by Hilary Storm
We break from the briefing and I watch Holden go to work. He's working his way into the most information possible.
"Do we know where her father lives?"
"We already have officers in his house. He hasn't shown any signs of being in the California area for weeks."
Holden walks over to me and I want to lose my shit. "So we have zero leads on where she's at."
"Luke. We have to go find her. They'll send out every available resource for this. Her father is a very high profile criminal that they need to apprehend. Getting to him is of utmost important to them too."
"Yeah, well what if it's too late?"
"We can't think like that, we just have to do our job and have faith that he will make a mistake."
"What if she tries to call me again?"
"Answer your phone then, I had it forwarded to your cell phone."
"Shit, is there anything you miss?"
"I try to not miss anything."
Stepping out into the morning air, I reel in all of my anger about this situation and try to channel Lilly. What would she do? Where would she go if she was running for her life? I'd like to think she'd be running to me, but I can't be so sure of that.
Chapter Twelve
Lilly
He followed me until he ran me off the road and into a field. The truck bounced around so much, I couldn't control it and he had me stopped before I could get away. Running from him isn't an option because I can see him with a gun aimed right at me.
I hold my arms up in surrender. I'm going to have to get away from him some other way.
"What do you want from me?"
"You know what I want."
"Fine. I'll sign it all over to you. Just leave me alone."
"You know I can't do that before I get the money."
"I didn't ask for this."
"I know. It's my father's twisted way of fucking with me even from the grave."
"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it, but if you hurt my baby, you'll die broke."
"Well, aren't you a feisty one?"
"No. I'm a mother. If you hurt my child, I'll have no reason for living and then you lose out."
"Get in. You're driving." He points to his truck and I notice the dark black windows immediately. My hopes for being rescued are getting slimmer by the second.
"Where are we going?"
"Just drive. I'll let you know where to go as we drive." He doesn't put away his gun and I know not to ask him to. He's desperate and I don't know what he'll do to get us out of here, I just hope I can manage to make it out alive with a healthy baby.
Kimber
We've been looking for twenty four hours with no clue whatsoever. I can't fucking stand seeing Luke like this. I told him I was going to stay at the hotel this morning and clean up a bit. He hasn't stepped foot into our room, but I made sure he had a key just in case he needs one.
I don't want to do this, but I have no choice. It's obvious this Alex is a low, disgusting human being, so chances are my father knows him. The gambling ring tends to be filled with those exact types of people. My father is in prison, but Lou can get in to see him until he's convicted of all the charges pending. Lou had no intentions of going to see him, but I know he will since I asked him.
"I just need an address. And I'm not talking about the one in California. Ask him if he knows of any other place he may be hiding out. If he won’t help you, tell him it's for me. Tell him to be a father for once in his fucking life." I know it's a long shot, but I have to try.
"The lawyer has a meeting with him this morning. I'll have him ask the questions, that way it's protected."
"Lou. Have I ever told you how important you are to me?"
"You have a time or two."
"Well, I mean it."
"Alright, before you get all mushy on me, let me call this lawyer and get the ball rolling on this for you."
"Thank you, Lou."
"You're welcome, Honey. Stay safe, I'll talk to you soon." I ask the hotel for a ride to the nearest airport. It's hours away, so they have to get me to a rental car. I'm going to have faith that I'll be flying somewhere today. I may as well get a head start on my trip.
I take everything I brought with me on this trip, which isn't much. The drive to the middle of nowhere is so different than I'm used to, living in California.
I get the call from Lou before I make it to the airport.
"Kimmie, he has a place in Nevada. I'm texting you the address because it's hidden. Do you have muscle going in with you?"
"Yeah, I've got an army with me. Thanks, Lou." I should call in the muscle, but I don't want to pull them away from the last location she was seen. What are the chances that he's taking her there? I can't gamble and pull Luke away from the chance to find her.
Luke
Where the fuck is she? Going through her things in the house she's been staying at was hard. I just keep saying, 'She's Alive', knowing that it'll have to settle in one of these times.
I see a picture frame on her bed with my picture in one slot and the baby image in the other. It's engraved with the words ‘My Daddy’. I hold it against my chest, imagining how many times she's touched it.
Has she missed me and does she regret this insanity? I'd really love to know.
Holden yells at me from the first floor, so I grab the frame and take the steps two at a time in hopes that he has some information about her.
“We just got word that he has a small house in Nevada. We’re sending a group there to look.”
“How soon will we know.”
“It'll be a few hours. They can't go in until they're assembled and ready for the kind of battle he will give.”
“How certain are we that he’ll go there?”
“All Information leads to it being a very strong possibility, but we don't know. He's a master at hiding from the authorities and has been for years.”
“How did we get this info?”
“It was leaked in a prison interview this morning.”
“Shit. Are we going?”
“It looks like the best lead we’ve had. Montana is a fuckin’ bust.”
“Let's go then! They'll still be looking for her here, so I say we at least try to find her father.”
He reaches for his phone and begins to dial. I know he's making flight arrangements and planning everything. I need to call Kimber and tell her to hurry.
I walk around the house looking at Lilly’s things while the phone is ringing, never getting an answer. I remember the hotel room she got us, so I tell Holden we need to make a stop there on the way.
He has a ride lined up and we’re moving out before I can even think straight.
Pulling into the hotel parking lot, I begin to feel overwhelmed with anxiety and worry. What if we don't get there in time and he’s hurt her. She's stubborn enough to fight him for the simple purpose of it all.
Opening the door to the hotel room I notice my bag and that's it. Kimber’s stuff is gone and I fucking can't stand knowing she's walked out on me during this mess. I know it had to be tough on her and I wish I would've protected her from that, but I needed to go help Lilly. I thought she’d understand that.
I grab my bag and toss the key card on the table, walking out to Holden who's ready to rush us to the airplane.
I open the door to a confused Holden. “Where’s Kimber?”
“I guess she's gone.”
“Are we going to wait for her?”
“I'm going to try to get her to answer.” I pick up my phone and dial her once again, only to go straight to voicemail. I decide to send her a text hoping she will respond before we take off.
Chapter Thirteen
Kimber
This is a short flight and I'm nervous to get off this plane and get to the house. I hope out of sheer coincidence this works. What are the odds that my criminal father knows Lilly’s and that his information would help me bring her to safety?
I grab my bag and exit the plane as soon as t
he doors open. The urgency must show on my face because a few people move out of my way.
I rent a car and enter the GPS into my phone. As I get closer, my nerves begin to play tricks on me. I second guess not telling the guys where I'm at. Luke’s text just came through asking me where I'm at and I don't know what to tell him. How do I tell him that I hopped on a plane and flew across a few states without telling him. He's bound to be worried. He's bound to be pissed, but if I find her I'm sure he’ll forgive me.
I leave the car in the parking lot closest to the house. I'm going to have to hike through the woods to stay hidden. This parking lot seems to be the closest location to do that according to the map on my phone.
I send a quick text back to Luke telling him not to worry about me hoping to buy some time to get some information.
The hike is easy and I use my phone to help guide me to the house. It's very secluded and protected by the mountain. I have a strange feeling being out her all alone, but I just keep thinking of the possibility that she's actually out here.
I sit on the ground out of sight and watch for any sign that they're here. There's nothing for hours and I almost feel like a failure until I see a truck driving up the road. It's almost dark, but I can see them as they park and get out, him holding a gun towards her and Lilly hesitating to walk with him. They exchange a few words before he makes her go inside and I contemplate my approach.
He's going to have to restrain her. She's going to fight him and I just hope she holds out long enough for me to help.
I reach for my phone to text Luke, but can't get any service out here. Just as I give up trying to text, the door opens and he leaves in the truck, racing down the over grown road out of sight.
I don't hesitate a second, I know I have a small window to get her out and need to hurry my ass up.
Running through the last bit of trees and fallen branches I lose any logic. My adrenaline takes over and I barge into the house, yelling her name. I know the house is vacant because I haven't seen a sign of life until they showed up here.
I hear a muffled cry toward the back of the house and rush to get to her. She's screaming through the door for help and my heart sinks when I see the door has a padlock on it.
“It's okay, Lilly. Step back from the door. I'm going to try to open it.”
I look everywhere around me for a key or something to cut it open, but see nothing.
I start kicking it. Pulling out my years of training and focus, I kick the fuck out of this door. My head is pounding with noise when I hear the rumble of that large truck over my kicks.
I give it one last kick, breaking the door into a few pieces, then find a room to hide in just around the corner. I'm pissed that I didn't get it cleared enough so she can get out. I left the door looking as if someone has busted in though so I hope he looks in there first.
My breaths seem so loud as I try to be silent. He has to hear my heart beating or my mind working overtime coming up with a plan.
He stomps through the house and straight to her door. Pushing through a few pieces of broken wood, I hear him begin to scream at her.
“You better still be in here. I'm not going to let you go this easy. You'll spend your life looking over your shoulders for me. You'll always have to hide.” He opens the lock and let's the rest of the door crumble to the ground and I take this moment to surprise him.
It's the first rule in fighting. Always keep the element of surprise. I know he knows someone is here, but he won't be expecting a short female.
I look quickly to see that she's fighting him. She lands a knee to his balls and I take that signal as mine to move fast. I step quickly yet quietly behind them and grab him by the back of the head. He stands up, leaving me straddling his back like a fuckin’ spider monkey, so I climb him. Getting my grip on his head, I snap it. In an instant, he falls to the ground taking me with him.
It's instinct. It's what I've been trained not to do, but shown in case of any instance like this. Lou wanted me safe. Lou trained me with deadly capabilities but always taught me to reel it in and prove discipline.
“Is he dead?” Her hysterics get louder when she moves closer to look.
“Yes.”
“Oh my god. Who are you?” I can't tell her who I am. How can I tell her I'm Luke’s live in girlfriend? That I'm in love with the father of her baby and I wish I was carrying it.
“I'm a detective.” She grabs her stomach and bends in pain, crying even louder than before.
“Detective. I need a doctor. Something is wrong with my baby.”
My gut aches. My insides flip and my memory flashes to my own night so very similar. Her yell brings me back to today and I move to help her, adrenaline still prominently feeding my body with power and speed.
“My car is through the woods, so we’ll need to take his.”
“Okay. Just hurry. I don't want to lose him.” Him. Luke's baby boy. A boy that he’ll be the best father to and will love like no other.
“I'll take care of you. Let's get the fuck out of here, that's the first step to saving this baby. I don't know if he has anyone that may come through here, but we don't want to take a chance.”
“I agree. Get the fuck out of here.” She starts to move slowly toward the door, so I slide under her arm and help her walk.
She's been through so much. This baby has to make it.
I get her to the hospital and leave the truck in the entrance. I leave the keys in it so someone can steal it, or burn it for all I care.
Pulling out my phone, I call Luke. This will be one hell of a phone call and I hope he doesn't hate me for what I've done.
“You need to come to Nevada.”
“What? I'm already here. Where are you?”
“I'm at Cedar’s Hospital near Tahoe.”
“What's wrong?”
“I have Lilly. She's in labor.”
Chapter Fourteen
Luke
“What? Is she okay? Can I talk to her?”
“She's right here, but she's hurting Luke so she may not talk much.”
“Can you just put the phone to her ear then.”
“Baby. Let me hear you. I need to hear your voice.” She cries into the phone and says my name and my entire world stops. Time is not moving. I'm not moving. I can't hear any other sounds except the few words she's speaking.
“I'm so sorry! Please please forgive me.”
“Yes. I'm so near the hospital, I'll be right there.”
“Something is wrong with the baby.”
“Be strong. I'm almost there.”
I look to Holden as he steps away from the body. Alex’s body is at his feet and it's all starting to make sense now. When we first rushed the house, we were so damned confused to find him dead in a room with broken pieces of the door scattered everywhere.
I imagined a SWAT team or some massive beast, but apparently it was Kimber.
“Cedar’s hospital. We need to fuckin’ hurry.”
Lilly cries though the phone and I can't calm my crazy beating heart. How the fuck am I going to get there in the next second because that's when I need to be there. I'm impatient and tired of missing everything when it comes to Lilly.
I can hear the doctor talking to her and they're checking for a heartbeat.
“Luke. They're looking for his heartbeat. I'm so scared.”
“It’s okay. It has to be.”
The room goes silent and I strain to hear any sign that everything is alright.
I’m so fucking impatient and I just want to scream through the phone and demand the answer.
She finally puts me on speaker and I listen to the swooshing sound of his heart beating. Me son’s heart is beating. My son. The one Lilly is carrying. Lilly is alive and she's carrying my son. The reality of it all slams me in the chest and I'm terrified it'll all be taken away from me in a flash of a second like a terrible nightmare.
Holden races like an insane person and gets me to the emergency entrance where I don't
even wait for the car to stop.
The nurses attempt to hold me back as I enter, but Kimber intervenes. “This is the father to the one in room five.” The double doors open and I look for her room, walking around the nurse trying to show me the way. She needs to walk faster or get the fuck out of my way.
I step into the doorway and look at her. She's on the bed with her belly showing, while the doctor is still checking on the baby. Her tears flow heavy when she sees me and create a rush of my own. I grab her into my arms as soon as I can, squeezing her tight.
We hold each other crying for a few minutes while I pull back over and over to make sure it's really her face. I don't even think about it before I kiss her and then I'm hit with the reminder that Kimber is probably watching.
I look around to find her, but she's not there.
“Your baby is fine. I'm going to keep you for observation, but it looks like the baby is completely healthy.”
“Why was I hurting so bad?”
“Stress and anxiety can play a number on your body. It seems you have a little of that going on. We’ll want to watch you though for at least twenty four hours, so I'm going to admit you. I'll leave you two alone for awhile so I get the room called up.”
“Don't you ever fucking do that to me again.”
“I promise.”
“How did you get out?”
“That detective saved me. You should have seen her, she kicked the door in and then snapped his damn neck like it was nothing. She was my guardian angel, came out of nowhere!”
“Detective, huh?”
“Yeah. She was just in here. Kimber is her name.”
Kimber
His world is complete now. I need to give him the space he deserves with her. Seeing his face when he entered the hospital told me what I needed to see. There's no doubt that I have to walk away from him. I can't make this more stressful on him than it already is. This should be a beautiful time in their lives, but instead it's been tarnished and so much has been missed because of all this madness.