna help ya, sweetheart.” Her eyes widen and fill with tears, and her lip wobbles, but I ignore it, I need to remain focused. “Now, can you stand?”
“Ye-esss, I think so.” She tries to avoid eye contact.
“Ain’t gotta be scared of me, sweetheart. I’m gonna get you home.” She nods and pushes back on the wall. Then she wobbles before righting herself, her strength is clearly drained, but I don’t have time to second-guess my plan. I clip my vest onto her in case she needs an extra layer of protection.
If only I gave her the protection when she needed it the most—before this shitstorm went down.
“Gonna need you to be strong.” I watch her, then take her delicate chin between my fingers. She’s as cold as ice, and I wince thinking about the conditions she’s been kept in. Once again, I shake off the guilt. I fucked up of epic proportions but don’t have time to dwell on it either. Every fucking second counts. “Can you be strong, Tia? For your girls.” I tack on the latter to give her the strength I know she needs.
She straightens her shoulders, and I couldn’t be prouder. She’s a force to be reckoned with, only now I just wish I could be there to see it.
“We don’t have long. I’m going to lift you to that window, then you’re gonna run like your ass is on fire to my SUV.” I point toward my vehicle in the distance. “You drive toward the gate and don’t let anything stop you. You hear me?” I look at her pointedly, and she nods and stares back at me wide-eyed.
“Gonna need you to do something for me.” I hand her the keys to my car. Her small hand shakes as she takes them from me, and I cringe at her delicate features so like my wife’s.
“Okay.” Her voice is so low and scratchy I barely hear her.
I gently tip her chin up to face me. “Need you to tell my woman something.”
She nods again, her expectant eyes not leaving mine this time.
