Landen stood in his parent’s garden trying to block out the buzz from the small gathering of friends and family that were there for the wedding. He was running through his vows in his mind over and over again. He was nervous but focusing on them helped. He wanted them perfect in his mind, so they would be perfect when it was time to say them.

He glanced down at his watch, wondering how much longer Amelia was going to be. He laughed to himself that she was usually the punctual one of them both, but then he knew most brides were a little late to their wedding.

“Are you okay?” Finn asked pulling him from his thoughts.

“Just ready to do this now,” Landen replied, giving his brother a smile.

“She will be here soon,” Finn assured his brother, and Landen gave him a grateful smile.

“Unless she got sense and ran for the hills,” Liam added from next to Finn.

“Funny,” Landen replied with a sarcastic laugh, as Dylan slapped Liam on the head.

“I’m kidding,” Liam said as he rubbed his head, scowling at Dylan.

Landen checked his watch once more, when he saw it was already ten minutes past two, Landen got an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. He turned. Looking back down the aisle to where he spotted Nikki and Eloise standing, waiting for Amelia to join them.

Nikki was laughing and joking with Eloise, and this settled him somewhat, but still, he just wanted Amelia to get there, and for this to begin.

He knew that Amelia was with his father, that also gave him some comfort.

When Sean arrived at his penthouse that morning, for a moment, Landen thought that there was something wrong, but when his dad asked if it would be okay to offer to walk Amelia down the aisle, Landen was completely blown away.

He knew that Amelia had loved her dad, while she hadn’t actually said, he knew him not being here was hard on her, so having his father step into that role for her, meant a lot to Landen.

Suddenly a low hum of talking began behind Landen, but then everyone seemed to go quiet. He instinctively turned around and saw his father walking towards him. Landen knew just by the look on his father’s face that something was very wrong.

“Dad!” Landen exclaimed as he took a couple of steps towards his father. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to talk to you inside for a moment,” Sean said without looking Landen in the eyes, and Landen knew at that exact moment it was something to do with Amelia. He looked around at everyone gathered there, and all eyes were fixed on him.

“Dad,” Liam said, as he suddenly appeared next to Landen. “What’s going on?”

“I just need to talk to Landen inside for a moment,” Sean said. It was at that point, Landen spotted the piece of paper in his father’s hand, so he nodded, following Sean back into the house, followed closely by Liam, Finn, Callum, and Dylan.

“Okay,” Landen said, as he looked into his father’s eyes. “What’s happened?”

“I went to get Amelia,” Sean said as his voice cracked a little, and Landen knew he was upset. “She…she wasn’t in the room, but I found this. She…she’s gone, Son.”

Sean handed Landen the note he was holding. Landen stared at his dad for a moment, while his head was working overtime.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the piece of paper and began to read the words as his heart broke in two.

My dearest Landen,

I know you won’t understand why I had to do this, but I need you to try. I love you, but I don’t think that love is enough. I need more. I’m sorry for hurting you, but I just can’t be who you think I am anymore. Let me go.

Millie.

The minute Landen read the last word; a sickening feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

“What does it say?” Liam asked as he looked at his brother, but Landen didn’t answer.

“Where did you find this?” Landen asked, remaining focused on his father.

“It was on the bed in her room,” Sean replied as he gave Landen a worried look.

Landen quickly pushed past his father, running flat out until he reached the room that Amelia had been in a short while earlier. He found his mother sitting on the bed, tears running down her face. She looked up the minute the moment Landen hurried through the door and cried a little harder.

“Landen,” she sniffed as she stood up. “I’m so sorry; I should have known…”

“Amelia didn’t leave, Mom,” Landen said as he searched the room, unsure of what he was looking for. “Something isn’t right.”

“Landen, maybe it was just too much for her,” Sean tried to reason with his son from the doorway.

“Maybe it was, Dad,” Landen sighed as he continued to search. “But she didn’t leave.”

That’s when he spotted it; what he had been looking for. The one thing he knew that confirmed she didn’t leave him. There sitting on the dressing table was the locket that belonged to her mother. Landen knew Amelia would never leave without her locket. She said it herself; the only two things she had left of her mother and father was the watch and the locket. Landen had the watch, and now here was the locket. He knew there was no way she would have left them both behind. This was the sign he was looking for.

“Reynolds has her,” Landen said as he picked up the locket, turning to look at his dad, and his brothers, who were now all standing behind their father.

“How do you know?” Liam asked as he stepped past his father, into the room.

“Because this is all Amelia has left of her mother,” he said holding up the locket as his heart hammered rapidly in his chest. “There is no way she would have left this behind if she left by her own will.”

He walked toward Liam and handed him the note.

“And she signed it Millie,” Landen said as he pointed to her name on the paper. “Reynolds was the only one that called her that.”

“Fuck!” Liam exclaimed as he quickly pulled his phone from his pocket.

“I don’t understand,” Nell said as she stood up from the bed, while Liam began to make calls. “How could he even get in here? There is security everywhere.”

 “I…I don’t know,” Landen said as the realisation of what was going on finally hit him, He doubled over, as it felt like all the air had been suck from his body. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

 “Just breathe, Son,” Sean said as he hurried to his son’s side. “We will find her.”

Landen blew out a sharp breath. He didn’t have time to fall apart. He needed to find Amelia before it was too late. He stood up straight at looked at Liam.

“You know Reynold’s probably even better than I do,” Landen said, giving his brother a pleading look. “Where would he take her?”

“I’m not sure,” Liam replied honestly. “Somewhere where they can be alone, but he couldn’t have gotten far.”

“Detective Murphy,” one of the security guys said from behind the rest of Landen’s brothers, who were still standing in the doorway, waiting for instructions. “The caterer said that one of his vans is missing.”

Liam looked at Landen before they both hurried out of the bedroom.

Ten minutes later, the house was heaving with activity. There were police everywhere, as Liam set up command in his mother’s kitchen.

“The caterer said there is a Lojack on the van,” Liam told Landen and Sean, as he spread out a map on the countertop. “We are running the number now, but in the meantime, we have roadblocks set up in these locations.”

He pointed to places on the map, but Landen could barely focus on what he was saying. All he could think about was Amelia, and what she was feeling right at that moment.

“What can we do to help?” Callum asked Liam as he, Dylan and Finn looked at him expectantly.

“Callum,” Liam said as he looked at his brother. “I need you to stay with Mom. Most of the guests have left, but Harriett and Jill are still here. They are in the living room with Mom, Nikki, and Eloise. I don’t want them in the way.”

“What about me?” Dylan asked, as Liam turned his attention to him.

“I need you to come with me when we roll,” Liam replied with a nod. “Just in case we need a doctor on the scene.”

“I’ll get my bag from the car,” Dylan replied before he turned at hurried out of the kitchen.

“What do you need me to do?” Finn asked, and Liam knew that Finn was the most important one of them all. He looked at Landen and sighed.

“I don’t suppose there is any way you’ll stay here while we go look for her?” Liam asked Landen.

“Not a chance in hell,” Landen replied.

“That’s what I thought,” Liam sighed before he turned back to Finn. “I need you to stay with Landen. When we find where Reynolds has taken Amelia, I want you to stop this idiot from being a hero and doing something stupid. Even if you need to body check his ass.”

“Got it,” Finn nodded.

 “Detective Murphy,” an officer said as he walked up to Liam, handing him a phone. “They want to talk to you.”

Landen watched Liam as he talked on the phone, praying that finally there was some small piece of news. Liam hung up the phone moments later; the turned back to the counter.

“We’ve got a location,” Liam announced, and Landen could feel his heart race even faster. “The van is stopped here.”

Liam point to a location on the map.

“It’s an abandoned warehouse about ten miles from here,” Liam explained before he looked at his brother. “Landen, we’re going to get her, I promise you.”

Ten minutes later, they were approaching the old, derelict building from the back. Liam had instructed everyone to go in quietly, meaning that there were to be no sirens. The last thing he wanted to do was let Reynold know that they were coming, and push him into doing something stupid.

Landen, Dylan, and Finn were sitting in the back of the car, Liam and Sean were in the front discussing which way they were going to approach this; not that Landen heard a single word. All he could think about was Amelia, how he needed her to be okay. He knew there was no way he could survive in a world that she was no longer in. If Pete killed her, then he may as well kill him too.

“Landen,” Finn said suddenly, pulling him from his thoughts. Landen looked up at his brother, giving him a questioning look. “We’re here.”

Landen lifted his head further, looking past Finn, out the window, as a sudden rush of adrenaline coursed through his body.

“Landen, I need you to stay here and let me do my thing,” Liam said, looking back at Landen before he climbed out of the car.

“I need to go with you,” Landen insisted, as he too climbed out of the car, but Liam was having none of it.

“I’ve got this,” Liam replied, giving Landen a look that told him he meant business.

Suddenly there was a scream from somewhere inside the building and Landen instinctively went to run towards the building but both Liam and Finn stopped him before he had barely taken two steps.

“I told you to wait here!” Liam hissed at him, and for the first time, Landen saw Liam as more than just his kid brother. He was a cop, through and through. “You stay here, and you let me do my job because it’s hard enough knowing Amelia is in there. I can’t do my thing if you’re in there too. I won’t lose my big brother today because of some asshole.”

“But I need to help her,” Landen insisted, his heart racing so fast, he could barely breathe.

“Then do what I say,” Liam replied, giving his brother a pleading look.

“Okay,” Landen nodded as much as he hated it. He knew Liam was right.

“Dad,” Liam said, still watching Landen. “I need you to stay here with Landen and Finn, too.”

“You’re not going in there alone,” Sean insisted. Landen could hear the fear in his father’s voice.

“I won’t be alone,” Liam replied as he finally looked at his father. “But the same applies to you, as it does for Landen. I won’t lose you either, not because of this scumbag. So please, just wait here.”

Sean stared at Liam for a moment, before he finally nodded his head. Then with one last look at Finn, as if to check that he knew what his job was, he turned and started towards the building.

Landen held his breath as he watched his kid brother hurry towards the building, wearing a flak jacket, holding a gun up in front of him. He was followed closely by dozens of armed officers, as they moved silently, but with great speed towards the building.

They stopped when they reached the doorway. Liam turned and gave them instructions using only hand signals.

Landen wanted so much to just rush in past them all, and get to Amelia. Standing there, waiting for God knows what was going to happen next, Landen had never felt more helpless or useless in his life before.

Once more there was a scream from inside the building as Landen could feel his stomach turn in knots, and it felt almost like someone had his heart in a vice-like grip.

He was about to make a break for it, but Finn’s grip on his arm tightened. Landen knew that Finn will do whatever it took to stop him from going into the building.

Finally, he watched as Liam vanished into the building, and one by one, the police officers followed him inside.

“They’re going to get her, Son,” Sean said as he placed his hand on Landen’s shoulder. “Everything is going to be okay.

The words had just left Sean’s lips when the sound of gun firing echoed through the early evening air. Then another, and another until Landen lost count.

“AMELIA!” Landen screamed as he pulled free from Finn, running towards the building. He had just reached the door when three police officer blocked his path and pushed him back. “I need to go in there, my…my girl is in there, and my brother. I need to go in.”

“We’ve got this, Sir,” one of the officers responded. “We can’t let you into the building.”

Before Landen could reply, a voice through one of the walkie-talkies sounded.

“Officer down, I repeat, Officer down,” the voice announced. “We need Paramedics in here. There are three down, I repeat, there are three down.”

Landen felt like the world was suddenly spinning out of control.

He needed to know that Amelia and Liam were okay. He needed to see them both right now, but instead of people coming out of the building, more were rushing in.

He held his breath as he watched Dylan run past, carrying his medical bag. As he past Landen, he gave him a look that told him, right at that moment, he was as scared as Landen was.

Finn took hold of Landen’s arm and pulled him back from the entrance, as Sean too hurried into the building.

Suddenly every ounce of energy seemed to leave Landen’s body, as his legs gave way, as he crashed to the ground.

What if Liam was the officer down? What if Amelia was dead?”

Landen couldn’t hold back anymore. He buried his face in his hands and cried.