Jared rode my left which is the side she was leaning so that if anything happened he’d be there. I hope I never have to put one of my kids through this shit again. I’ma have to come up with a way to rectify that shit.
We burnt asphalt heading back to town and made it to the hospital in ten minutes. Half the guys had stayed back there to deal with the would be kidnapper and the other half had followed me here.
Jared came over to help her off and I took her from his arms as soon as I was off my ride. We hit the hospital doors at a run. People were staring and nurses stopped what they were doing like we were there to put the place under siege.
“My daughter’s been drugged I need help now.” Someone took her from me and ran down the hallway to a room with me hot on their heels.
They were able to keep the others out but one look was enough to let them know I wasn’t going anywhere. The doctor came in and started barking out orders.
“What did she take?”
“I don’t know, some asshole took her and drugged her to keep her quiet.” No one said anything else as they worked on her.
Ten minutes later Jared popped his head in the door. “The cops are here, they need to see you.” I looked back at the table where they were working on her. “I’m not leaving her they can wait.”
“Already told them.” He closed the door and left. Ten minutes later her eyes fluttered and she gave me a sleepy smile. “Daddy? Don’t worry I didn’t take all of it. He only thought I did.”
“That’s my big girl.”
“And daddy you know what?”
“What baby?” I brushed the hair back from her face.
“I know where he lives. I think Jessica was there.” A single tear rolled down from the corner of her eye to her little chin.
I covered my mouth to hold back the rage and nodded my head. I can’t protect her from this. I can’t make this disappear from her memory. I’m going to kill him slowly.
A female doctor came in after the first one checked Mengele’s eyes and her reactions before reassuring me that she was okay.
“I need to ask your daughter some questions sir.”
“Go ahead.” I took Catalina’s little hand in mine and gave it a squeeze.
I listened as the doctor asked her the questions I wanted answers to. Even though I knew he hadn’t had her long enough to do much damage, it was still good to hear my little girl say it in her clear precise voice.
She explained how the man approached her. And how even though she shied away from him when he said he knew where her friend was, he’d blown something in her face.
The only thing she remembers after that is me taking her out of the truck. “If that’s all you remember what did you mean you didn’t take it all?”
“I didn’t breathe.” I love this fucking kid. I leaned over to her ear. “That’s my brave girl.” The doctor got up to leave and Catalina’s eyes started to droop.
The other doctor came back in and told me it was okay for her to sleep. I took a deep breath and with one last look walked out the door.
It felt like stepping into another world. My family was there, just arriving. I grabbed my wife when she flew into my arms. “She’s good, we’re good. Let me talk to these cops.” I gave her back to my parents and went to talk to the waiting deputies.
“We got a complaint about a drugged kid?”
“Yeah, someone took my kid from school. I guess he drugged her to keep her quiet.”
“And where is this person now?” Have this asshole been living under a rock?
“I don’t know. When I found her she was alone. I figure he heard us coming and ditched her to get away.” I didn’t even blink.
“And where is it that you found her?”
“Fuck if I know, somewhere near Sumter.”
“And where were you when this happened?” This asshole is getting on my nerves.
“What are you asking me?” Say the wrong thing to me asshole. Give me a reason.
“I’m trying to ascertain the truth of what you’re saying sir. You don’t expect me to just take your word for it do you?”
“You expect me to plant my foot in your ass you fuck? Get the fuck out my face.” This is why I don’t deal with the law, fuckers always get shit wrong. “Who the fuck called you anyway?”
“Whenever there’s a kid involved incident we’re called in sir. Now where were you?”
“If you don’t get the fuck…”
“Sellers, he was at work.” Drake, my father in law stepped in between us and saved the asshole from getting his head bashed in.
“Sir. I didn’t know you were here.”
“That’s my granddaughter, this is my son in law.”
“Oh sorry sir. I didn’t know.”
I walked away and went back to my kid.
Kat was sitting in there crying her eyes out. She turned red swollen eyes to me. “I was so scared Colt.”
“I know baby! Come ‘ere.”
I pulled her up from the chair and into my arms, holding her until the shakes passed. Dad came into the room to talk to me. “They’re gonna keep her overnight son.”
“Dad…” He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
“It was my call. We’re breaking down whatever it was he used on her. So far we know that she didn’t inhale too much of the stuff because her lungs look relatively clear. Still there are some nasty things out there that I’m not willing to take a chance on.”
“Okay dad! Kat I’m sending you home with…”
“No Colton, don’t make me go.” She grabbed the front of my shirt. I gritted my teeth and fought down the urge to order her to go home.
Before I could say anything either way she clutched her stomach and cried out. I thought she was faking at first. “Kat cut it out, don’t play.” The water splashing onto my shoes told me this was no joke.
I looked down at my feet dumbfounded while dad ran to the nurse’s station. Her mother and mine came rushing in. Drake was still working the case.
An orderly came with a chair just about the time I was coming back to my senses. Dad came back with the news that he’d called the doctor.
They had a room for her and the nurses were already in place. I was in another dark place. My kid was down the hall in danger while my wife had gone into labor with a high risk pregnancy.
Chapter 15
I spent the next seven hours running between the two rooms because Kat wouldn’t calm down unless I went to check on our daughter and I was seeing that shit played out on the monitor they had her hooked up to.
Every time she panicked her pain level went up, something I was in no way equipped to handle. The whole fucking hospital staff knew how I felt about it because I told them at the top of my lungs.
Law called me while I was making my way back to Kat for the tenth time. “What’s up buddy? I can’t really talk right now I have a situation here.”
“I know, your boy called us when we were on the road.”
“We should be there in about an hour but the girls are worried.”
“You’re headed here?”
“Yes, the shower was this weekend remember? The SEALs are already in flight.”
“Shit I forgot, I guess I’ll see you when you get here. I’ll have my mom and mother in law set you guys up.”
“How’re your girls Colt? He didn’t…”
“No, I got to her in time. She’s sleeping it off right now but Kat’s the one I’m worried about. They wanna cut her and she’s not having it so the shit’s taking longer. I gotta get back in there.”
“Okay we’ll be there soon.” I hung up and went back to her just in time to see the first of my triplets come into the world. Each time is like the first.
No matter how often we’ve gone through this, it always gets me in the gut. “Colt…” I came out of my stupor at the sound of her voice and moved to her side.
“I’m here baby.”
“How’s Catalina?” She got the words out through
huffs and gritted teeth. I was much calmer now that we had movement, but I didn’t breathe easy until I saw her eyes and knew that she was okay.
I heard each of my kids cry out as they came into the world and the remaining tension left me. As
usual, I had a dilemma on my hands. They were taking our babies to NICU, but I never like leaving her while she’s in pain and out of it.
I got my mom and hers into the room and followed the nurses who were taking my kids. I let dad tell everyone about the safe births and that’s when I realized my boys were taking turns sitting in the room with Catalina.
That took a load off my shoulders because now I have to watch over the babies as well. It was a long damn night, but I never let myself come all the way down.
People left and others came but I stayed vigilant all night. I knew Law and his crew were here, accepted the well wishes from the women.
The SEALs showed up not long after Law had and though they’d browbeat their women into going back to the house, none of those boys left the hospital.
You could all but taste the nervousness in the staff. A room full of biker types with tats and bulging biceps isn’t exactly the norm for our little town.
“How you holding up buddy?” Law clapped me on
the shoulder while the others came to stand around me.
“I’m good, my girls are good, all of them. Fuck!”
I had to grab a chair when the full enormity of the past few hours finally sunk in. It felt like I hadn’t stopped going since the phone call from Kat telling me my kid was missing. That was hours ago.
That line of thought brought me full circle. “Jared, where is he?” He like me, had never left. It’s times like these that I’m reminded of the close relationship he shares with my wife.
He wasn’t looking much better than I, but when he looked around at the SEALs and Law before answering me I knew something was up.
“Uh, Mancini extracted him.”
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I don’t know Colt, I was here with you.” Lying fuck, I know when he’s lying.
“Logan, Law, Creed, you fucks look guilty as fuck.” Tyler wasn’t looking me in the face so I took that to mean they all knew what was up. “Somebody wanna tell me what’s going on?”
“It’s just like he said. Mancini took care of it.”
“How?”
“I don’t think we need to know that right now. He’s gonna call later.” I let Logan talk me down because there wasn’t much I could do about the situation now anyway.
I’d all but forgotten that I’d told my boys to take the asshole to our place. The cops were still looking for him so maybe it was a good thing he was gone since I couldn’t leave the hospital to take care of him. Still!
I put it aside for now and went back to check on my wife and kids again. Mom called to update me on my other kids who she’d taken home with her so I didn’t have to worry about them.
Cody though was a problem. He was too young to understand why mommy and daddy weren’t there. “Have him sent to me.” I could hear my kid screaming in the background.
“Well your dad’s already down there but Cy came back to get some rest. I’ll send Cody back with him then.” After that conversation I took up my place next to Kat’s bed and with her hand in mine finally allowed myself to let go.
I roused myself when dad came into the room with the bruiser who looked like he’d cried himself to sleep. I took him in my arms and held him against my chest.
“Da-da!” That sleepy proclamation were the first words my son spoke. I hadn’t cried since this shit began but hearing his sleepy little voice call my name brought tears to my eyes.
“I’m here buddy.” He made the rounds with me as I checked on my girls throughout the night until my body finally gave out and I had to sit next to Kat and get some rest.
I woke up the next morning fully rested. My wife was still out so I went to check on my daughters. Catalina was ready for release or so they said, but I checked her over myself.
She was her usual pain in the ass self and tried to con me out of some shit so I knew she was okay. I was feeling better until I walked back into Kat’s room where she was just waking up and overheard the nurse telling her about her release later that day.
“Are you out your fucking mind? She just pushed
three human beings outta her body. The fuck you mean she can leave in a few hours?”
“Sir, it’s hospital policy…”
“I give a fuck…” I stopped myself there because I know she wasn’t the one making the rules and it wouldn’t be fair to rip into her.
“Hold him, I just changed him and fed him.” I passed Kat the baby. “You can leave now.” I sent the nurse from the room before leaving myself. “Colton what’re you going to do?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I left and headed to the nurse’s station. “I need you to make a note of what I’m about to say. I don’t know who’s in charge of discharges in this bitch, but my wife isn’t going anywhere after giving birth less than twenty-four hours ago.”
“I pay more than enough insurance that she could stay here for six months if she so choose to. And just so you know, my kids aren’t staying here without their mother so you tell whatever asshole did this shit to get fucked.”
I didn’t direct my words to anyone in particular, but to everyone behind that damn desk. I went
back to Kat and waited for the shit show to begin. Then the doctor came in not long after and assured me the triplets were healthy and there were no complications, so they only needed to stay a couple days.
“And that’s as long as my wife will be staying here.” This old lady likes to fuck with me. I think this is my punishment for not letting Kat get a male doc. She probably chose this hag on purpose.
“Mr. Lyon, Colton, we are not in the habit of keeping healthy people in the hospital.” She gave me one of her grandmotherly smiles and patted my shoulder.
“Your ear piece working?”
“I don’t use one sir.”
“You sure?”
“COLTON…” My annoying ass wife was about to reprimand me.
“You stay out of it.” The two women exchanged a look and I could see the doctor was trying to hold back her disrespectful laughter. That hand across her mouth couldn’t hide her shaking shoulders.
She’s not gonna find it funny when I bulldoze this
shit to the ground for them fucking with me. “How is it possible that you haven’t changed one bit in almost seventeen years? Never a dull moment.”
“Then you should’ve expected this.”
“Fine Colton, she can stay another day and leave with the babies. Does that satisfy you?”
“Works for me. Now go check on my kids and stop annoying me.”
She had a short low volume conversation with Kat before making her escape and even I have to admit that she’s excellent at what she does.
“Hey doc, thanks.”
“No problem Colton and congratulations again on your new family members.”
“I do have to say though, I still find it unfair that she does all the work and they all come out looking like you.” Well yeah, what the fuck!
“Go do your job doc and stop starting shit.” That’s all I need is for Kat to start with that shit. Like it’s my fault my kids look like daddy. The fuck she want them to look like.
Sometime around noon in between my rounds I got a call from an unknown number. “What?”
“Hello Colton, just wanted to let you know that the package was picked up.” What the fuck? It took me a minute to recognize the voice.
“Where is it?”
“I made a mistake and took it on the boat with me, the shit fell over. I wasn’t about to go in after it, not with the family of hammer head sharks circling below.”
“No problem these things happen.” He hung up the phone. This fucking spook. From that cryptic shit I took it to mean Mancini ha
d taken the perp out to sea and fed him to the sharks. And people think I’m bad.
By the time I met up with Law, Creed and the SEALs, it was obvious they’d gotten the call as well. I had only one question. “Why?”
“He likes your kid.” That was all Tyler would say and I guess that was enough.
By the time I took Kat and my kids home the next day a lot had happened. The cops were at my door asking for a missing pedophile. Not the one who’d taken my kid, but the one I’d drugged, castrated and released.
Apparently someone had nabbed him. Luckily for me I was in the hospital during the time he’d gone missing. “I don’t know fuck and I give even less of a fuck. Now get off my property.”
I slammed the door in their faces and went back to my guests. “Okay, who did him?” I tried to remember who was at the hospital when because these fucks weren’t talking.
“We’re making brunch. Kat’s asleep and the babies are down for their nap.” Danielle interrupted our little gathering. By ‘we’ I guess she meant the hundred and one women that had moved into my house.
“Thanks Danielle, appreciate it.” My kids were on their best behavior, including Mengele. The house had been cleaned from top to bottom.
Like the cleaning service we use wasn’t good enough. But who was I to tell these women that they didn’t need to do the shit they were doing?
All day I had to fight to get time with my wife and new babies because all these women, including Elena and her hen pack, are baby hogs.
Mancini and his wife showed up hours later. I’m
not sure how that relationship works, what with him being a murdering fuck and she being a FED but I didn’t ask.
We left the women in the house and headed out back for some privacy and there is where I learned what had happened.
Chapter 16
They were all set to come to my place because Elena had invited all the women to the surprise shower. Cierra Mancini was in the field and would be coming later than the others.
On the way here in differing stages, they got the call that Catalina had been taken and rescued and that Kat had gone into labor.
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