Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Thankfully, my brain went into autopilot mode from that point on and I wasn’t aware of anything until a cool breeze washed over my body and something hit my shoulder hard.
“Watch it,” someone snapped. “Asshole.”
It took an unbearably long time for my surroundings to make sense to me. I was no longer on Con’s balcony, nor was I even in his apartment. I’d somehow managed to find myself on the sidewalk just outside his apartment building. I hadn’t thought to change my clothes so I was still wearing the ones I’d had on when Con had jumped into the pool with me. God, had that only been a few minutes ago?
People bumped me repeatedly as I stood in the middle of the sidewalk, but the contact wasn’t entirely unwelcome. It made me put one foot in front of another as my body was swallowed up by the crowd. The sounds of car horns blaring and people talking made my ears hurt, but I didn’t turn around.
I couldn’t go back just yet.
I knew I’d have to, but not yet.
Someone bumped me hard and before I knew it, I felt firm fingers close around my upper arm. At first, I thought it was Con but when those fingers bit painfully into my skin, I knew it wasn’t him. The painful disappointment quickly gave way to fear as I realized that whoever was holding on to me wasn’t letting go. I planted my feet with the intention of yanking myself free of the guy’s hold but froze when the barrel of a gun was jammed into my side.
“Keep moving,” the guy growled beneath his breath. “One sound and I pull this trigger.”
I choked back my instinct to struggle and call out for help. There were dozens of people around us including kids. I couldn’t risk putting them in danger.
Seconds later, the man was shoving me into a wide alley lined with dumpsters and debris. A horrible vision of a young Con being dragged into a similar alley assailed my senses and I couldn’t help the little cry of distress that escaped my lips.
“I have money,” I lied. “I—”
That was as much as I got out before a bright flash of light blinded me and I heard an engine start up. When I realized I was being dragged toward a vehicle, I knew I was in so much more danger than I’d thought. Ignoring the gun, I began to fight against my attacker, but it was no use. I’d barely managed to throw a single punch before a blinding pain exploded in my head and then there was nothing but darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Con
It was all I could do to remain still as the circle of heavily armed men surrounded me. From the moment I’d rushed after Micah only to find the custody document lying in the middle of the sidewalk outside my building, I’d been frantic with the need to put my hands on whoever had dared take him from me.
Even before I’d seen proof of Micah’s abduction caught on one of the security cameras near the alley, I’d known he’d been taken. No matter what had transpired between us, he never would have left Christopher and Rory behind.
I forced myself to block out the kids’ fear-stricken features as I remembered how terrified they’d been when they’d realized Micah was gone. I’d tried to reassure them that their uncle was okay and that he was coming back to them, but both kids had seen enough in their young lives to anticipate the worst.
And they were right to.
I might have managed to keep my cool on the outside, but inside I’d been—and still was—so fucking scared that it was a miracle I was still upright.
If only I hadn’t waited those few minutes to go after him. Why hadn’t I gotten my head out of my ass sooner? Yeah, Micah had fucked up but he hadn’t run. Not until I’d given him no choice. I’d allowed the feeling of betrayal to overrule logic and now I stood to lose everything.
No.
No fucking way.
Micah was mine. He was fucking mine and I was getting him back and we were going to be that family… the one he’d said we were supposed to be. Yeah, we had a lot of shit we needed to say to each other, but we’d get there.
Here and now, Con, I reminded myself.
Micah had been gone almost a full twenty-four hours. I would kill each and every man who’d dared lay a hand on him and then I’d get him back in my arms and I’d never let him go again.
I pulled in several even breaths and blocked out everything but my surroundings. We were in an old, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The address and meet time had been sent to me via text only twenty minutes before so I’d had to scramble to reach the destination in time, and I’d had to do it without attracting the attention of the press that had been camped outside my building, completely unaware that the very last thing on my mind at the moment was my upcoming fight.