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LINCOLN
“How many timesare you going to watch those videos?”
When I ignore my brother, my eyes staying trained on the computer screen, watching as Ellie kicks and screams and gets shoved into the vehicle, he reaches over and presses pause.
“You’ve been watching these same videos for the past four weeks. You’ve got to stop before you drive yourself crazy. We already know that aside from them heading to a backroad where the cameras cut off, they don’t contain anything worth a shit that will lead us to her.”
I swallow heavily, my eyes closing slightly from the lack of sleep. If I’m not out searching for answers, threatening and bribing people for information, I’m watching the videos. Over and over again. Because it’s all I can do.
Ellie’s been gone for thirty-five days. Thirty-five fucking days without sleeping with her cuddled into my side. Without seeing her doing yoga in the living room. Without smelling her sweet vanilla scent. Thirty-five days without watching her read her romance books while she lays out by the pool. Without seeing her smile, hearing her laughter.
Our baby has grown another four weeks, is now the size of a honeydew. I haven’t felt him kick my hand, heard her talk to him. She hasn’t rearranged the nursery or bought anymore baby outfits. I have no idea if her blood pressure is up, if she’s able to take her anemia medication.
It’s been thirty-five days, and we’re no closer to finding her. It’s as if the car she got into drove off the face of the Earth. Nobody’s reached out wanting a ransom, her accounts haven’t been touched. We’ve hired the best of the best, and nobody has any answers.
I press play, and the frame picks up where it left off with Ellie disappearing into the car. A second later, the window goes down, and her necklace and watch are thrown out. Her phone is on the ground already, having fallen from her hand when she was grabbed. Before the window goes up, my screen is slammed shut.
I spin around and stand, cock my fist back, then hit Micah square in the jaw. He stumbles back, but once he’s gathered his wits, he comes for me, tackling me to the ground. I expect him to punch me—hell, I’d welcome the pain—but instead, once he’s got me pinned, he grips my wrists and holds me down.
“Fucking stop!” he barks. “I get it. You’re?—”
“No!” I shout back, my heart racing behind my ribcage. “You don’t fucking get it. Sienna was missing for a few hours. Ellie’s been gone for weeks! Motherfucking weeks! Back then, we knew who took Sienna. But right now, I have no fucking clue where Ellie is!” I lift my legs, causing Micah to fall forward and off balance. I shove him to the side as I climb to my feet. “Watching these videos, searching for her, asking everyone questions are the only things keeping me from falling apart!” I pound my fist against my chest.
“She’s somewhere out there, God knows where, probably fucking scared. For all we know, she’s been trafficked. She couldbe anywhere at this point. In someone’s basement, in a shipping crate on the way to another country to be sold,” I say, imagining all the horrific possibilities and scenarios. “She’s due in a few weeks, and I don’t know how to get to her.” I choke out the last words, emotion clogging my throat as tears fill my lids. I close my eyes, wishing the world around me would disappear. If something’s happened to Ellie...Fuck, I don’t want to be in a world where she doesn’t exist.
“Lincoln,” Micah says, palming my face. Prying my lids open, I look into my brother’s eyes which are filled with emotion. “We’ll find her.”
“You don’t know that.” I shake my head and move past him, unable to look at him any longer. All I want is to be alone.
“I promise, we won’t stop until we do.”
“Yeah,” I agree, more so to get him to go away.
“Come to dinner tonight, please,” he says, following me to the front door. “Colton has a checkup we need to take him to, but when we get home, come over and eat with us.”
“I’m not good company.”
“Nobody expects you to be. But right now, whether you want to admit it or not, you need to be around family.”
“What I need is to find Ellie.” Snatching my keys, I head out, having no idea where I’m going but needing to do everything I can to try to find her...To find someone who has information regarding Ellie’s captor and where he’s taken her. Somebody has to know something.
Ellie
“Is she ready?”
“I’m only thirty-six weeks!”
“I didn’t ask you,” Eleazar barks, shooting me a glare. “Dr. Pasquale, if she were to give birth right now, would the baby survive?”
“M-Mr. Gutierrez,” the doctor stammers, terrified of Eleazar—which makes sense, since he’s coercing the poor doctor into doing as he demands by threatening his family. “Technically, yes, but?—”
“No buts.” Eleazar raises his hand. “I’m tired of waiting. The Alexanders are circling. They’re asking too many questions, and I can’t hide for much longer. When I take back my life, I need to make a grand entrance. And the only way I can do that is with my heir in my arms.”
I close my eyes and try to tune out his grand plan. Since he has no intention of letting me survive past giving birth, he’s had no problem speaking in front of me—dead people can’t talk after all.
At first, I was confused as to why he hasn’t killed Micah and Lincoln yet, but when he shared his plan, I realized Eleazar Gutierrez has lost his damn mind. In time, he does intend to kill them, but not until he’s shown Lincoln that he will be raising his son and has reestablished his rightful place in Tesoro. Since he holds them both responsible for trying to kill him and then dismantling his empire, Eleazar doesn’t just want to take his life back—he wants retribution for the time he’s lost.
“I’ll need to run a few tests to make sure, but?—”
