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“Buongiorno,” Pascal’s voice rings through the speakerphone. “Your mother is fine, boys. We’re sitting on my patio watching the sunset and drinking wine as we speak.” I hear the faint sound of Mum’s giggle in the background. If I weren’t a shell of a man right now, the sound would make me smile.
“Pascal, we need your help.” The urgency in my voice must spring him into action because I hear him excuse himself, and a few moments later, the sound of a door closing.
“What happened? Your father?”
With everything that has happened in the last six hours, it feels like killing our father happened a lifetime ago when, in all actuality, it hasn’t even been a day. “No. He’s been taken care of and is no longer a problem. It’s Harper.”
“The girl?” Pascal asks inquisitively.
“They took her, Pascal. Declan managed to get one of his men on our security team. He ambushed me while Mac and Finn were still at the docks. He knocked me out and took her. We’ve been up all night searching cameras, and we can’t find a fucking thing. We have no idea which direction they’re headed or if they’re even still in the country. She’s been gone over five hours already. We can’t fucking find her.” The last sentence causes my voice to crack and tears well at the back of my eyes, a feeling of such sorrow I’ve ever only experienced in regards to her I clench my fist at my sides, willing myself to keep it together.
“Don’t fall apart now, boy,” his voice is stern. “Here’s what’s going to happen. My son, Luca, lives in New York. He runs all of my business’ over there when I’m not in town. He’s well versed in dealing with those who betray us.” I don’t miss the underlying meaning of his words. I’m not one who ever asks for help. I take great pride in being able to run this empire on my own with the help of Mac and Finn. I’m a prideful man who has grown accustomed to having the weight of the world on his shoulders. But right now, for Harper, I will take all of the help I can get. And if it’s someone Pascal trusts, then so do I. “He has a team that can help you with anything you need. I’m going to hang up the phone and call Luca. Expect him and his team in thirty minutes.”
“Okay.”
“You keep it together, alright? She needs you.”
“I’m trying, and—”
“Don’t you even worry, son.” Pascal cuts me off, already knowing what I’m going to say. “I will protect her as if she were my own.”
“Thank you. Tell her we love her.”
“I will.” I hang up the phone without another word, unwilling to waste any more time.
The elevator dings, and Finn and I watch Mac storm in, not at all surprised by what we see. Mac’s practically dripping in blood from head to toe. I don’t ask who’s it is, nor do I really fucking care, because judging by the look on his face, they didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear.
“Anything?” I ask him, even though I already know the answer.
He looks at me with a blank expression before shaking his head. If it weren’t for the crimson stains covering his body, you would think Mac is the calmest of us right now. But I know better. I see the war inside of him—the chaos. Right now, he’s nothing more than a killer, trained to make even the devil himself drop to his knees in fear, and that’s what we need. It’s what Harper needs to bring her home. I just hope that when we finally get her back, she’s strong enough to pull Mac out, and I hope he’s strong enough to let her.
He sits on a dining room chair across from Finn, not even bothering to change his clothes, likely succumbing to the fact that this will be his permanent state until we get her back.
“I called Pascal. His son, Luca, and his team will be here soon to help us.”
“We will find her. We have to.” I don’t know if Finn’s trying to convince Mac, me, or himself, but either way, I nod my head in agreement. Mac looks up at me, and for a brief moment, I can see the unrelenting sadness in his eyes. Water pools in the corners before he quickly blinks it away and breaks eye contact with me, moving his gaze toward the large windows across the room. My eyes follow his, taking in the sight of the city, waking up and preparing for another day, utterly oblivious to the war that’s taking place.
We will not fail her again.
5
Harper
We’re still driving. I’ve been awake for a while now, but I’ve kept as quiet as possible, not wanting to be stabbed in the neck and rendered unconscious . . . again. We’ve been in this van since last night, and the sun is starting to rise. I don’t know how often we’ve stopped while I was out, but it can’t be that much further to wherever he is taking me. Even Lake Erie is only a good eight hours from the city, which is about as far in Pennsylvania as he can go. I know we’re not on a major highway anymore. Our speed has slowed by quite a bit, and the roads are getting bumpy.
Just as the thought crosses my mind, the van slows to almost a crawl as Logan turns onto what sounds like a gravel road. My chest tightens at the thought of us getting to our destination; at least with him driving and me in the back of the van, I’m out of his reach.
“Just a few more minutes, Princess. You can stop pretending to be asleep now.” Shit.
“Where are we?” I ask while nervously thumbing at Ronan’s ring, hoping this idiot will be dumb enough to tell me exactly where we are. Maybe if I can get away and call Mac and Finn, they can come get me.
“None of your damn business,” he bites back—double shit.
“Stay calm, Baby. Save your energy for when it’s important.”
Ronan’s voice in my head makes me feel like I’m dying. How will I survive without him? A piece of my soul now lies within each of them, pieces I will never get back. And now that he’s gone, he took that piece with him. I can never be whole again.
The overwhelming urge to give up rears its ugly head at the memory of him. To lay lifeless in the back of this van for the rest of time and just live in the memory of him. The feel of his rings on my skin as his touch explores my body, the smell of whiskey and smoke invading my senses whenever he was near, and the way he acted like he couldn’t be bothered to feel for anyone or anything when in all actuality he cared and loved deeper than anyone I’ve ever known.
