Page 84 of Secret Baby for Mr. Grump

“Wait, a necklace?” I ran my hand through my hair and remembered the pendant.

It was bugging me where I’d seen it before. I’d seen it around the same time too, and then suddenly, I remembered the context. Like a lightning bolt, it struck me.

Allie.

The necklace was one of those pairs that couples wore. She had shown me a necklace like that, one that had a similar elephant pendant.

I remembered her telling me who had given it to her.

And then, instantly, everything clicked.

I turned to glance at Allie to see if she had made the connection, but her eyes were blank. I would break the news to her later because right now, I had to find our son.

“Give me your phone.”

* * *

A couple of hours later,I walked up the stairs to Royal Heat Motel Room 105.

Sean’s guy had managed to track the phone number we gave him from Allie’s phone, and he told us that the guy was in town. He’d arrived a few nights ago, just a day before the spray painting incident.

Just in time to spread rumors about us.

And to kidnap my son.

It was Ken.

As I approached the door, there was sobbing on the other side, heard clearly through the thin walls.

“Shut up.” I could hear Ken’s voice through the door, and he sounded insane, his voice a savage calm. “I told you not to cry, didn’t I? If you keep making that incessant sound, I’m going to find your mother, and I’m going to kill her. Remember our little deal? You don’t say a word again, and I won’t hurt your mom. Okay?”

The sobbing reduced, but I could still hear the pain in my son’s voice.

And the more I listened, the more the murderous rage built in my chest.

“You were supposed to keep your trap shut after I left,” Ken spat. “You were supposed to shut the fuck up so she’d eventually see that she couldn’t do this shit without me. But you fucked that up. All of you did. Like Old Man Clancy. You know what he said to me that night when I asked him what that bastard was doing in his shop? He said he was buying Allie a necklace. Said that they made a cute couple. Far more than her and me. He deliberately provoked me, laughing when he did.” There were footsteps on the ground as if he’d started pacing. “So what else could I do? I lost my mind and beat him up until he was dead. He shouldn’t have told me that. In the same way, you shouldn’t have talked. And now, here we are.”

“Please don’t hurt my mommy,” Caleb begged in a soft voice that physically hurt me. Now we knew why he was always so terrified whenever Allie stayed out late.

Ken terrified him by telling him he would kill his mother.

The man was insane.

And on top of that, he was the one who traumatized my boy too.

There was no question about it. He was going to die.

I just needed Sean and his team to give me the go-ahead. They were flying a drone up to the window to see if he was armed. I didn’t want Caleb to end up being shot because of my hastiness. So I waited, listening to the disgusting words. Waited till my screen flashed.

Clear.

That was all I needed.

I broke down the door in one swift move and launched myself at Ken before he even registered the shock. My heart was an avalanche of rage when I saw the man who’d taken my son. The first hit had blood pouring from his nose. The second one popped out one of his teeth. And I still wasn’t satisfied. I wouldn’t be satisfied until he was dead.

His eyes were wide with fear. There were no words between us because it was not needed. All he needed to understand was violence. My fist automatically plowed into his face. I wanted to beat him to death.

And I had every intention of it, plowing my fist into his face again and again and again.

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