Page 111 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

I hugged her, unable to hold back my emotions. I’d lost Cole, but I was going to have my best friend, and that was something. With her by my side, it would be easier for me to think positively.

“Okay, we’ll see you there, I guess,” I said. “I need to get Ashton, then we’re hitting the road.”

I hugged Stormy and her mother, then kissed Shiloh’s cheeks before heading back to the car. I smiled as I drove. Maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as I thought they would be. It could all work out. In fact, it might lift Ashton’s spirits to hear that Stormy and Shiloh would be living with us for a bit.

By the time I pulled into the parking area, I was feeling better than I had in days. The truck with the bodyguards still sat in the lot, tucked away at the far end under the shade of a tree, the truck’s hood pointed toward the basketball court to watch what was going on. A massive cluster of boys were playing basketball as I walked up, their sneakers scuffing and sliding on the black pavement. The boy I knew best, Braylen, caught a pass and dribbled between two other boys before laying the ball up to the basket.

“That’s twenty-one!” Braylen shouted with a smile. “Game over, baby. Wanna play again?”

He was addressing the other boys, and as I scanned their faces, I realized Ashton wasn’t there. Frowning, I glanced toward the small pavilion where the bathroom was. Maybe he’d gone to pee?

“Hey, Ms. Carlisle,” Braylen said, waving at me. “What are you doing here?”

Looking back at him, I gave him an embarrassed smile. “Oh, I came to pick up Ashton. We’re actually leaving this afternoon. Headed back west, unfortunately.”

Braylen nodded, but his brow was creased as he did. “Yeah, I know. Ash told us all he was going to have to move again. But why are you here?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling almost like they were telling some joke I wasn’t in on.

“Uh, to pick Ashton up. Why else would I be here, Braylen?”

Braylen turned to the other boys, who all looked equally confused. When he looked at me again, Braylan was frowning even deeper. “Well, because he’s already gone. That guy that looks like Alpha Garrett came and got him like twenty minutes ago. Maybe thirty minutes, actually.”

My heart thundered in my chest, and a cold sweat broke out on my brow and arms.

“The man who looked like… you mean, he looked like Cole?” I asked, my tongue suddenly very dry.

Braylen and the others nodded. “Yeah. He doesn’t look exactly like Cole the way Ash does, but he resembles both of them. Maybe he’s a cousin or something?” Braylen asked with a shrug.

Dallas. That was who’d come to pick up Ashton. Dallas, who was being threatened and controlled by Kyle. If Dallas had Ashton, then that meant…

“I’ve got to go,” I said as I turned and sprinted back to my car.

“Is everything okay?” Braylen called to me.

Not bothering to answer, I sprinted toward the truck. The pack bodyguard was there. He’d been watching Ashton play. My heart thundered in my chest as I ran. Braylen and the others were confused, that was all. The bodyguard had taken him, and when I got to the truck, they’d be sitting in there talking about sports or video games or something. I could picture it. Ashton would look at me with a goofy smile, wondering why I looked so worried.

Kyle wouldn’t have taken my boy. Not yet. We were still safe. He’d given us a week. We had at least another day before anything happened.

The sunshine glinted off the windshield, obscuring the interior. I wanted to see two heads sitting there. A boy and a man. Safe and sound. All I could see was that bright reflection of the sun, a searing orb that threatened to burn out my eyes. Reaching the driver’s side door, I skidded to a stop when I saw the window was down. With dawning horror, I looked into the cab, a scream welling in my throat.

The bodyguard was slumped over in the passenger seat, a single black hole in his temple. The interior of the truck was painted in gore. The metallic reek of blood stung my nose as I stumbled backward, pressing a hand to my mouth in horror. I’d never seen a dead body before, and my brain rebelled against the image. I didn’t even know the man personally, and already the implications crashed down around me. Kyle had killed this man. With his own hand or through a secondary associate. He’d done that, and had sent Dallas to steal my son.

I turned away from the truck, bent over, and vomited on the pavement, unable to hold back. The horror inside the truck was too much for me to take. I’d be seeing that image in my mind until the day I died. Yet, even as bloody and terrifying as thatscene was, nothing compared to the terror I felt at my son being in the hands of a murderous madman. Deep down, I’d never believed it would come to this. Not really.

Wiping at my mouth, I pulled out my phone with a trembling hand and called Cole. It took three tries because my fingers were shaking so badly to punch his name.

“Avery?” he said a moment after answering. “What’s?—”

“Dallas has Ashton!” I screamed into the phone.

I’d wanted to remain calm, but as soon as I heard Cole’s voice, the levies of my mind broke apart, and the full weight of what was happening came crashing down around me. We should have gotten out sooner. If we’d left even that morning, Ashton would be safe. He would be with me, instead of with a madman.

“Hang on,” Cole said, his voice strained and worried. “What are you saying?”

“You heard me! Cole, Dallas has my son. The boys at the park said he came and took him a half hour ago. I… oh, God… they killed the guy watching him, Cole. He’s dead. It… Jesus, it looks like they shot him in the head. The boys didn’t say anything about a gunshot. Did he use a silencer or something?” I was rambling, and I knew it, but I couldn’t stop the words from tumbling from my mouth.

“Holy shit,” Cole hissed. “Fuck. If Dallas did take him, then it was against his will. He wouldn’t kidnap Ashton on his own.”

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