“She’s hurt. She’s fucking hurt.” I sink into a seat and hold the cell in my hand like its gold. I nearly missed the call because I left my cell on the table when I went home. Something told me to come back and get it. I was just coming in the door when I heard it ringing.
“Go back to the beginning. What did she say?”
“Erm…” I close my eyes and try to think. It’s fucking hard because I thought I was hearing things. That sweet voice. That scream. “She’s in Iraq!” I shout and stand back up. “She’s locked up. She needs my help.”
“Iraq is a big fucking place, bud.” Mike walks out of his office toward me. “Any coordinates or something significant?”
“She doesn’t know. Josh is there too, but she hasn’t seen him for months. The chances of him being dead now are high.”
“This changes a lot, guys. No one was looking for Shay and Josh because they presumed they were dead. I’ll contact the mayor. We need all the help we can get. We need feet on the ground out there, but with everything going on over there it’s highly unlikely that will happen.”
“I need to get to her. She needs my help,” I repeat, and Caleb pushes me back into a seat and kneels at my feet.
“We will get her home, Clay. I promise you that.”
“She’s alive.” The tears fall down my cheeks and the full room goes silent.
Caleb pulls me into his arms and my face rests into his neck. Usually, showing emotion in front of people isn’t my thing, but today I’m consumed by every emotion under the sun. While I didn’t think Shay was dead, there was a big chance that she was, but she’s alive. A part of me thought I’d never see or hear from her again.
“Where is Carrick?” someone asks, and I pull back from Caleb and stand up.
“I need to tell him. He needs to hear this from me.”
“I’ll come with you.” Caleb pats my shoulder and turns to the room. “Chris, you can call the mayor. Tell him I said to get his ass here. If he’s not here for…” Caleb looks down at his watch. “Nineteen-hundred hours, we’re going solo and to hell with his damage control and rules.”
“On it.”
“Mike. Amber. Get up maps of Iraq. Get the coordinates from somewhere – anywhere - as to where Shay was when this bomb went off. I don’t care what equipment you hack into. She’s locked up somewhere that needs to have good fucking security. There can’t be many places around that country of its kind. Do whatever you have to. There’s no number on my cell from her call, but I trust you’ll try everything to get it.”
“Boss.” Mike leaves the room and Amber follows him.
“Let’s go.”
I put my cell in my pocket and rush out of the office. It’s like someone is looking over us right now, because Carrick is walking toward the office, in all his disheveled state.
“Hey. I was just coming to see you.” Carrick speaks first.
He must see something on my face because he stops and shakes his head.
“No. Don’t you dare fucking say it, Clay. She’s not…”
“No.” I close the gap between us and take his face in my hands to make him look me dead in the eye. “I had a call from Shay. She’s alive.”
“Where is she? I need to see her with my own eyes.”
I shake my head and try to control my own emotions.
“That’s the tricky part.” Caleb steps forward and I step back. “We don’t actually know where she is yet. We’ll find her.”
“She’s hurt.” Carrick kicks the dirt and yells at nothing. I turn away from him, because watching him break is soul destroying. Emotions can make the strongest of people crumble, and I’m not far behind him.
I walk over to Caleb’s house and let myself in. Aria is making dinner in the kitchen and Sharlynn is sitting in her vibrating chair.
“Hey.” Aria acknowledges me and wipes her hands on her towel.
I go over to Sharlynn, pick her up and walk over to the couch and sit down. All I can do is stare at her beautiful eyes. Aria sits on the coffee table in front of us and wraps her hands around my arm that’s nestled around her daughter.
“Talk to me, Clay. I’m here for you.”
I nod. “She’s alive, Aria.” I cry. I sob. I don’t give a shit.
Aria stands up and envelopes me in her arms. I bury my head into her stomach and let her hold me. I need this. I need to get every emotion out of my system because, when I leave here tonight, I’m going to be fucking ruthless. I will go through anything and anyone to get my Shay home.
She’s alive.
Caleb
After letting Amber and Mike take care of Carrick until I return to the office, I run over to my house and enter like a bat out of hell. I stop in my tracks when I see my brother sobbing his heart out into Aria’s stomach. She must sense I’m here and our eyes meet across the room. They tell me all I need to know; get Shay back, whatever the cost.
I throw my keys down on the table and pour Clay a large whisky. I know I tell him often that liquor solves nothing, but with the shock he’s had today, I think the only thing that will work is a quick fix solution. And, if I’m being honest, I thought we were fighting a losing battle. Deep down, I thought we’d never see Shay alive again.
“Drink this, bro.” I offer him the glass, but he just shakes his head.
He pulls away from Aria and looks down at a now sleeping baby in his arms. I don’t know how he does it. When he holds Sharlynn, she’s asleep in minutes. You’d think she’d sense his pain and anguish and want out of his arms, but nope, she gives my brother the comfort he clearly needs.
“She’s hurt,” Clay blurts out. “She was being hurt before the line went dead.”
“We’ll get her back, Clay. I know this means nothing to you right now because you’re in the dark, but we have the best fucking team around.”
“Can I interrupt you both?” Aria sits back on the table in front of Clay and takes his spare hand in hers. “You gave Shay the biggest boost to fight on today. Trust me, when you’re captured in a bad situation, the only thing you want to know is that someone’s looking for you. I don’t know Shay personally, but the stories you’ve told me tells me she’s a fighter. She’s stronger than I ever was, and when you get her home, we’ll all help her.”
“We need to get her home,” Clay sniffles. “What if she just signed her own death certificate by reaching out to me?”
“Do you believe that?” I ask my brother.
He shrugs and closes his eyes. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought she was dead. I was trying to convince myself that she’d never walk back into my life again. Now, I might never get her back, but then I want to beat the fuck out of myself because she’s been on her own for months, hurting.”
“You didn’t know that. All the evidence pointed at her being dead, and when Carrick came looking for your help, I expected you both to be disappointed with the outcome. I thought she was dead. If we’re honest, we all did. Now…” I sigh and take in a deep breath. “Shay’s a tough lady. She could put you in your place, and she won’t go down without a fight.”