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Eyeing him suspiciously, I settle into the seat tensely. I watch as we drive out of the city limits and head toward the warehouses. Instead of stopping at one of them like I had expected, we continue to drive for another hour.
“Alright, you’re making me nervous. Are you taking me out here to off me?” I half-heartedly joke.
“No, Declan. I’ve known you since you were a baby. I’m not going to kill you.” He rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Just trust me, okay?”
We pull up to an abandoned warehouse shortly after. Getting out of the car, I look at Eric across the roof of the car. He gives me an encouraging nod before taking off toward the building.
As he opens the door and walks in, I follow behind him. Looking around for any sign as to why we are here, I'm left confused as it's literally just an abandoned warehouse.
He leads me down three separate hallways before coming to a stop in front of a door.
“Are you ready?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.
Different scenarios run through my mind. What is behind this door? Is it Natalia? Is it an imposter? A mole in the family?
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply and take a deep breath before exhaling loudly, releasing some of the pent up nerves.
Eric nods and twists the knob on the door, where he opens it to reveal a large living area. There are a few other doors that lead to what I assume are the bedroom and bathroom.
“What is this?” I step inside, looking around before turning to face Eric with furrowed brows.
Just as he goes to speak, a voice comes from behind me, freezing me in my tracks.
“Hello, Declan.”
No fucking way.
Chapter two
Finn
WalkingoutofDeclan’soffice, I sigh. It kills me to see my best friend hurting. Unless Natalia slips up and uses a credit card or gets caught on camera, there’s really nothing else I can do. There’s nothing more that I can think of doing, either. I didn’t want to get hateful with him or make him think that I’m against him or this mission of finding her, but I only spoke the truth. He needs to hear it and needs to start paying attention to things happening in the business as well. It’s time he’s stepped up again.
Yes, I’ve kept everything running smoothly. Yes, I know it’s my job as his second in command to help where needed. It’s not been an issue and if he desperately needed me to, I would keep doing what I’m doing. I just want, noneed, some time with my family. I’ve been neglecting them for too long. Skylar has been pissed at me for the last two weeks, and Ava cries for me every time I leave. It breaks my heart every time, there is only so much more I can take before I break too.
Trying to keep my head level while I’m with him is hard. He’s completely dismissed the idea that I may need to spend time withmyfamily. Just because Natalia is gone, doesn’t mean the whole world stops. I don’t think he is doing it on purpose, but it’s still hard.
Even though I keep getting the short end of the stick, I keep helping because I would like to believe that if the roles were reversed, he would be doing the same for me. I can’t say I wouldn’t act the same way if Skylar left, maybe even worse. Her and Ava are my world. I desperately want to help him bring Natalia back, but there’s just not enough information to go off of right now. Natalia doesn’t want to be found. If she wanted him to find her, she would send him a clear sign. Right now, she has her signs buried deep in the sand with no intention of being revealed.
Stopping at the florist, I grab a bouquet of Skylar’s favorite flowers, red chrysanthemums. I also grab a smaller bundle of the flowers that I have bought since the day Ava was born, lavender roses.
After securing the flowers in the car, I make my way home. Hopefully they haven’t eaten dinner yet, and we can have an actual meal as a family. Pulling into the driveway, I take a moment before getting out and grabbing the flowers.
As I walk along the concrete path to the front door, butterflies form in my stomach at the thought of seeing her. It’s been weeks since I’ve been home at a decent time. Skylar is usually asleep by the time I do get home, so the fact that I actually get to spend time with her puts the biggest smile on my face.
“Daddy!” The sweet little voice greets me as I walk through the door. Her brown curls bounce as she runs toward me. The smell of pot roast swirls through the air as I make my way further into the house.
“Hey pumpkin.” I squat down and scoop her up, holding the flowers out of her path. Ava giggles and wraps her tiny arms around my neck, planting a kiss on my cheek.
Walking into the kitchen, I find Skylar standing at the counter finishing up dinner. Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a clip, and she’s opted for her glasses instead of contacts today. She only does that when she has a migraine, which means I need to tread lightly. Treading lightly seems to be the theme as of late. Not because of her, but by my own consequential actions.
“Hey babe.” I place the flowers on the table and walk over to her, sliding my hand around her waist and pulling her close to me. Leaning down, I press a soft kiss to the top of her head. She lets me kiss her, but I can feel her tense under my hands.
“Oh, Declan actually let you come home?” She raises an eyebrow, a hint of annoyance coating her voice. I immediately know that I need to be careful here.
“Sky,” I groan. “Please don’t. Not tonight,” I plead, running my hand up her back. “I just want to enjoy the evening with my two favorite girls.” I look from her to Ava who is playing with my hair.
She doesn’t reply as she slips out of my touch and grabs the plates out of the cabinet and begins to set the table.
