Page 96 of Saved By Two

"Do you feel it, too?" I ask after a couple more tension-filled minutes.

He walks over to the window and looks outside. "Yeah, something doesn't feel right."

My phone pings, a vibration working up to my elbow, my arm. My pulse races with each passing second as I swipe the screen.

Jax: No sign of him, and the house is empty.

Noah swipes his screen and brings his phone to his ear.

“Fuck, it’s going straight to automated voicemail."

Trying to ignore the ever-growing sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I say, "Check location services to see if you can bring up her location."

I bring up the GPS tracker app installed on my phone.

"Shit, I've got nothing, you?"

Using the tracker app, I get a hit on a location.

"Fuck, she's moving away from the city." Noah twists my hand to look at the screen.

Unbeknownst to Jessica, we surreptitiously placed a tracker on her bangle, the meaning behind it representing the connection we feel towards her and that even though she might not be able to see it, it's there.

Panic surges through me like a tidal wave, threatening to drown any rational thoughts. The worst scenarios flash through my mind—Jessica is in danger.

Noah and I exchange a glance, our eyes reflecting the same fear. Without hesitation, we take immediate action.

"Jax, Jessica's been taken," Noah says as we both rush towards the front door, and I grab a set of keys and make a beeline for Noah's car.

"I'll send you the link, yeah, okay, yeah."

Jax said he would track her location and meet us since she's heading more towards his direction. Noah’s just clipping on his seatbelt as the engine roars to life.

I gun the engine, the urgency punching the weight of my foot on the accelerator. City traffic makes it impossible to race through the streets. Instead, I navigate the maze of roads as Noah puts the location into the Sat Nav. I try to keep my mind focused on the task, but worry gnaws at my thoughts, threatening to consume me.

The weight of uncertainty becomes almost suffocating.

As we approach the city's outskirts, our surroundings transform from the familiar hustle and bustle into country lanes and winding roads where shadows stretch longer. A sense of foreboding settles over me.

My grip on the steering wheel tightens, my knuckles turning white. The pulsating urgency drowns out all other sounds, the beat of my heart in sync with the rhythm of the road. With every mile we cover, the need to protect Jessica burns, a flame that won't be extinguished until she's in our arms again.

Soon, we're approaching a clearing that leads into Epping Forest. Fury ignites in me. We see a Land Rover up ahead, and then Jax jumping out, followed by the other guys as we pull up beside them.

"Her location has pinned to within a mile radius," he says before I've even cut the engine and climbed out of the car. "We need to split up."

Jax tosses both Noah and me an earpiece headset. "We'll split into three groups."

"Elliot is going stay on point here while we spread out."

River passes us each a torch; it's already dusk, and the surrounding woodland will disappear into darkness within minutes.

I've never been more grateful for someone else taking point. I know I'm not thinking rationally.

"Noah, you're with River. Caleb with me. Tommy, you're with Luke."

And with that, we break apart.

ChapterFifty-Two

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