Page 52 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 3

“They planned to hurt you to get to her.”

She nodded.

“And they’ll do the same to Emily.”

Her lips trembled as the tears fell. “I don’t know. We don’t know that.”

“Fuck!” I roared. “FUCK!”

Maia put her hands to my shoulders. “We have no clue if he’ll hurt her. She’s a young girl.”

“Oh my god, this isn’t happening.” I bent over and sucked in as much air as I could. “This isn’t happening!” I convulsed, as the fear threatened to cripple me. I braced my hands on my knees and silently prayed. Over and over, I asked God to grant me a fucking miracle.

“We need to follow her tracker. Call the police and tell them where she is,” I blurted, pulling myself back together bit by bit.

“But Diego—”

“I need everyone on this, Maia. Not just some twisted mafia guy. Anyone and everyone.”

“Okay, Rhodes. What do you need from me?” she asked, her heart flooding into every word.

I reached out and took her hand. “Just hold my hand and don’t let go. I can’t lose you too.”

“I won’t let go. No one is taking me from you,” she promised, but I didn’t believe her. Some psycho had already kidnapped my daughter and friend. We had no idea what he was capable of, only that the highest guy in the Latin freaking mafia was afraid of the man’s reach.

I squeezed her hand and lifted it to my face, breathing in the spicy vanilla scent that surrounded her. For a moment it calmed me enough to clear my head and focus on the here and now.

“It will be okay,” I said as much for myself as for her.

“We’ll get them back,” Maia said with such confidence I put all my faith into her belief.

“We’ll get them back,” I repeated.

One way or another, I was getting them both back. Even if I had to risk it all—my money, my morals, my very life.

Episode 74

Family First

SUMMER

TJ splashed and squealed happily during his bath. I picked up a yellow ducky, dunked it under the water until it filled up, and then squirted the tile wall with it.

“Oooohhhh!” TJ squealed and then spoke a bunch of words in Norwegian I didn’t understand but I got the gist. He clapped excitedly, so I repeated the process, this time aiming the water from the duck’s mouth onto TJ’s little hand. I was rewarded with a screech-laugh.

“How’s he doing?” Jack asked, his own hair wet and dripping onto a black, long-sleeved t-shirt. He had gray lounge pants on, his feet bare. Obviously, he’d taken a quick shower while I bathed TJ.

“Great. Having a blast. He loves the water,” I smiled. “Was that the door I heard?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Erik and Savannah arrived. I put them in Ellen’s room. They’re getting showered and cleaned up now.”

I nodded and poured the water over TJ’s head. He squealed in glee again.

“He really does love the water.” Jack smiled for the first time in days.

“Yep,” I answered and finished cleaning him up.

“Hvor er mamma?” TJ asked Jack.

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