Missing (The Brannock Siblings Book 3) (27 page)

"Gus," Linc called. "You need to calm the
fuck down or
I'll
take over."

I raised my hands to Aiden's shaking knees, holding on for
dear life just like she was. I didn't dare look into her eyes. Not while
knowing that if I had gotten this guy sooner, she would still have her niece.

I ignored Linc's warning and buried my face in Aiden's lap.
Her hands wrapped around my head, holding me against her as she kept mumbling
to herself, "What am I going to do? What are we going to do?"

"I'll find her," I promised. "I swear to God
I'll find her."

***

We walked into Lily's apartment and I immediately felt the
grimness of the situation. The air was saturated with a thick fear that made it
difficult to breathe. The gloominess of the day only made the darkness in the
apartment thicker. It was exactly how I had been feeling since Aiden told me
her little niece, that I had grown to love so fiercely, had been taken right
out from under us.

Once I had gotten myself in control and Aiden had taken what
comfort I could give her, she told Linc and me everything she knew. She
replayed what happened when she arrived at the school. It had been only been
five minutes since the teacher had lined the children up to leave. The class
only lasted a couple of hours and Lily had been the one to drop Aidy off before
she headed into work.

"She said that I had just missed them. He drove away as
I drove up to the building. If I had just gotten there two minutes
sooner-"

"No, Aiden. This guy doesn't just take random children
on a spur of the moment decision," Linc interceded. "He knows the
families, knows the schedule. If he hadn't taken her today, he would have tried
again tomorrow, or the next day. That is, if it
is
the same guy."

When she looked over at me, I couldn't stop the cringe.
"He knows us?"

It wasn't an accusation, but it might as well have been.
She'd been right. My job had put her and the people she loved in danger. I was
sure of it.

She continued to tell Linc what had happened and I resisted
the urge destroy everything in sight. The teacher came in minutes later and
gave a vague description; she was dealing with multiple children so she hadn't
taken a good look.

Aiden said she had gone to Lily immediately and the sweet
woman that she loved so much broke down completely. Not knowing what else to
do, Aiden had contacted Chad to ask him to come over and help calm her down. He
was with Lily at her apartment.

When I asked why she didn't call me, she said that she
couldn't find her phone this morning. She was in a hurry to get to Aidy on time
and decided to leave the apartment without it. Then she'd dropped Lily's in a
panic when her sister collapsed in front of her the second she got off her
phone with Chad. The phone had broken to pieces and with no other way to call
me or the police, she took a cab to the station.

"Lily? I'm back with Gus," Aiden called out.

No response, but Aiden was already on her way down the hall
and I followed closely behind her, leaving Linc at the door.

The once bright hallway littered with colorful drawings
appeared grey and lonely. We passed Aidy's room and I felt my stomach twist
seeing the plastic princess tiara and green princess gown Aiden and I had
gotten her just last week, lying on the ground.

"Lily?"

We found her sitting on the edge of her bed in the dark
room, staring at the wall. Aiden turned on the light and knelt down in front of
her sister. I assumed it was Chad who was sitting beside Lily with a lost
expression, not knowing what the hell to do. Just like the rest of us.

He was exactly who I pictured Lily with in my mind. He
looked strong enough to protect her and just being here assured me that he was
a good man. Both he and Lily were in scrubs and looked like they had been
through the ringer. I didn't know Chad, but the helplessness on his face told
me how much he truly cared for Lily and her daughter.

Lily's eyes were empty, her skin was pale, and she didn't
move a single muscle.

"Lily? Sweetie? I know this is impossible, but Gus is
here to help and I need you to talk to him, okay?"

Lily just kept her stare on the wall in front of her, no
reaction to Aiden's tearful voice. It was a shock to see her so unaware.

I moved to Aiden's side and knelt with her, grabbing hold of
Lily's cold hand and looking up at her. She was an amazing friend and sister
and made it possible for me to be in Aiden's life. I felt for her how I felt
for my own sister.

"Lil, honey, I'm going to find her. I swear on my
life," I stated firmly.

Her expression flickered before she dropped her head
slightly to meet my eyes. The look on her face was dreadful. Never, in the
months I had known her, had she ever looked so dim. The once bright mother of
the most beautiful little girl in the world was consumed with loss and
darkness.

"I swear it," I said once more and she blinked
down at me just once before moving her eyes back to the wall.

Aiden started crying again, clutching her sister's hand. She
was about to lose it.

"Linc!"

"Right here," he answered from the doorway.

"Stay here, get whatever you can. I need to make a
phone call."

I left the room quickly and pulled out my phone. If there
was any way to bring Aidy back,
anyone
that could possibly help with
Lily, it was my family.

"Hey, Gus."

"Emily, is Con right there? It's an emergency."

"Oh, he just went for a jog and left his phone, what is
it?"

I knew Emily would do everything in her power to help. She
loved our family just as deeply as we loved each other and she would want to be
there for Aiden. Right now, though, I needed my big brother.

"I've got a situation over here," I tried to
swallow past the tightness in my throat, but it was proving difficult.

"God, Gus. You sound awful. Just say it."

"Aidy's been taken."

I could practically feel the anxiety pouring through the
phone. Emily had grown up with shitty parents that she lost over shitty circumstances.
She had raised her brother on her own and been through hell and back to give
him a life only to lose
him
. If anyone understood loss, it would be
Emily Dawson. "Holy shit! When?" her voice wavered.

"She's been gone for just over two hours now. Emily… I
need to find her."

"We're on the next flight out, sweetie. Con will call
you back the second he walks in, I promise you. You stick with Aiden and Lily.
We're coming. Do you want me to call Ash and Luke?"

"I don't know. With Ash's pregnancy, I don't want her
getting into this shit."

"Gus, you know your sister. She'll come help anyway.
Those girls are going to need someone to lean on while you all find Aidy."

She was right. And we
were
going to find her.
"I'll call."

"See you soon."

I dialed Luke right away and he answered after two rings.
"Shade."

"Luke…" the tightness in my chest was excruciating
and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it together for much longer. "I need
your help. It's Aidy."

Silence for all of five seconds.

"We're on the next flight out. I'll talk to your
dad."

"Thanks."

No questions, no excuses. It didn't matter
what
had
happened, my family wasn't going to let us go through this alone and the
tiniest bit of weight lifted from my shoulders knowing they would be here soon.

 Linc walked out of the bedroom with Aiden right behind him.
Her red rimmed eyes were dry, but her face was pale and the stiffness of her
expression proved they wouldn't be dry for long.

"You met Brandon before?" Linc asked and my
attention immediately shifted to him.

"Yeah."

"You get the feeling he would do something like
this?"

I glanced at Aiden, but she was watching the ground with her
arms wrapped around herself, holding it in.

"Maybe," I answered Linc. "But don't tell me
you aren't considering-"

"You know I
am
considering it, but we have to
cover all our bases."

"Do you have his information, baby?" I directed at
Aiden.

She nodded and walked into the kitchen and opened a drawer
that was full of papers. When she returned, she handed me an address book.

"His last name is, Hampton. I'm going to go back to my
sister."

I nodded, expecting her to just walk away, but instead, she
walked right up to me and gripped my shirt in her fingers before burrowing into
my chest. I let out the breath I felt like I'd been holding for hours and
wrapped my arms around her trembling body.

"It's not your fault, Gus," she whispered.

The sting of tears I hadn't shed since I was a child burned
the back of my eyes and I buried my face in her neck, breathing her sweet scent
in to keep me calm.

"Just bring her back to us, love." She kissed me
softly, just a brush of her lips and trailed her fingers down my cheek, then
pulled away and returned to her sister.

It was exactly what I needed to hear because my mind finally
started up again the second she disappeared. This asshole was going to pay.

"Call the fucker and get his ass over here," I
growled to Linc.

He smirked and pulled out his phone. "Welcome
back."

Aiden

Seeing Gus so close to the edge was something Aiden didn't
want to ever see again.
She
had broken down, been ripped apart, and was
lying in pieces all over the ground, but Aidy was her
blood
. She
couldn't imagine what was happening inside of Lily and her always positive big
sister was completely absent, leaving a shell of the woman behind.
Understandable.

But Gus…

That was something altogether different.

The tough, bad boy detective who always had the answers, was
lost. So utterly lost that it was no question he considered Aidy
his
blood. His family.

The guilt pouring out of him was unwarranted. No matter who
took her niece, it was
not
his fault. There was no way for him to
prevent the sick fucks out there from using something like this to gain
whatever the hell it was they hoped to gain.

If it was anyone's fault, it was hers.

If she hadn't been running late…

It didn't matter. She could focus on that later and find a
way to make up for it. Right now, her sister needed her.

It was five hours after they had arrived back at Lily's
apartment. Evan had gone back to the station, neither him nor Gus finding
anything unusual in the apartment to give them any kind of clue as to who could
have taken her. Gus insisted on staying behind while his partner gathered
whoever he could to help find her little niece. He mentioned in passing that
his family was on the way and Evan looked relieved.

Lucas Shade and Conall Brannock were legends here in Detroit
apparently, and it wasn't just because Gus shared their stories with his
coworkers. Conall had taken risks to help Emily, going as far as facing the
very dangerous man who had supposedly wanted her dead, only to find out
otherwise. Word was that Conall and Lucien Ripley were close now, but no one
could confirm it and no one really wanted to. All they knew was he had
connections and Lucien wasn't the only one.

Lucas was fearless. Having been taken under wing by the also
legendary Captain William Brannock wasn't the only fact that gave him his
reputation. He knew his shit, according to Gus, and could be a valuable devil's
advocate in tough situations. Denver PD wanted him, Detroit wanted him, but he
wasn't leaving Oakland.

Aiden didn't know how they were going to be able to help,
but two additional men who would dedicate their lives to finding Aidy was more
than she could have asked for.

Lily had fallen asleep after Aiden forced her to take some
sleeping pills. It wasn't late, but if the woman didn't sleep, Aiden didn't
want to know what would happen. Chad had gotten called into emergency surgery
and promised to be back as soon as he finished. He was reluctant to leave, but
I assured him that Lily would be fine. He was extremely handsome, tall, dark
hair, green eyes, and lips that she knew Lily was probably crazy for. It broke
her heart that something like this happened so early in their relationship.
Lily had seemed to really like him and she hoped he was strong enough to handle
this tragedy with them.

Gus was finishing up a call with Conall who had just arrived
in town and was about to leave the airport to come there when she heard a knock
at the front door. Gus grabbed her arm and yanked her back before she could
move to answer it.

"I'll get it, babe. Stay right here, okay?"

When he looked through the peep hole, his shoulders relaxed,
but not enough for her to believe that whoever had arrived was exactly welcome.
Evan walked in first, but it was the man with him that made Aiden go rigid.

Brandon.

Aiden's fists clenched and Gus was at her side in a
heartbeat.

"We had a hell of a time finding the bastard,"
Evan grumbled.

"Why is he
here
?" she asked tightly.

"In case I need to beat the shit out of him. I'd lose
my job if I did it at the station."

She huffed with amusement. She would love to see Gus do
something like that.

"Where is my daughter?" Brandon growled viciously.

Aiden's blood boiled. "
You
tell
me
, you
piece of-"

Gus squeezed her shoulder and shook his head, "Hold on,
babe. Let's try and do this as rationally as possible - for now."

Evan shoved Brandon into the living room. The man looked and
smelled sober and had thankfully showered since the last time she saw him. She
wondered if he was actually trying to pull himself together so he could be in
his daughter's life, but that thought was short lived.