Protect Me: Oakville Series:Book Three (33 page)

“Thank you.” Tears puddle in my eyes, threatening to fall. I have to be strong. This sweet woman shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t have been brought into this mess, and if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have been. I have to do whatever it takes to get her out of this unharmed. Or, at least, not harmed any more than she already has been. “I’m sorry you’ve been forced into this mess and exposed to the monster that is my ex-husband. I’ll figure out some way to get us out of this,” I tell her. She gives me a kind smile.

“We’ll get through this together. Obviously, I’m not going anywhere,” Kelly says with a laugh. At least she still has a sense of humor.

“Just be careful. It doesn’t take much to set Ray off. It might also be a good idea to make him think my condition is worse than it is.” She gives me a questioning look. After all these years, I have at least learned how to deal with Ray. “If he thinks I’m weak and fragile, he’ll let his guard down. Plus, it will force him to keep you around,” I explain and I see the moment she understands what I’m saying.

“He has a gun and some goon helping him. That’s how he forced me to help him take you from the hospital. And this...” she says, motioning to her black eye and fat lip, “was what I got when I tried to refuse.” I can see the pain in her eyes as she relives the memory. I know that look all too well. I’ve seen it in the mirror hundreds of times before. I’m going to do anything I can to make sure she doesn’t have to go through that again. Now, I just need to figure out a plan.

“Do you have any idea where we are?” I ask, praying we’re still in Oakville.

“No. There’s nothing but woods around us. They blindfolded me in the van, but I looked at my watch before and we only drove for about twenty-five minutes. We aren’t far from home,” she states. Being so close to home should make it a lot easier for Paul to find us. I’m sure by now he’s going crazy, trying to figure out where Ray took me. Knowing my Paul, he’s also kicking himself in the ass thinking this is all his fault. He’ll be blaming himself for not protecting me. As if he could have seen something like this coming. I hate that my past has come back a second time to cause him pain.

I
SIT
here in this rocking chair, feeding my beautiful baby girl for the first time. How is it possible to be the happiest I’ve ever been and breaking into a million pieces at the same time? The only thing keeping me from completely falling apart is this little girl in my arms. I can already see so much of Holly in her. She has a full head of dark red hair and sparkling green eyes. I can’t look at her without smiling, especially when she makes that sweet little cooing sound. Only three days old and she already has me wrapped around her teeny, tiny, little finger.

I made a promise to Holly...a promise to stay with Hope and watch over her. It’s killing me not to be out looking for her, but Beasley swears he’s doing everything possible. He even asked Liam to come to help. He helped out a great deal before, so I’m hoping that’s the case this time. I need Holly. Hope needs Holly. Living without her just isn’t an option. We have to find her.

“It’s Uncle Angel’s turn,” Angel says quietly from over my shoulder. I turn to meet his eyes, finding them fixed on Hope with a huge smile on his face. Of all the guys, I never imagined Angel would be the one who would be all sappy and dopey around babies. When he’s around Kyle’s son, and now Hope, he turns into a totally different person. I think these kids could get him to do just about anything. “Beasley and Liam are in the hall with an update. I’ll stay with the little munchkin,” he says with his arms out, ready to hold my baby girl.

I hand my precious girl over to Angel. I start to tell him she’ll need to be burped, but he’s already a step ahead of me. Like a pro, he has the burp cloth on his shoulder and he’s gently patting Hope’s back. “Looks like you’re all set here,” I tell him with a chuckle.

“Uncle Angel has it all under control, doesn’t he, Hope?” Angel coos. Who the hell is this guy and what has he done with the real Angel? When did he become so fucking maternal? I shake my head and smile as I walk out of the NICU. When I step out into the hallway, Beasley and Liam look to be deep in a discussion.

“Please tell me you guys have been able to find something to get us closer,” I blurt out, interrupting their conversation. They both look over at me with sorrow-filled eyes and I know instantly they haven’t. My heart hurts and I want to get back to Hope. She’s the only one who can make me feel better right now. One look at that beautiful angelic face of hers, and my heart is whole and full. It no longer feels as if it’s breaking into a million tiny pieces.

“He’s gonna need medical supplies. I have notified all drug stores and medical supply stores within a hundred mile radius. The second Ray or anyone suspicious turns up, we’ll know about it,” Liam explains as he shakes my hand. There’s something about this guys that makes me think he always gets the bad guy. He’s also intimidating as hell. I’d hate to be the guys he’s hunting. “The son of a bitch won’t get away with this. That, I can guarantee,” he says, determination showing in his eyes. He makes me believe…believe we’ll actually get her back.

“I just want my wife back safely. Who knows what kind of shape she’s in. I can’t lose her, neither can our daughter.”

“I want to bring her home to you both. I promise, I won’t stop until I do,” Liam states with conviction in his voice. “We’ll keep you in the loop every step of the way. The hospital allowed me to set up in a vacant office downstairs, so if I hear anything, I’ll come up and let you know.” He shakes my hand.

Beasley gives my shoulder a squeeze. “That is one beautiful little girl you have,” he says, glancing through the window at Angel holding Hope. I can’t help but smile.

“She most definitely is,” I tell him. He nods before following Liam into the elevator. Sneaky bastard. He brought her up knowing it would take my mind off Holly for a brief moment. I appreciate it. I’m driving myself insane with worry. The only thing keeping me going is that precious little girl in Angel’s arms.

“Hey, man. Any news?” Kyle asks as he walks up to me. He looks almost as bad as I do. Everyone is worried about Holly. I shake my head at him and notice his fists clench at his sides. “If I ever get my hands on that son of a bitch.”

“Stand in line. He’s mine first,” I tell him. I’ll be the one who gets the satisfaction of pounding the shit out of that asshole. The rest of the guys can do what they want to him after I’m done. One thing is for sure, he’s not walking away again. We let him go once and that’s proving to be a grave mistake. I never should have left him breathing.

“I know this is tough. I’ve been there, remember? I’m here. Anything you need, just like you were for me.” I walk over to the window of the nursery and look at my little girl. Instantly, I the anger washes away. Kyle comes up beside me. “How did we end up with such beautiful kids?” Kyle jokes. The answer to that is simple.

“Look at their mothers.”

“That explains it,” he laughs. “You know, if our wives have their way, we’ll be in-laws.”

“I guess it could be worse,” I tell him. We stand there talking for a while. Kyle keeps the conversation light and away from the topic of Holly. Not that it really makes a difference; she’s always on my mind. If that’s not enough, the ache in my heart is a constant reminder.

The dinging of the elevator doors opening gets my attention. When I see Beasley and Liam rush out of the elevator and in my direction, I freeze. My heart is beating against my chest with such force, I’m afraid it’ll come right out. I can’t decide whether I’m excited or scared by the fact that they obviously have some news. My legs threaten to give out when I attempt to take a step toward the two men. Luckily, Kyle grabs a hold of me, steadying me. He guides me over to the row of chairs lining the wall behind us. I sit and pray that whatever I’m about to hear is good news.

Liam reaches me and a smile appears. “We just got a call from a pharmacy about forty minutes from here. Ray came in with a prescription for antibiotics. The pharmacist recognized Ray from a picture I faxed. He was smart enough to tell Ray it would take about two hours to get the medication and asked him to come back,” Liam says in one breath. I’m on my feet within seconds. This is it. We’ve got him.

“We’re going to follow him from the pharmacy so we know where he’s keeping Holly and the nurse. Once we know where he has them, we can move in and take him,” Beasley says, a hint of excitement in his voice.

“Let’s go,” Kyle and I say at the same time. Beasley eyes Kyle warily. I know he’s afraid to have Kyle involved. I don’t blame him. He’s thinking about his daughter and grandson. He knows this could get dangerous. Ray isn’t going without a fight. Kyle sees the apprehension on Beasley’s face.

“I’ll hang back. I won’t put myself in unnecessary danger. I just want to be there in case I’m needed,” he assures Beasley. After a moment of thinking it over, Beasley nods and agrees. I fill Angel in on what’s going on. He offers to stay with Hope until I get back and I’m thankful because I promised Holly Hope wouldn’t be left alone.

Taking my daughter in my arms, I kiss her forehead and whisper, “I’m going to get your momma, baby girl. I’ll be back soon. Love you.” After placing one more kiss on her chubby little face, I hand her back to Angel.

“Go get our girl. We’ll be waiting,” Angel says, smiling down at Hope. Before I open the door, he calls out, “Be careful, Paul. Remember you have this little girl here waiting. Remember her face when you get a hold of Ray.” I know exactly what he’s trying to say. He wants to make sure I don’t do anything that will take me away from my family. I nod, letting him know I understand. Then, I’m out the door. I sure hope seeing my daughters face in my head will control my temper when I get my hands on that fucker.