“Is this a fucking joke?” I glare at my security team, Nion looking like he’s ready to take me down, knowing I’m about to break out in full on Hulk mode. “I want Emma next to me now,” I growl, and when no one moves, I yell, “Now!” It’s then everyone scrambles away, each man rushing to make sure they get me Emma.
I run my hands through my hair, the card falling at my feet. I look up at Nion. “I want this house to be locked down like Fort Knox. I want everything shut down now. No one in or out!” I walk toward where I know Emma is supposed to be.
“Liam, the grounds are full of people setting up for the wedding.” Nion tries to keep up with me while I open the door to the dining room, scanning all the people sitting around the table and I come up empty.
“Emma!” I shout her name in a panic, now running through the house. Sara opens a door, coming outside with Emma’s parents following her.
“What is all the noise?” she asks, confused by the look on our faces.
“Where is Emma?” I ask her, going into the room.
“She went to the bathroom,” her mother says as I walk past them, going straight to the bathroom door, turning the knob, and opening the door. The room is empty, so I start down the hall, shoving open door after door.
“What is going on?” I hear her father ask Nion.
“Someone just sent Liam a threatening note about Emma.” Nion tries to explain while her mother gasps in shock, her hand going to her mouth.
Getting to the door at the end of the hall, it doesn’t open. Barreling into it with my shoulder, it still doesn’t budge. “Emma?” I shout and am pushed aside by Nion, who gives one huge shoulder push and the door busts open.
I walk into the room and see nothing and no one. The window is open wide, curtains blowing in the wind. Leaning my head outside, my eyes scan the lawn. I turn around from the window. “Close the gate and lock it down. No one in or out till we find Emma,” I order as I head down the hallway, straight to the front door and swinging it open.
It looks like a circus, trucks on top of trucks on top of trucks. Food, flowers, tents…. The fear that she might get out makes bile rise up my throat. “This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.” I spin around in a circle in the middle of my driveway.
Turning back, I see Emma’s mom has tears running down her face. “He came and took her, didn’t he?” she whispers, and I barely hear it. Her husband goes to her, taking her in his arms.
“Who took her?” I ask. “Who?” My voice goes higher than it should, Nion grabbing my arm.
“Ryan.” Her father’s voice is tight. “He came to get her. He said he would, but we just thought he was full of it.” He shakes his head while he continues to hold his wife, who is now sobbing quietly.
“I want everything on this guy, and I mean everything. I want to know when he took his last fucking meal.” I turn to Nion, who is already on the phone talking to God knows who.
“We have footage,” Skylar calls, running up to us with her phone to her ear. “Come with me.” We all hurry, following her into the house. “You’re not going to like this.” She turns down the hallway leading us to the room where we keep the video surveillance of the grounds. Walking in, I see the two security guards that usually watch the gate.
“Who the fuck is watching the gate?”
“It’s locked down,” one of them stutters out, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Show him,” Skylar orders, motioning to the screen, and I feel everyone come into the room behind me.
The guard presses one button, and we all stare at the monitor and watch as Emma jumps out of the window, landing on her feet, and a man jumping out of the window right after her. Emma tries to run, but she doesn’t get far, because the guy yanks her arm hard and her face contorts in pain.
My hands clench at my sides while I watch him walk to the side of the house, putting his hand over Emma’s mouth. Then there is a different angle, and this time he has a gun to Emma’s stomach while her hand tries to protect our child as he drags her toward a white car. He opens the front door, and right before he pushes her in, he hits her over the head with the gun and she falls like a ragdoll.
Her mom’s wails are shrieking at this point, but I don’t take my eyes off the screen, where we see the white car drive out of the gate that closes right behind him.
I close my eyes. “Call in reinforcements. Call in every single fucking favor I have. I want her back. I want her back yesterday.” Behind my lids, all I see is her smile.
I’m pacing back and forth in the living room. I want to be out helping, but the police said all I would do is cause a media circus, and it sucks knowing they are right. People are coming in and out. Emma’s mom has finally stopped crying and is now resting, thanks to a sleeping pill we slipped into her coffee. I don’t know how much time has passed; all I know is I hear whispers that the longer it goes, the harder it will be to find her, and I can’t believe that. I can’t and won’t let that happen.
The cops came to get a copy of the tape and found out the car was stolen and the plates were fake, bringing us back to square one.
“You need to stop pacing and save your energy,” Skylar says from her place on the couch. She has called in every single person we’ve ever had business with. I’m about to snap back at her when Nion comes running into the room.
“The car has been spotted.”
“Where?” I ask, following him down the hall toward the garage.
“I’m putting it in the GPS now.”
“Did they tell you if Emma is okay?”
“No, but—”
“But what? Tell me!” I roar.
“She’s not in there, but there was blood found in the back,” he says quietly. “A lot of blood.”
“He better fucking pray the police find him before I do, because I’m going to kill him with my bare hands.”