Page 106 of Hold Me Forever

“Amber-Rose!”

“Rob… I’m with Aidan.” There’s a tremor in her voice, but I can see she’s not panicking.

“Aidan, let her go,” I say. “You want me. I stole your girl. Iwonyour girl. Come on, let’s settle this man to man.”

Then Aidan’s face emerges. “Hello, Robson Hartley.” He kisses Amber-Rose.

How I want to rip that son of a bitch’s mouth off his face!

But I suppress my anger, focusing on the call, scanning for clues. She doesn’t seem to be driving. They must be parked somewhere.

“You haven’t won anything, Rob, but you’re going to lose everything,” he boasts.

“Cut the bullshit, Aidan. What do you want?”

“I don’t want anything from you. I already have what I wanted, what I dreamed of.” This time he kisses Amber-Rose on the lips.

My blood boils. “I’m gonna kill you.”

The fucker changes the angle of the phone, so it’s pointing at her legs. His hand caresses the crotch of her jeans. When Amber-Rose closes her legs and wriggles from his grasp, he slaps her.

“Stop it! Stop it, you son of a bitch!” I shout at the top of my lungs. Inside, I curse my failure to protect her. Seeing Aidan having control of her is worse than a nightmare. It feels like a dagger has torn my chest open, my heart ripped away from me, leaving me bleeding while still alive.

He growls, “Stop? Who are you to tell me that? She’s mine. I can do anything I want to her.”

“You want money?”

He looks at me with disgust. “God! Is that the only thing rich people do when they’re in trouble? Money… money! You think your money will save her?”

While Aidan is busy cursing at me, I notice Amber-Rose’s tiny hand fiddling with something. She’s stretching a key ring into view. A rental car key ring! And when she turns it to show the back, the license plate number is on it.

I keep my composure, not wanting Aidan to see the change in me.

“I love you, Rob,” Amber-Rose cries. “Wherever I am, I’m yours.”

He slaps her again, and then laughs out loud. “I can’t wait to have her again, Robson Hartley. She’s mine. Till the end of time. Goodbye, Rob.”

I thump my fists against the steering wheel. This shit can’t be happening! But now isn’t the time to let rage get the best of me. Amber-Rose’s life, her safety, her dignity, depends on me.

After taking a deep breath, I call my brother.

“Clay, get Garcia to track this car, rented from a company called Rapid Fire, license plate 6RR T268. Get Blake involved.”

“On it, brother.”

Come on, Clay.

Minutes later, my sidekick calls me back.

“Tell me something good.”

“They’re in Pine Valley. I’ll share the location tracking with you.”

Pine Valley?

What the hell is he planning? Without delay, I turn off the coastal highway and head inland.

31

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