I heard more feet shuffling behind me, and then Cole was yanking Kate out of my arms, holding her like he had full rights to her. I didn’t care that he was her cousin. She was mine, and she belonged in my arms. I shoved that aside though. I had to get her out of here and have her looked at. Hunter had entered at some point and was looking over Vanessa. She was unconscious on the floor and needed medical attention more than Kate. Taking Kate’s hand, I led her out of the warehouse and up to the waiting vehicles.
When we were safely tucked inside, she curled into my body, seeking comfort and protection. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“I was so scared. I tried to run, but I wasn’t fast enough.”
“You held on. That’s all that matters.”
Cazzo flung the back door open and gently set Vanessa inside the vehicle with us. “We need to get her to the hospital.” He climbed in beside her as Cole climbed in the other side. I didn’t want to let Kate go, but we needed to leave. I held her hand in mine the entire way to the hospital, grateful that she didn’t seem to be hurt. When we got to the hospital, I insisted on following her back to the exam room. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight again. I had let down my guard once, and look where that got me.
“Hey,” Hunter said, gripping my shoulder. “We should move.”
The sound of a whimper broke through the silence. I glanced around the room, trying to figure out where the sound had come from. The closet. I ran over there and yanked the door open, hoping I would find Kate inside, but it wasn’t her. Carrie, I thought her name was. Hunter shoved past me and pulled her to her feet. I stepped back out of the way, disappointment rushing through me. A normal person would be happy that Carrie was alive. I was pissed that she wasn’t my wife.
“It’s okay. This is Kate’s husband, remember? And I work with him. Can you tell us what happened?” Hunter asked gently.
“I was leaving for the night,” she said with a wobbly voice. Tears ran down her face and she was visibly pale. She must have been terrified. Was Kate terrified? “I had just walked out the door and I had locked it behind me. These two men came up to me and told me to let them in or they’d kill me. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“It’s okay,” Hunter soothed. “What else happened?”
“They led me back here and they wanted Kate. She told them to put me in the closet. I didn’t want her to, but she demanded it. She was protecting me.”
Of course she was. Kate would do anything for anyone, even sacrifice her life if it meant that someone else survived.
“They shoved me in here and locked the door. I tried to get out. I yelled and hit the door, but they wouldn’t open it. And then I heard the gunshot.” Her eyes went wide and distant, like she was remembering that moment. “I panicked and just sat down, covering my ears. I didn’t want to hear what was happening.”
A few tears slid down her face as she glanced at me. Her eyes were begging me for forgiveness, but I had none to give for anyone. Kate was all that mattered. This woman meant nothing to me, and if she didn’t have any information for me, I didn’t have the time to sit around and coddle her.
“Alright, we’ll make sure you get home safely.” Hunter wrapped an arm around her and guided her over to where Derek stood. He helped her out of the room as Hunter turned back to me.
I glanced down at the blood on the floor one last time and ran through what Carrie had just said. It could have ended so much differently. If Carrie had never opened that door, Kate might still be alive. She might have had a chance to get out the back door and run. But instead, Carrie led them right to her.
I turned to go, but a flash of gold on the floor caught my eye. Under her desk was the gold locket that I had gotten her after Raven was born. Inside was a picture of each of our kids. I slowly bent over and snatched it off the floor. The clasp was broken, probably broken in her struggles to get away. I closed my fist around it, the chains dangling between my fingers. I held my fist to my mouth, kissing the locket. I would not let her down again. I would get her back and keep her safe.
I stared down at the blood on the floor one last time, wondering how much of that was hers. I was usually so in command, so ready to push forward through anything, but that had been too close. My life had almost been ripped away.
“Hey,” Pappy said, snapping me out of the haze I was in. “Kate is gone. Let’s go get her back. Don’t just stare at the fucking floor.”
That snapped me out of it. I nodded and stormed past him, ready to get back to work and bring the woman I loved back to me. Racing out to my motorcycle, I threw on my helmet and immediately dialed Reed Security as I drove back to the property.
“Sebastian Reed.”
“Cap, I need Becky to get footage of the clinic. It’s been broken into. One man dead, and Kate’s missing.”
“On it.”
He hung up and I sped through town to get back to work. An angry energy that I hadn’t felt in a long time started buzzing through me. Whoever took her had fucked with my family, with me, and they weren’t going to get away with it. The gate opened for me and I quickly parked, rushing over to the elevator to get
