The call disconnected a second later, and I turned back to find Bryce standing right behind me. “What do you need, brother?”
“To find my fucking woman,” I said on a growl as my chest threatened to cave in.
“And we will. I swear it.”
“That motherfucker,” I seethed, my voice coming from somewhere deep and dangerous inside my chest.
I replayed the security footage from the cameras I had set up around the outside of my house, and nearly saw red when that fucker cupped Stella’s breasts before cuffing her and shoving her into the back of his car with a goddamn bag over her head.
“That’s one of O’Brien’s men,” I growled to Linc.
“You sure about that?”
I turned to my boss. I knew he was only trying to make absolutely certain, but I was a second away from ripping his head off. “Fucking positive. And the only way she’d willingly get into that car was if someone she loved was in danger. Serenity’s the only one unaccounted for. That son of a bitch broke our agreement and took them both.”
“And we’ll get them back,” Lincoln assured me. “I swear, West, we’re going to get them back. I’m calling Byrne now.”
He moved off out of my home office, the phone to his ear, as I began to pace, feeling something I’d never felt before in my life. Abject fear and complete helplessness.
It had been thirty minutes since I got home and discovered Stella missing, and each one of those minutes was like a shard of jagged glass to my heart.
“West.”
At the sound of Stella’s mom’s voice, I turned and found her standing in the open doorway. The Ryans had broken every traffic law known to man to get to my house in record time. They’d been sequestered in the living room while my guys and I worked, being taken care of by the wives who had come over to offer their help in any way.
“Honey, I know you’re worried, but everything’s going to be okay.”
I couldn’t speak over the lump that had formed in my throat. This woman had both daughters taken from here, and here she was, comforting me.
“Liza—”
“She’s coming home. They both are. I’m certain of it,” she said fiercely.
I felt the backs of my eyes begin to burn as I choked out, “How do you know?”
She smiled, it was sad and scared, but it was also strong. Her delicate hand came up to rest on my shoulder. “Because God isn’t so cruel as to give her the life and the man she’s always dreamed of, only to take her away from him before they can really start to live.”
I swallowed around the knot in my throat. “She’s my dream too.”
“I know that, honey, and that’s why I also know you’re going to get her back.” She reached up and cupped my face in her hands as a single tear broke from her eye and trickled down her cheek. “Have faith in yourself, because I sure do. I know you’re going to bring my babies back to me.”
“Thank you,” I croaked, coming undone.
“And when you get them back, I’m making everyone my famous pot roast. It’s Stella’s favorite, you’re going to love it.”
God, this family. No wonder my woman turned out as amazing as she did.
I was in the passenger seat of Linc’s truck as he floored it for the truck stop we’d tracked the black sedan to, the rest of the guys following behind us in a long convoy. We’d lost their trail on the cameras but we were on our way there to see if there was anything that would lead us to Stella and Serenity’s location.
Lincoln had put in a call so Seamus Byrne before leaving my place, but we still hadn’t heard anything back. Just then, my cell began to ring.
Pulling it from the pocket, I read the screen, Unknown Number, and swiped to answer. Pushing the button to put the call on speaker, I snarled, “You broke your word, motherfucker. Now it’s war.”
“I understand your anger,” Byrne quickly spewed, “But I swear, this wasn’t me. My nephew is acting of his own volition.”
I squeezed the phone so tightly it was a wonder it didn’t break in my hand. “Then you’ll suffer the consequences for not keeping your nephew on a tighter leash.”
“What if I were to tell you I know where she is?” At that, the air in the cab of the truck felt like it froze. For a single moment, time stood still.
“Talk,” I barked.
“Grady’s gotten it into his head it’s time for the new generation to step up and run things. Unfortunately for him, he’s one of only very few who share that belief. I’ve been monitoring his activity for some time now, and I know he’s attempting to branch out on his own. He thinks I’m unaware, but—”
I barked through the line, cutting him off, “I don’t give a fuck about your family history, Byrne. I want a goddamn location.”
“I’m texting you the address now. After this, our agreement still stands, correct?”
“Only if she’s alive and healthy. Anything else, and I swear to God, I’m going to rain hell down on your entire fucking world. You hear me?”
There was a brief pause. “Understood.”
“And Byrne? You better pray she comes out of this okay.”
Thirty-Two
Stella
“What is it you’re hoping to achieve?” I asked.
O’Brien held his arms out wide, waving the gun in his hand around carelessly. “Why, revenge, of course. You see, that money your dear old dad stole from me was startup capital. It was what I needed to take over the family business when I finally push my uncle out of the way.”
“But we gave it all back,” I exclaimed. “All of it and then some.”
“Yes, but not before you made me look like a fool!” he bellowed. “I lost crucial support when word got out I’d been had by a low-level con artist. I was willing to let things slide as long as you repaid me for my embarrassment, but then you had your boyfriend go tattle to my uncle in front of his entire crew. I became a laughing stock. Do you have any clue how humiliating that was?”
I cast my eyes to Serenity to see she was thinking the exact same thing I was. What a freaking wiener!
“So you’re doing all of this, breaking the truce your uncle made, because you were embarrassed?” I asked in bewilderment. “What the hell is this? Grade school?”
I was kicking myself for not telling West I loved him when I had the chance, and now my sister and I were going to die because of some grownup toddler’s ego. Just perfect.
“You don’t get it.” He continued to gesticulate wildly as he paced the warehouse. “I’ve lived under my uncle’s thumb my entire life. When’s it going to be my turn, huh? How many times do I have to prove myself before he sees I’m ready?”
Serenity leaned closer to me, both of us keeping our eyes on the madman as she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. “Is this guy for real?”
“This is what happens when you give immature assholes a little bit of power,” I returned just as quietly. “They ruin everything.”