Page 104 of Surrender

My palms settle on the sides of her head, lifting her face from my chest. I stare down into her terrified honey eyes. “Breathe for me,” I murmur gently, stroking her cheek with my finger. “That’s it, nice and easy,” I coax.

She squeezes her eyes shut. “I’m so scared.”

“We’re going to get them back.” I swear on my fucking life.

I turn my neck to the two officers behind me, Silas and Sutton Stone. “What happened?”

It’s the receptionist who starts talking.

“I swear he had all the appropriate paperwork.”

“Just tell us what happened.” I force my tone to remain even.

“A man walked in and said he was here to pick up Lucy and Bennett Thompson. I asked who he was, and he said their father. And he produced copies of their birth certificates and his driver’s license and said their mother told him he needed to bring them as proof to pick up the kids for the first time. I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. He seemed so genuine.”

“How did he get the kids?” I ask.

Whitney shudders, and I hold her head tight to my chest. Her arms shove into my open coat, and her fingers twist into the sides of my cotton Henley.

“I went and got them. He had paperwork. The file didn’t say anyone wasn’t authorized to pick them up, so I let him sign them out.”

“What time was this?” Silas asks. His radio crackles. He dips his chin to his vest to respond.

Someone behind the desk removes a log sheet. “He signed them out at 3:58.”

“I’m going to need to see your CCTV footage,” Silas says, then he looks at me. “Others are on the way.”

“There’s only one way in and out of this town. You need to get a man on each side of the highway. Start an Amber Alert and send out a BOLO to all state agencies. He also has ties to Arizona. He could be anywhere by now,” I demand.

The door opens with an icy wind at my back.

“Stand down, Jack. You have to let us do our job,” Sutton says.

“My kids are out there!” I snarl. Whitney shivers in my arms, and I tuck her tighter against me. “You’re fucked in the head if you think I’m going to just stand around.”

A hand grips my shoulder. I twist my neck and meet Jude’s stormy gray eyes. A sudden lump swells in my throat at having him here, literally at my back.

“We’ve got this. We’ve got officers moving around. As soon as we confirm his details, the alerts will go out,” Sutton replies. He drops his gaze to the back of Whitney’s head. “Does he have any ties to the area?”

“No.” Her voice is hoarse. “He grew up and lived in Arizona his entire life. He followed us here. Me and my kids.”

Sutton nods and turns to follow Silas behind the security glass.

I twist Whitney around with me to face my brother. The wind knocks out of me when I find my entire family standing behind us.

“Tell us what to do,” Lee says. His face is hard and locked down tight.

“Once we know what he’s driving, I want you on the road. Paired up. Lee with Aiden. Corjan, you’re with me. Nobody knows the roads in this town better than us five. Check in with everybody you know. Ask them to keep their eyes open.”

“You think he’s still around?”

I look down at Whitney trembling in my arms. I drop a kiss on the top of her head, breathing in her floral perfume. “I think she has something he wants, and he won’t leave until he gets it.”

“What is it you think he’s after?” Corjan asks.

“Money,” I answer, feeling the reality sink into my bones.

A heavy silence passes between us. “Got it. Text us any descriptions you have.” Lee and Aiden depart.

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