Page 114 of Four Fiances & I

I wanted to message him back and demand to know what was happening, but Terry insisted on letting him concentrate on everything there and to be patient. Usually, I’m the most patient out of all of us, but after everything that happened with the florists and yesterday's possible kidnapping attempt, I need to know what the fuck has happened now.

“Messages still aren’t going through to Jazzy. I haven’t bothered trying to call.”

I don’t bother turning to look at my brother behind me. I know he will be just as on edge as me. Neither of us likes not knowing what’s happening when Jasmine is involved.

I’m so glad he decided to have Gordon go with her today. Two members of security are better than one, especially when there are other people involved. Plus, we both trust Gordon and Layton to do everything they can to protect our girl.

I hear Jason's phone ring and turn, hoping it’s Jasmine.

“It’s Calvin.” He answers the call as I wait to see if he knows anything, as I know Luna and Chelsea are meant to be with Jasmine.

“What’s going on?” Calvin asks, and I realise Jason has put him on loudspeaker.

“Where are Chels and Luna?” Jason asks

“We are in a coffee shop around the corner from the dress shop. There is a sign on the door saying they are closed with no explanation, and Chelsea can't get hold of Jasmine, and neither can I.” Calvin knows Jasmine would never purposely let Luna down; she has taken the big sister role with his girl and loves her dearly.

“Take them home, and Jazzy will be in touch when she can,” Jason answers, visibly relaxing. That little girl has been through so much in the last few months; the last thing we or her three fathers would want is for her to be caught up in whatever this is.

“So, something is going on? Need backup?” Calvin asks, having Jason's back as always. I don’t think that man will ever stop being his bodyguard. They built such a close relationship in the years they worked together and went through so much that they will forever be bonded like brothers. Luna even refers to Jason as Uncle Jason, which he loves.

“I’ll let you know. We don’t know anything other than that Layton has locked down the building with Jazzy and the girl inside. The systems have possibly been hacked, so he can’t risk using the landlines or the internet; the signal is nearly non-existent. We will be there in a minute.”

“Okay, let me know what you need, and I will take my two home, keeping them out of the way.”

“Thanks, Cal; I will keep in touch.”

The two say goodbye before ending the call. Jason sighs and I look at him over my shoulder.

“At least the pregnant lady and young child aren’t in there,” Terry points out as he drives through town to the bridal shop. I can only imagine the carnage if Chelsea and Luna were in danger. Logan would be there kicking the door down before we ended the phone call. He has proven to be more protective of his girls than I am of Jasmine, and that’s saying something.

“I will rest when I know the others are too, especially Jasmine,” I answer. It makes me sound like a dick, but I don’t care. Yes, I care if the others are safe or not, but the need to see with my own eyes that Jasmine is safe and unharmed will always be my priority.

“When we arrive, is there any point in asking you to stay out of the way until I know it's safe?” Terry asks, looking at me and then Jason in the rearview mirror. We both just look at him and tell him all he needs to know. Nothing is going to stand between us and getting to Jasmine.

In less than five minutes, we park and arrive at the shop. From the outside, everything looks no different than at any other time I’ve been here. Jason and I have been to get Jasmine dresses, shoes, and accessories for events a few times over the last year. Jason has been here a lot more than I have over the years, and it seems his shopping addiction has come in handy when they managed to fit Jasmine in for her first dress consultation with only a week's notice.

Jason rings the intercom bell and stands back so the three of us can be seen on the camera. Only to realise there is no indication that it’s on.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice comes over the intercom.

“Penelope, it’s Jason and Christian O’Reilly. We’ve been told Jasmine’s here.” He looks at me and nods to the intercom. He has picked up on the woman’s tone as well. She sounds upset and scared.

“Password?” Layton’s voice comes over the intercom, all business.

“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb,” I answer, looking at Jason, who’s smirking. “We need to stop her from picking the passphrases.”

“Coming now,” Layton answers, but I don’t miss the giggle in the background. At least it doesn’t sound like anyone is hurt.

As soon as the curtain on the front door flicks and we see Layton look out, we all jump to attention. He opens the door and steps back as the three of us enter.

“What’s going on?” I ask as Layton locks the door and rubs a hand down his face. He physically relaxes a little now that he’s no longer the one in charge. Terry will always take over when present.

“No one is hurt, physically anyway. I’ll explain as we head up the stairs; everyone is on the top floor.” We all fall into step behind him as he starts talking.

“As soon as we arrived, we knew something wasn’t right. Penelope sounded stressed when she answered through the intercom. I wasn’t the only one who noticed; Jaz did as well. An issue was confirmed when we were ushered onto the top floor.” Layton stops and turns to look at us. “Penelope and two of her assistants finally admitted what was going on, which included being locked out of their system, their security and internet was lagging, which it never had before. We realised there was a major security issue, but I was worried about leaving with the four girls and only two of us, so I decided to wait for backup and lock down the building.” He stops at the door and takes a deep breath. “It’s easier to show you than explain the last bit.” Opening the door, I walk in ahead of Jason as we look around for Jasmine.

I see her sitting in a chair surrounded by her friends. All of them look a little red-eyed, but whatever is going on doesn’t seem to be affecting Jasmine as much as the others.

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