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My thoughts are jumbled, and I feel dizzy. My lungs feel as if someone is trying to press them together. I’m startled as I sense someone coming closer to me, their fingers gently brushing against my skin.
“Breathe, Tink. Look at me.” I concentrate on the sound of his breathing, trying to block out the noises around us. “That’s it. Breathe. Follow my breaths.” He takes my hands and places them on his chest. As I take deep breaths, my respiration becomes slower and more controlled, and my vision clears.
He shouts something to someone that I can’t comprehend, and soon enough, I have a glass of water in front of me.
Did I have a panic attack?
“You started having a panic attack,” Aidan confirms. Setting me down on the sofa, he wraps his arms around me, creating a cosy cocoon. “You okay?” I nod.
“That was Jonas. They have her. Aidan, they have my sister.” The sound of curses fills the air.
“Who’s Jonas?” asks my brother. Tears stream down my face as I gaze at him.
“One of my guys.” I turn towards the girls. “He said not to do anything stupid and to wait until tomorrow.”
Caleb nods, while Scott and Aidan ask at the same time.
“What’s tomorrow?”
As Caleb speaks to them, my mind races with different scenarios on how to get her out of there and what their motive was for taking her. Why? She doesn’t have a direct link with the Prestons except through Scott. My breath catches in my throat as I blurt out. “They wanted me. They think they have me.” As they all turn their attention to me, I can see the confusion on their faces, so I elaborate. “She doesn’t have any connection to you guys. The only one is me. Through Caleb and through you.” I say as I turn towards Aidan. I see their minds racing a million miles per minute.
“So what? Are we really attending their gala tomorrow without any idea about what they want?” Scott asks Aidan.
“We need a plan. This changes everything,” Aidan answers.
I quickly type out a message to Cailean, my fingers tapping frantically on the screen as I inform him of the latest news. “Jonas was clear. We don’t do anything until tomorrow. He specified that they won’t touch her until then. I notified my team, and they’re working on it. We’re going to the gala tomorrow. Get her out of there and take care of them afterwards.”
“You’re not going,” orders Aidan. I’m staring at him directly in the eyes without hesitation.
“I beg your pardon? There is no way I am going to stay here and wait for you to come back when my sister was the one who got kidnapped instead of me. I have the knowledge and the ability to fight, and I am more than capable of defending myself. I don’t need your approval to do as I please,” I state defiantly.
The look on his face makes it seem like he could breathe fire through his nostrils. Good. We’re on the same page.
“You’re still valuable to them if they’re willing to take someone else instead of you.”
In the light, the silver of his holstered gun sparkles, leaving me no choice but to act. Retrieving it without him having time to react, I point the gun directly at his face. I feel a sense of power and control over the situation with the gun in my hand.
“I think that answers your question,” exclaims Caleb, amused.
“What the fuck was that move?” asks Scott while the girls cheer me on.
Aidan’s eyes widen with a hint of amazement, as if he is seeing me for the first time. “How?”
“I told you she wasn’t the girl you once knew.” The amusement in Caleb’s voice is still evident.
Putting a hand on his gun, Aidan leans closer to me. “Babe, I’ll be damned if I let you put yourself in danger.”
“I never ask you anythi?—”
“But… you’re right.” I feel his breath on my face as his forehead touches mine. “I won’t cage you. You’re more than capable of holding your own. We’re working as a team. I’ll have your back.”
“And I’ll have yours,” I finish.
I observe him furrow his brow as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “What is it?” I ask.
“Kore. He just sent a text message,” he says as he shows us.
Unknown number
