Page 26 of Holden’s Resurrection

No, today was going to be the day I made it clear, he was never to show up at my house uninvited, and since I’d never invite him, he’d never be welcome.

I was on the bottom step when the fourth bang started.

“Keep your pants on.”

I threw the door open and froze.

That single moment of extreme fear was a moment too long. I started to slam the door but a very large man shoved it open.

Then my world went black.

Faith.

“Charleigh.”

Someone called my name. Though it sounded like I was in a tunnel. A long, dark tunnel. I was running, trying to get to the end—I had to get to Faith but I couldn’t do it. Every time the end drew near, the road in front of me would lengthen and I’d have farther to go.

Why was Faith running from me?

“Why isn’t she waking up?”

There it was again, a whisper of a voice. I wanted to wake up and get out of this nightmare.

“I’ll be back.”

Holden.

He was there. Was he taking Faith? Why couldn’t I catch her? Where’d she go?

10

Holden had known terror. He’d known dread. He’d felt the gut-clenching fear of a firefight, moments when you weren’t sure if you or the men by your side would make it out alive. But he’d never felt those things when they were coated in love. Seeing Charleigh’s blood spilled in the foyer of her apartment had almost been his undoing. In the single most difficult moment of his life, he had to hold himself together. Push away every emotion so he could find Faith. He couldn’t think about what had happened to Leigh-Leigh or he’d lose control.

“Are you sure you want to go before she regains consciousness?” Chasin asked when they stepped out of Charleigh’s hospital room.

Fuck no, he didn’t want to leave her side. But he knew Charleigh would put Faith before herself. That was the only reason he was leaving her in a hospital bed with a fractured skull and a concussion.

“Faith’s been gone for three hours, it doesn’t matter what I want. I need to find her,” Holden replied, nearly choking on the words.

“Where are you gonna go? We have no leads,” Chasin reminded him.

They had jackshit because when Macy had found Charleigh, she was sprawled out on the floor, a pool of blood waterfalling down the stairs where Charleigh had cracked open her head. After a call to 911, she called Alec, who called the rest of the team and everyone descended on the scene at the same time.

Faith was gone.

They’d looked in every closet, under every bed, in the cabinets, in the attic space, anywhere and everywhere Faith could’ve hidden, they looked.

Just gone.

And no one saw a thing. There were no security or traffic cameras in the area. They had nothing to go on. Except Holden did. His gut screamed the Towlers had taken her. The question was, how had they overpowered Charleigh. Beatrice was old, Charleigh would beat the hell out of the woman if she’d threatened to enter. Patricia might be able to take Charleigh, but with Faith on the line, he doubted it. Besides, Charleigh had no defensive wounds.

No, she had a fucking possible fractured skull and a missing child.

“I’m going with you,” Chasin said.

“I need you to stay here with Charleigh.”

“The rest of the team and the women will be here.”