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“I think I am,” Reid said. “But I’m not sure when my birthday is, so I’m not sure.”
I snuggled up to Holden’s side, never wanting to let him go. “Reid is going to stay with us for … as long as he needs.” I peeked up at Holden. The man who hadn’t given up on me. The love of my life.
He tucked my hair behind my ear, then pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We have the space, so it’s no problem.”
I followed Holden’s gaze as Zayne’s brow lifted ever so slightly. Something felt off. I didn’t have the mental capacity to absorb any more information at the moment, but I asked anyway.
“Holden, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing for you to be concerned about right now. I’ll fill you in later, I promise. First, let’s have you two checked out and debrief with Brian. I’m ready to get the hell out of here.” Holden’s gaze locked with mine, and I allowed myself to get lost in his deep brown eyes.
“Holden, there you are.” A tall, muscular guy broke through the crowd of people and beelined straight to us. A gorgeous blonde was beside him, wearing a huge grin.
She approached me, then said, “You must be River. I’m Sutton, Pierce’s wife.”
“They’re my bosses and best friends,” Zayne added.
“You two are the ones that helped Holden find me? Find us?” I asked, my attention cutting over to Reid.
“The second you went missing, we started the search. You have a lot of people who love you. You’re a lucky girl.” Sutton squeezed my hand.
Once again, I threw my arms around a stranger and hugged her. “Thank you.” I choked on my gratitude. Opal and Kassandra’s words haunted my mind. They were right. Women did trust other women more easily than we did men. Disgust bubbled to life, and I shoved their words to the side.
“We’ll talk more. Once you’re settled, I have a few ladies I’d like you to meet. My sister Claire, for one. Each of them has gone through hell and back, including kidnapping. I think they’ll be good for you. I just want you to know that you’re not alone in this.” A genuine smile spread across her pretty features.
I released her and wiped the moisture from my cheeks. “Thank you.” Turning to Pierce, I stuck my hand out.
Sutton laughed. “It’s fine, you can hug him.”
That was all I needed. I pushed up on my tiptoes and quickly embraced him. “Thank you.” I glanced at Holden, then back to Pierce. “Thank you for helping us.”
“Holden’s a good one, River. He really loves you,” Pierce said.
A blush crept up my neck and across my face. “I really love him, too.”
Sutton gently squeezed Pierce’s arm. “Hon, you embarrassed her.” She winked at me.
“Let’s get you taken care of so we can head to the airport,” Pierce said.
“You had to fly here?” I looked at Holden quizzically. In all the hustle and bustle, it hadn’t occurred to me to ask where we were.
“We’re in California, babe. Pierce flew us down in his plane,” Holden explained.
I froze, reality shaking me to my core. I was states away. They might have never found me. But he did. The little voice in my head reminded me.
“Do you have room for one more?” I looked around, spotting Zayne and Reid chatting a few feet away from us. I pointed at Reid.
Pierce and Sutton followed my finger. I watched them as their shock registered, then slipped away.
“Who the hell would have thought you had a relative in this hellhole,” Pierce said to Holden, massaging the back of his neck.
“No fucking idea. I had a lot of nightmares where a kid kept calling out to me, but I hadn’t expected to find my doppelganger. Well, possibly a brother I don’t remember.”
Sutton pulled herself together. “We have plenty of room. Is there anyone else we need to help?” she asked me.
I liked this lady. She had to be pretty awesome if she owned a security company and was close to Zayne and Vaughn. I suspected she could hold her own with the guys.
“I never met anyone else. Reid was in the cell next to me. We never saw each other until today,” I explained softly. “He kept me sane while trying to prepare me for training. I don’t think I would have made it through without him.”
