Page 47 of Defending A Promise
“Sounds good. Lead the way.” Jax says as we walk out of the building and down the narrow walkway between two buildings.
I turn on my phone and it immediately starts alerting to a text message. Then another. Then another.
“Damn. You must be doing something right, Declan. She’s demanding,” Eli teases me.
I smile proudly, “What can I say, fellas. I’m that good.” I pull out my phone to read the texts secretly hoping she’s sexting me.
Riley: Call me.
Riley: Declan, call me as soon as you can.
Riley: I need you to call me ASAP!!!!
Riley: WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? CALL ME!!!
I see a notification on my phone, and it shows that Riley’s called my phone twenty-four times in the last three hours that I’ve been in court. Something’s wrong, obviously. This isn’t sexting.
I click on her picture to call her.
“Declan! Tell me you have Nicholas,” she answers on the first ring.
I can hear the desperation in her voice. “What? No. What’s going on, Riley? What’s happened?”
“OH, MY GOD!” she screams and I have to pull the phone away from my ear. Both Jax and Eli look at me as all three of us turn around and start running to the parking garage to get our vehicles.
“Riley, baby, tell me what’s happening.” I’m using my cop voice that I’ve been trained to use in stressful situations. Right now, that’s what she needs, even though I have no clue what the fuck is going on.
“He’s got him. Oh, my god. He’s got my baby!”
We make it to the parking garage, “Get in. I’ll drive.” Jax says to me.
“I’m on your six.” Eli says as he jumps into his undercover vehicle.
“Where are you, Riley? Tell me where you are baby. I’m on my way.”
She’s crying, “I’m at home.”
“Are the doors locked?” I ask her and then look at Jax and mouth ‘home’ and he nods and starts navigating through the streets with lights and sirens on.
“Um, I don’t know!” Riley says into the phone. “I want my baby!”
“Riley, I need you to listen to me carefully. We’ll find him but right now I need you to lock all the doors, grab Bella and pull out one of the guns and go sit in my bedroom. Can you do that for me?”
I hear the beeping sound of the electronic lock of a gun locker, but she must have put in the wrong code because it’s now buzzing. “Baby, one number at a time. 34953.” I hear her enter the numbers and I can hear it unlock. “You’re doing great. Grab Bella and go into my room, close and lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone. I’m almost there.”
“Bella – come.” Riley says. “Okay, we’re in your closet.” Her breath is ragged. “Declan.” She sounds so small and lost.
“Yes, baby? I’m here. I’m not hanging up on you.”
“He’s got our boy.” My heart breaks into a million pieces.
“We’ll get him back. I promise.”
Chapter 19
Riley
Last night was amazing with Declan and it feels like we’ve turned a page in our relationship. I was hoping for a repeat this morning, but my little boy had other plans. He wanted chocolate chip pancakes and apparently my brother’s ghost is helping my son make sure that sex didn’t happen. Even in the afterlife, he’s being a pain in the ass.
