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“The brat wouldn’t shut the fuck up,” he said with a shrug, as if that made sense and made what he would have done acceptable to his mind.
“Ian, Jasper will be home any minute. You need to leave.” She could only think to try to stall him. What other choice did she have? If he took them, they were dead. She knew it to the depths of her soul. And she would do anything to protect her daughter.
“We’ll be discussing you whoring yourself out for a nice roof over your head. Now, this is how it’s going to go. You’re going to come with me now. Or I will shoot the brat, let her bleed out, and then shoot you. It’s your choice.”
“That’s not a choice. You’re asking me to watch my daughter die. You’re sick, Ian. You need help.” Unholy terror pounded through her veins. She didn’t know how they would survive this.
“What I need is my wife to get off her fat ass and get in the car.”
If she didn’t go with him, he would kill Maddie. If she went with him, he might still kill them both, but there was a chance she could get away. She put her hands up in surrender. “We’ll go with you. Just please put the gun down.”
He lowered the firearm but kept it in his hand. “We might need diapers for Maddie.”
“We’ll pick them up on the way.”
“There’s a bunch upstairs—”
“Enough.” He swung the gun back in her direction. “Get up. And head toward the front door, or the brat gets it.”
Lifting Maddie into her arms, she pulled the blanket she’d been sitting up on with her. She slipped her phone into the front of Maddie’s overalls, praying it stayed put and hoping like hell he didn’t see it.
She wrapped the blanket around Maddie, who was crying and shaking in her arms from all of Ian’s yelling.
He escorted them out of the house she considered home and into his waiting truck parked in the street.
She climbed into the front passenger seat holding Maddie against her and putting the seatbelt on around them both. She wasn’t letting Maddie go for one second. If there was a chance, slim though it might be, to get away from him, she would take it. If he pulled up to a red light or stop sign, she’d try to make a run for it. Her daughter’s life depended upon her ability to be smart.
Otherwise, they were dead. And she’d never get a chance to tell Jasper that she loved him and was sorry that she lied. And that she would have been proud to have been his wife in truth.
“We’ve got the location. The local sheriff’s office will meet us there. But I need you to stand back once we get there,” Asher explained as he put on his tactical gear and checked his firearm.
“That’s not—”
“I wasn’t asking, Jasper. If you want me to put him behind bars, I need this to go by the book. I cannot have you deciding to play hero. And before you argue with me, you could get Freya and her daughter killed if you go rogue on me. So I need to know. Can I trust you to stay out of the way and let us do our job?”
Bloody hell! It grated that he was being sidelined. They found her. In minutes, they would be on their way to rescue her. And he was supposed to sit back and let it happen while he stood by and watched. It rankled. But he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her life or Maddie’s.
“Fine. Let’s go.” Time was of the essence. Every minute they delayed put Freya and Maddie’s lives on the line. He’d never been so afraid in all his life.
“Come on.”
He followed Asher out to the helicopter pad on the roof of the building and followed the team inside. The helicopter would transport them there in half the time it would take them to drive.
Everything had gotten so confused and snarled. It was his fault for not believing in her. He’d been quick to judge. When she had been an even bigger victim than originally thought.
He prayed she was still alive. That she and Maddie were unharmed. Because he’d never forgive himself for leaving if they were no longer alive. He wanted a chance for them to start over again. Jasper loved them both so much he ached.
And if Ian killed them, he would rip that bastard apart with his bare fucking hands.
26
Freya had never been so terrified in all her life. The fight with Jasper entered the back of her mind. She had to put it on the back burner for now. She couldn’t think past trying to protect Maddie from Ian.
He’d taken them to a remote, one-room cabin with a small kitchen and a bathroom. It was a mite rundown, like the owner couldn’t be bothered with the upkeep, but serviceable. There was a bed, a couch, and a small, two-seater dinette table and chairs.
The moment he’d shoved them into the place, she’d put Maddie behind her on the bed, putting her body between them. She kept her eye on the front door. If there was a chance of escaping, she’d grab Maddie and go. If he shot her in the back—no, she couldn’t take that destructive train of thought. If she went there, she wouldn’t be able to function. Maddie needed her to fight back, needed Freya to save her, even if it meant sacrificing herself to do it.
She just hoped that if she died and Maddie lived, Jasper would hand her phone over to the authorities. That’s assuming help was coming. She couldn’t count on that. She’d never been able to count on anyone to save her.
