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Their bond is unbreakable, and Patrick, of all people, should know this. He was part of the team commissioned to organize the clean-up crew after the pair ended their father’s reign and his life. Hadley will take Patrick’s attack on her husband personally, and it will take all of us to prevent her from ripping him apart, limb by limb.
“Hawke,” I hear Hadley call as she enters the room.
Her grief-stricken face tells a tale her words won’t.
After hugging me and her father-in-law, she tells us that they drugged her and Grace to get to Sean. Her voice cracks as her emotions get the better of her while she relays what happened in the previous hours.
According to Hadley, they were relocated to Maine when the agency learned Patrick was on to them. She, Sean, and Grace had been out having a late supper when Grace suddenly became ill. When they returned to the apartment they’d been placed in, she had also felt violently ill.
The next thing she remembers is waking up on the bathroom floor the following morning. Panicking, she raced to Grace, who sat calmly in front of the TV eating cereal. When she asked where Sean was, Grace didn’t know; he was already gone. It was then that she realized something was wrong and phoned Antony.
“So, she’s unaware of anything going on?” I ask.
Shaking her head, she says no, she thinks she’s going to spend time with her grandma and aunty Sophie. She didn’t believe their daughter was in any danger seeing they left them behind in the first place.
“He will pay for what he has done, Hawke,” her now steely face declares.
Oorah,a chorus chants behind us.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
Emily
Regardless of how much I begged, Hawke refused to allow me to become a part of their mission to retrieve Sean. His concern was that I would become collateral damage, and there was no way in hell he would allow that to happen. I understand, don’t get me wrong, but I felt useless sitting around the apartment waiting for an update.
“You know they will find him, right?”
The sound of Sumner’s voice distracts me from my disruptive thoughts.
“I know,” I agree. “I just wish I could do more to help.”
When the wait became too much, I chose to spend my time with Sumner and baby Abi instead.
“I’ve just gotten off the phone with Sophie, and she says the best thing we can do is allow her father and Hawke to do what they do best.”
I must have been distracted as I hadn’t noticed that she was even on the phone. When little Abi went down for her nap, Sumner was vacuuming, so I decided to sit outside on the balcony. Unfortunately, my thoughts have been consumed with what may be happening, which means everything else around me has been nothing more than a blur.
“You are right; no one is better equipped to rescue Sean than Hawke, Antony, and Cole Security.” I smile, rising from the sunchair.
“I could use your help with the wedding invitations; maybe that will help distract us.”
Agreeing, I follow Sumner into the kitchen.
With the wedding only twelve weeks away, Sumner is panicking slightly that she won’t be ready in time. I smile as she rambles while placing the invitations down on the table. She complains that her calligraphy is terrible and pleads with me to write the names instead. Sumner’s nervousness makes me giggle, eliminating any possible excuse I could have not to help her.
“Have you finalized the guest list?” I ask as she passes me the list.
“Yes,” she breathlessly exclaims.
Looking over the list of names, there seems to be more than initially discussed. As expected, they invite the Valentine family, including Sophie’s boyfriend and his three friends. Also on this list is Tatum’s parent and two sisters with their partners, but the surprise is the inclusion of Sumner’s grandparents on her mother’s side. I know she discussed this with Hawke, but I wasn’t aware that she’d decided to include them. It's no surprise that Sumner is also inviting Jackson and Catherine. Seeing that Mark is officiating the wedding and Mackenna is a flower girl, we already knew that Charlie and Callum would attend.
“Nan, nan, nan, nan.” Baby Abi’s babbling breaks my concentration.
“You know you’ve been engrossed in your work for the last two hours.” Sumner grins as she hands me Abigail. “They look beautiful, thank you.”
It’s hard to believe the little bundle of joy bouncing up and down on my leg is nearly fourteen months old. It feels like just yesterday when a tiny six-week-old version of her was handed to Sumner and Tatum after Sumner’s father went to prison for the murder of her mother. I was concerned initially that Sumner wasn’t ready for such a responsibility, but she has taken to motherhood naturally, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
The sound of my cell buzzing beside me diverts my attention away from Abi pulling at the chain hanging around my neck.
