Page 25 of Saving Their Forever

Inara straps her Beretta to her thigh and shoves two spare magazines into her pockets. “We’ll be on comms. No one else is going dark.”

She and Royce take a silent moment together, foreheads touching, speaking without words. He doesn’t tell her to stay safe. He doesn’t have to. They’re so connected, it’s scary.

Five minutes later, Q’s sitting on my couch with his cat Clementine curled up next to him. He and Royce have a separate comms channel with Zephyr and Cam, who’s in Chicago at a tech conference—now locked in her hotel room with the dresser barring the door.

Pixel slinks over to me and paws at my leg until I pick her up. She knows something’s wrong. She hasn’t barked once since I came home. With a pitiful little whine, she noses my chin. “I know, pipsqueak,” I murmur. “I want her back too. But you know I won’t stop until I find her. I promise.”

I shouldn’t say those words to her. Hell, I shouldn’t be so attached to ten pounds of fur and sass. But she’s got such a personality, I couldn’t help loving her.

“Has anyone called Raelynn and Nash?” Royce asks.

“They’re on their way. Raelynn had to get Nash from his studio space. He’s working on a new bar top for ZigZag,” I say and set Pixel in her bed next to the recliner. She immediately jumps up on the couch and settles down next to Clementine. “She texted five minutes ago. They’re fine. And together.”

Before long, it’s going to be a fucking party here. I wish I could take half an hour to figure out a plan. Or just rage and break everything within reach.

But then my phone rings. Another unknown number. “It’s them.”

Q tosses me a small black box I plug into my phone. He’ll trace the call, but I doubt it’ll do any good. Still, we have to try.

“I want to talk to my wife. Right fucking now.”

“You do not give the orders. We do.”

“I’m not taking orders from anyone who’s too much of a coward to give me his name.”

“I am Ramin Al Abat. Son of Ebrahim Al Abat. One of the men you killed.”

“I didn’t kill anyone, asshole. The Afghan government bombed that building. My team and I saved people that day. Al Abat? Pretty sure one of the women we saved was your fucking sister, Jamila.”

“Jamila lost her leg!” Ramin snaps. “You did that. My brothers and I have been searching for you for ten years, McCabe. And now that we have your wife and your friends, you will do whatever we ask.”

My friends. Dax and Rip are gone.

“So ask, asshole. My agreement is contingent on you letting me talk to my wife. And her being unharmed.”

“Fort Worden Battery. Do you know of it?”

“I might have heard of the place.”

Royce motions for me to keep them talking, but it’s not going to help. These men are good. So good, they have a hell of a lot of help. Including someone who’s as good at tech as Wren.

“You will come alone. Arrive at exactly 19:00 hours. If we see any other members of your team, or if you are even five minutes late, we will remove Holloway’s useless eyes with a spoon and force your wife to watch.”

“Be on time, don’t bring anyone with me. So original. You do realize that’s kidnap and ransom 101, right? So is proof of life. I want to talk to Wren. Now.”

The call switches to video. The back of the van is mostly empty. No seats. Dax and Ripper lie on their sides, unconscious, with their hands tied behind their backs. The camera pans to the other side of the vehicle, where Wren sits on the floor. She cradles her belly, and tears stain her cheeks. Her eyes are unfocused, and her head bobs like she’s struggling to hold it up. “Ry…?” she whispers. “Don’t…come…”

“The hell I won’t, sweetheart. What did they give you? Are you okay?”

“Dunno.” Her eyes flutter closed. “Back hurts. Don’t want to be…here.”

The van hits a bump, and she whimpers, tightening her arms around her stomach.

“Wren, listen to me. I’m coming. You’re going to be fine. You and the baby. I…I’d do anything for you, little bird.”

I want to promise her. But I can’t, and she knows it. She’s sobbing now, and when she turns away from the phone and curls onto her side, I see red.

“I give myself up, and you take her to the nearest hospital.”

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