Page 72 of The SEALs' Single Mom Baby Surprise

My struggle is so small until my lungs force me to breathe in the chemical that has my head spinning.

I yank at the fingers and wrist as my eyelids start to flutter closed without my consent.

Skin breaks under my nails as I drop into darkness.

32

RHETT

Icrumple the wrapper from Reese’s fries into her nugget container and look up at Cole and Shep.

Sloane hasn’t returned from… where did she run off to with that clipboard of hers? It’s been more than a few minutes.

“Where’s Sloane?” I ask, watching my teams’ gazes shutter.

I’m standing, plopping Reese down in her mom’s seat and nodding to Cole, who slides in beside her easily.

Stepping through the door to the warehouse, I scan the nearby aisles and don’t see her. Before I go searching, I peek back into the office.

“Hey, Shep.” I wave him through the door. “I don’t see her, but she was working that way earlier.”

We stealthily step toward the dock. I take the right, he takes the left. Our steps are silent, our breathing shallow. We swing around the outside and come back up the left a little faster until we reach the back, where it branches off into stacks and stacks of inventory.

Following the same routine, we switch on our mag lights and search for any trace of her. Anxiety spreads through me the longer we go without finding her.

Reaching the end of the stacks, Shep turns and sends me a look that nails the emotions bubbling up inside me. She’s gone.

Fuck. She’s gone.

My chest is radioactive, on the brink of a meltdown. Hands clenching, I’m ready to tear apart whatever threat is lurking nearby.

Shep gestures back to the office, and I reluctantly follow. I want to find Sloane. Now.

Stepping through the door, I see Reese’s big, innocent gaze before I meet Cole’s. His reaction is immediate, but I say it aloud anyway. “She’s gone.”

No sugar coating it. We don’t have time for that.

Boss stands, whispering something to Reese as her eyes get watery. I hate seeing those tears. Fuck, they break my heart.

Cole pets her hair and drops a kiss on the top of her head. “Don’t worry. We’ll get her back.”

Reese nods, sucking in a stifling gasp. She’s a trooper, keeps those tears from falling. “I know.”

Shep crouches in front of her. “We can use your help.”

She bites her lip the same way her mom does when she’s nervous, and she gives him another nod.

“Can you tell me about your mom’s routine?”

Reese has to take a lot of deep breaths between her words as she walks us through her mornings with her mom, that she always takes the same route to drop her off to school. She likes to do things the same way, the same foods in rotation, the same trips to the store. Even her route through it is the same every time.

Every month, Alistair would make Reese go to a babysitter’s so they could go out or have a party. She knows the babysitter’s name, but not the number. The number is in her mom’s phone.

Cole still has it. He’s been picking through the data while trying to maintain some of her privacy. He’s been keeping it in his go-bag, which means he’s already reaching into a pocket for it.

Her name is Chelsea, and the boss hands the phone over to Shep.

“What’s the longest she’s kept you? Overnight?” He looks her in the eyes, and she barely blinks.

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