Page 32 of Keeping Caroline

Chapter 21

The Survivor

The bookstore was eerily silent when we returned after my obstetrician appointment, sending an icy chill down my spine. Although the store should have been open, the lights were all off and the front door was locked. I’d received a text from Caroline that morning, so I knew she was supposed to be at work, but it was clear she wasn’t there anymore.

“This is strange,” I said, my eyes meeting Ethan’s worried glance. “Caroline was supposed to cover the store this morning.”

Before Ethan could respond, a tiny figure ran toward the glass door from the inside of the store, her face red from crying.

“Oh my gosh. Unlock the door. Hurry!” Visibly trembling, Ethan placed the key in the latch, Evie’s muffled sobs reaching our ears from across the panel. The moment we stepped inside, she dropped to the ground, cheeks stained with tears, little body shaking.

“Where’s your mommy, munchkin?” Ethan said, crouching down beside me as I gathered her in my arms. She clung to me, face buried in my shoulder. Over her head, I couldn’t miss the terror and utter confusion on Ethan’s face.

“Shh, it’s okay,” I soothed, stroking her bald head. “We’re here now, sweetheart. Where’s your mommy?”

Sniffling, Evie pulled away enough to look into my eyes. “The bad men. The bad men took Mommy.”

Beside me, Ethan’s jaw tightened, eyes darkening like a gathering storm as he headed for the office where the cameras were. I knew that look because I’d seen it before, and it only sank my heart more. He was preparing for war, ready to move heaven and earth to bring Caroline home.

Gently, I lifted Evie’s chin, looking into her puffy, red-rimmed eyes. “Uncle Ethan and I won’t let anything happen to her. We’ll bring her back to you.”

Evie sniffled again, her lower lip trembling. “You promise?”

Even though it was a promise I didn’t know I could keep, I nodded, heart aching for her. “I promise, sweet girl.”

Jaw tightening, Ethan pulled out his phone, dialing a number as he paced. “Tristan,” he said gruffly when the call connected. “I need you to trace the traffic cameras near the bookstore for a black SUV. Now. Caroline’s gone. She was taken from the bookstore this morning. We got back from the doctor and found Evie alone.”

I rubbed Evie’s back as she clung to me, her small body tense.

“No, but I’m sure they are just in it for the bounties. They probably don’t know anything about her. I need you to run facial recognition. See if anything picks up. And get on the traffic cams. We need to find that SUV.” Ethan continued, his tone brooking no argument. “But Phantom, I need you here as soon as you can get here. I need to look for Caroline, but I can’t leave Scarlett and Evie home alone, even with the safe room.”

The thought of my husband—the man who was my entire world, who’d saved me in more ways than one, and who was the father of my child—returning to that life where he may never make it back home sickened me to the point where I thought I would vomit, but I pushed it down. This was Caroline, and she needed to be rescued. There was no other option.

Still on the phone, Ethan nodded, though Tristan clearly couldn’t see him through the phone. “If you trust him with your life and my sister’s, then put him on the cameras and you get on your way down here. Call me when you’re close or if you get any information while on your way, so I can prepare.”

Ending the call, he met my eyes, his jaw set. “Tristan is putting his mentor on the cameras so he can get on the road. We’ll find her.”

I nodded, trusting in Ethan’s instincts. Lifting Evie into my arms, I followed Ethan out to our SUV, securing her with the seatbelt.

As we drove back home, my hand found Ethan’s, squeezing tightly. He brought our joined hands to his lips, pressing a fierce kiss to my knuckles.

“I’ll bring her home, Little Red. I’m going to bring her home and end this once and for all.”

Once we turned onto the road that led up the mountain to our property, Ethan drove with laser focus, his grip tight on the steering wheel. The tension in his shoulders was unmistakable, the barely restrained fury simmering beneath the surface.

Our new home in the mountains was supposed to be our sanctuary. It was the reason we’d moved there, but suddenly nowhere felt safe. This time, when we reached the cabin and he checked the remote cameras from his phone before ushering Evie and I quickly inside and locking the door behind us, I was reminded of the time he and I hid out in the cabin further south as we hid from my ex-husband. Just the thought of everything we’d gone through only sickened me more. I could not believe we were going through this again.

The safe room was in the basement, accessible only by a hidden door and passcode that Ethan swiftly keyed in. Inside, the space was like a small apartment, prepared for exactly this purpose—stocked with non-perishable food, water, blankets, and basic medical supplies, including a backup supply of any medications we needed, including those that Evie took. There was a bedroom area on one side as well as a small bathroom. In the corner was a children’s area where we’d set up a small bed, toys, and a bassinet for when the baby came. Whether for a storm, or a home invasion, we were set up to survive below for months if we had to. Some would have seen our preparations as overkill, but after what we’d survived together, it was what we needed to feel safe. It was what I needed.

Stepping into the space, I settled Evie on her little bed with her stuffed animals, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I said, squeezing her hand. “You’re safe here. Uncle Ethan is going to bring your mommy back soon. Are you hungry?”

As I stood up to make her a snack, Ethan crouched down beside her, brushing a hand over her head. “I promise, munchkin. I’m going to go find your mommy, so you’ll need to stay here with your Auntie Scarlett.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before rising and crossing the space to me. Cradling my face in his hands, his thumbs brushed over my cheeks, and he leaned in to kiss me.

“I have to get ready, mon joli petit amant,” he said, regret lacing his tone. “Tristan will be here soon. Don’t open the door for anyone but him.”

---