AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Finley! Storm!” he choked out, attempting to sit up with little success.
Nausea washed over him, and he had to wait a moment, vomit, then steady himself before staggering to his feet, only to find himself back on the ground. His eyes immediately locked onto the abandoned stroller, a chilling reminder of their failed escape. No, maybe they just left it. That would be expected. He held his head as another wave of nausea erupted.
Even though he had already given his status away to anyone who may have been watching, he slowly checked his environment to make sure that there was no one around. He then pulled and dragged himself to where the stroller sat, empty and solitary, next to the connecting gate. He pulled his phone out and tried to call Finley in the hopes that she had gotten to the other side of the gate and was getting help. In his heart of hearts, he knew that was not the case. Their attackers were now hers and Storm’s abductors.
He didn’t have time to wonder about who they were. It was time to call Jac. The faster they were on this, the quicker theycould get them home. He found he was more devastated than he had been when troubles hit the other women although he loved them like sisters and were ready to do whatever it took to keep them safe, Finley was his. Cash would be glad to hear it. Damn, his head hurt.
What he felt for Finley was anything but platonic. He was twisted up inside, and even though his head pounded almost unbearably, his mind centered on the fear Finley must feel. Out of control was not what his Finley liked. She was strong physically and mentally, but emotionally? He found he had no idea. Emotion wasn’t her strong suit, or at least letting people in wasn’t. Not knowing that about her bothered him. Cash understood enough to believe she needed to experience good outcomes when she became vulnerable before she could learn to be that with them. He determined he would change that once they had them back home. They would both know their girl.
“Where are they?” Levi whispered, his chest tightening with dread.
Anger threatened to consume him as he scanned the Ganders’ garden through eyes that were still bleary, desperately searching for any sign of Finley or Storm. But they were gone, taken by men who had appeared out of nowhere. They were better operatives than that, better observers, better protectors. How could they have both missed the sounds of incoming? How had he ignored his gut for too long? He gingerly searched for his phone and, while still in his pocket, he hit his distress button. His attackers were amateurs, or they would have never left it in operational order.
What had been a restful morning enjoying the neighbor’s property had turned into a nightmare of unbearable proportions. Levi was angry and hurt, and frustrated about the pain he was in and his inability to do more than acknowledge they were gone and he had to call Jac. He wanted to beratehimself for not keeping them both safe, but it was not useful. He had to concentrate on finding them, even when concentrating hurt so damn badly.
Levi rolled over and closed his eyes, waiting for some of the team to find him. With his eyes closed, he listened, which was easier than looking at the moment. He heard the wheels crunch on the gravel and while he expected it was one of the agency Ford Explorers arrived. He waited on alert. Opening his eyes to verify that he was right, just as a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the park, Levi’s heart leaped into his throat. The doors swung open, revealing familiar faces. Monroe and Garrett stepped out of the company car. He reclosed his eyes.
Jac brought the SUV to a screeching halt behind Carter, and everyone piled out, their boots crunching on the gravel as they raced towards Levi, boots thundering on the earth. They found him half sitting, half laying on the ground, disoriented and bleeding, his hand resting weakly on a wheel of the empty stroller.
“Was attacked,” Levi managed to choke out, his voice barely a whisper. “Took them... into the woods.”
“Everyone, fan out and search the area,” Jac ordered, his voice thick with urgency. “We’ll find them. We have to.”
As the team scattered into the dense underbrush, Levi couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the team members around him. They were more than friends; they were family. And together, they would face down whatever and whoever had their loved ones, each determined to bring Finley and Storm back home where they belonged.
“Levi!” Callie cried out, dropping to her knees beside him.
“Fin... Finley?” Levi mumbled, his eyes struggling to focus on her face. “Storm... I tried...”
“Hey, you’re gonna be okay,” Callie reassured him, quickly assessing the gash on his forehead and feeling for the source of blood at the back of his head. “Just stay with us, alright?”
“Levi? Shit. Are you okay?” Monroe stepped close, extending a hand to stay his attempts to get up, which wasn’t hard. Levi felt weak as a kitten. “Settle, man. I’m trying to see if you need an ambulance.”
“No ambulance. We have to find Finley and Storm. There is no time to coddle me.” Levi closed his eyes and wished his brain to right itself.
“Coddle? Hell, man, I’m just trying to make sure you stay alive. Sharlee is working on tracking them. We’re well on our way to finding and intercepting them.”
A man Levi remembered with Ryker, Colonel something, he thought, asked him a question. “What happened, son?”
Levi’s vision blurred as he struggled to focus on the faces of his concerned friends hovering above him. The Colonel had a commanding voice, but he wasn’t as emotional as Jac, who had to be mad with fear over the abduction of his baby boy. The metallic tang of blood mixed with the earthy scent of the forest floor filled his nostrils, grounding him in the moment.
“Finley and Storm were taken,” Jac informed Levi, his voice taut with urgency. “We need your help to find them.”
“Right,” Levi muttered, gritting his teeth against the pain throbbing in his temples. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head. “I... I remember being here at the garden park with them. Someone was at the gate. Finley didn’t believe him. Then, before we knew it, Fin was heading for the gate with Storm and someone came up behind me. It all happened so fast.”
Monroe began taking a better look at Levi, checking his head for the injury level. Garrett rounded the corner just as Carter and Mark came through the adjoining gate. Callie stood behind Levi as though taking a bodyguard position.
“The gate signal system was jammed. The keypad didn’t work,” said Carter.
“Where’s Cash? He needs to know about this,” said Callie.
“He knows,” said Mark grimly. “He’s protecting the house.”
Carter added, “And going out of his fucking mind.”
Garrett looked around the area, then his puzzled look landed on his wife. Callie supplied Garrett’s unspoken question of where Jac was. “Jac and the Colonel are going around the back of the property and visiting the Ganders. Evidently, they usually play with Storm when he comes.”
Levi hissed. “They aren’t home. At least they never responded when Finley tried them. We figure they are gone somewhere. But some goons came from inside the yard, so they must have accessed the property from the house.”
