The moment I heard my daughter’s blood curdling scream, I almost lost my mind.

“Rosie!” Emberlyn yelled out, the first to make a beeline for the back door leading to her little cottage.

I made one for the front door, my gut telling me that she’d be there if someone had snatched her. Sure enough, after disarming the alarm system and unlocking the bolts, I swung the door open hard; not even registering the loud bang it made as it hit the inside wall, only to see some burly, dishevelled, black-haired man shoving my daughter into the back of a black Toyota Sienna.

Gray eyes met dark ones. I would recognize them anywhere after having studied his mug shot one too many times—Trevor Sykes.

The stare off lasted merely a few seconds, but they were precious seconds; time I didn’t have and failed. In a short moment, Sykes was in the driver’s seat and speeding off with the peeling of rubber.

Making a run for my vehicle, I yelled out to Emberlyn.

“Call Dalton and tell him what’s happening. Tell him to get Will. Stay here and lock everything.”

“Shane, no!”

“Your ex has my daughter, Em! There’s no way I’m not going,” I yelled from the open passenger window as I punched the gas.

I managed to stay with the tinted-out black van for a few miles, into the industrial part of Jacksonville, before Will motored past me in his cruiser, lights flashing, siren blaring.

My phone rang and I hit the hands-free button on my steering to connect the call. “Yeah!”

“Go home, brother,” Will ordered over the line. “The cavalry is behind you.”

Just as he said it, more flashing lights appeared in my rearview mirror.

“I’m not bailing, Will. The fucker has my kid,” I growled.

My blood boiled, a cold sweat had broken out with the amount of adrenaline pumping through me.

“Peters, get your ass home,” Captain Dodge’s voice came loud and clear on the line. “That’s an order, Detective.”

“Ten-four, boss.” The last thing I needed was a wrongful dismissal or a stint being watched by internal affairs if I didn’t follow direct orders. Captain Dodge might have reassigned himself to another department but he was still my superior.

As my foot let off the gas, and everyone passed me, I hoped that I wouldn’t regret the decision to back down.

You know the saying ‘when it rains, it pours’? Well, apparently it rang true today of all days.

Devolin showed up with Dalton, who brought some guy named Rex, with a really angry scar running horizontally across his neck, even though his beard covered most of it. The man was seriously scary looking; and quiet.

Next thing I knew, I’d been asked to contact Nora, who was supposed to still be helping her friend, Maggie. When her phone went straight to voicemail, Devolin put her fingers to work and called up the information for one Margaret Wood. Imagine my surprise when Maggie—as the Peters called her—stated that Nora had gone home earlier that day.

One look out the front window showed that her car was parked in the driveway across the street, where it had previously always been.

I tried Nora’s cell again, then the house phone to no avail. Then I tried a third time.

“Something’s going on,” I heard Devolin state exactly what I was thinking. I was about to agree with the woman when I heard the sound of fluid spilling right behind me, followed by a shrieked, “What the fuck?”

As I turned, I took in the scene of Devolin standing in the middle of a puddle, her shoes drenched, along with her pants. “Holy fuck!” came barreling out of my mouth at the same time Dalton rushed into the kitchen on a, “What the fuck is going on?”

Rex wasn’t too far behind, mumbling, “Oh shit!” as he grabbed his cell and began to punch in a series of numbers.

“Baby, are you okay?” Dalton was all over his wife.

“Beside feeling like I pissed myself, I’m fine, Dalt.”

“The baby’s coming.” I kept staring at the puddle on the floor.

“Ambulance is ten minutes out,” Rex announced.

“No need,” Shane came racing into the room. “I’ll drive you to the hospital. I can get you guys there faster.”

“I got this,” Dalton declared, even though the frantic look in his eyes told me that he didn’t. “Right, baby? We’ve practiced this.”

“I think I like Shane’s idea more right now, Dalton,” Devolin confessed.

“Let’s go,” Shane called out, turning to head out the door. Before I knew it, Dalton was hurrying Devolin out of the room, barely giving me a chance to give her a hug and wish her luck.

Turning to tackle some dishes in the sink, I was abruptly turned around to face Shane who smashed his lips to mine. “Cap sent me home,” he growled, his features displaying his ire with that fact. “I’ll tell you more about it when I’m done helping those two have a baby.”

“Be safe,” I whispered to the air where Shane had been.