Page 23 of Saving Their Forever

Where the hell is Rip?

“Move,” the asshole orders. “To the garage.”

Cara’s first. I can smell her shampoo as she’s dragged past me. Then Evianna. Shithead Number Three jerks me to my feet. “Go.”

“I can’t see, idiot. Or did you fail to notice the cane?”

He mutters something under his breath, grabs my upper arm, and pulls me through the door.

“Fuck. Cara…” Ripper says. “Let them go. They didn’t do anything?—”

“Neither did Wren,” I add. “You shitstains kidnapped a pregnant woman about to give birth.”

“We do not wish to hurt any of your women,” the first man—who seems to be in charge—says. “We know they are innocent. But you will die for your crimes. Get them into the van.”

I can’t let them take us anywhere. But when I resist the asshole who tries to drag me away, Cara gasps.

“You son of a bitch,” Ripper growls. He’s only ten, fifteen feet from me. But that does me no good.

“Rip, what’s happening?”

“The big one has a knife to Evianna’s throat. The other one has Cara on her knees with his hand…over her mouth.” He’s terrified and edging toward a panic attack. I have to do something.

“We’ll go with you. But you let our wives go. Right fucking now.”

“Dax, no!” Evianna chokes out.

“You’re all that matters, darlin’. You and Cara and Wren. If you’re safe…”

The men seem to think for a moment, then the leader—the one holding Evianna—turns toward Rip. “Sergeant Richards, get on your knees. Lace your fingers behind your head, cross your ankles. Forehead to the ground. When you are secured, we will release the women.”

Secured. Restrained. Taken.

Rip isn’t ready for this. Whatever they have in mind for us. He’s barely ready to work for Hidden Agenda on a daily basis. This could break him completely. He hasn’t moved, and I can hear Evianna’s ragged breathing to my left.

“Rip, do it. That’s an order.”

I never outranked him, but the words have the desired effect. His hazy shadow sinks down, and the guy holding onto my arm warns me not to move or Evianna will pay the price.

“Cara, I love you, sunshine.” Rip chokes back a sob as the zip tie tightens around his wrists, and she screams something too muffled to understand. The tone, however, is lethal. From somewhere behind us, Charlie barks and growls against a backdrop of scratching noises, but he’s got to be in a car for how quiet the sounds are.

“Take them,” the leader says.

“Wait! Let us say goodbye.” I need to know Evianna’s okay. That even for a few seconds, she doesn’t have a knife to her throat. “Please.”

“You have one minute. You try anything, we shoot the women in the kneecaps.”

Evianna’s arms wind around me. She’s shaking. Fuck, I wish I could hold her. Or do anything besides let myself be taken without any guarantee she and Cara will be okay. “Take my glasses, darlin’.”

“No—”

“They’ll just break ‘em.” I lower my voice and press my lips to her ear. “I’ll need them back when this is over.” Her fingers are cold when they brush my cheeks. The fluorescent lights overhead are too bright, and the headache starts almost immediately.

Rip and I are pulled deeper into the garage. It’s darker here. A van door slides open. Evianna’s heels clicking on the pavement reassures me for all of five seconds before I can’t hear them anymore.

Rip is shoved into the vehicle, and the sound he makes is heartbreaking. Despair. Utter hopelessness and terror.

Even now, eight years after losing my sight, I still try to look. To see where he landed. Where I’ll land next. I know it’ll do me no good. I’ll never see more than a hazy shadow. But the lifetime I had before is still with me, even though I can barely remember it now.

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