When Rich hangs up, Hugo stands up to head out. “I’ll meet you guys there right away. Don’t take too long, we have to catch them before they get too far.” Then he’s gone.
“What am I going to do with him?” I nod to a sleeping Wesley in my arms. “There’s no way I can fucking stay here when she’s out there. I’m fucking stuck.”
Easton sighs, pulling out his phone and shooting off a text. “I’ll get Rose over here. She’ll watch him.”
My chest deflates. “Thanks.”
Easton walks around and puts some stuff together while I bring Wesley to his room. Lifting him up, I press my lips to his forehead. “I’m going to find Mom. Stay safe and be good.” He lets out a little grunt, his sleeping form innocent and unaware of the fact that my life is spinning out of control at this very moment. I lay him in bed, covering him with Cara’s favorite blanky.
The emotion gets to be too much, and I have to swipe away the emotion in my eyes that tries to take over.
When the front door opens, I sniffle, giving one last look at my son before walking out, shutting the door halfway behind me.
Rose walks in, tears flowing freely down her face and her skin nearly as pale as ours is. She lets out a sob upon seeing Easton, running up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Please go find her. I can’t lose her. Please, Easton.”
He’s stiff, but slowly he melts into her and curls his arm around the small of her back. I feel like I’m being witness to something private, but I can’t take my eyes away as he swoops her hair away from her face and presses his lips against hers. “I’ll bring her back, baby. Promise.”
And I promise myself that if I get Cara back, I’ll be a better man. I’ll be a better father. I’ll be a better brother. I’ll be a better boyfriend.
If I get Cara back, I won’t let her out of my sight again.
When we pull up to the warehouse, Easton makes quick work of grabbing my wheelchair. We left a weepy Rose on my couch with a blanket and a promise to call as soon as we heard anything. I don’t know when I’ll be back because I don’t know how far they’ve gotten or how difficult it will be to get her back, but I know my son will be safe with Rose.
We rush inside, and the atmosphere in the place is thick. Tension filled and alert. The eyes on everyone are determined. Not many people stick around all night, so a lot of these people I’m sure came in on a moment's notice, ready to work and do their job.
Some pass me sympathetic glances. Worried. I ignore them all, paying no mind as I follow behind Easton towards Rich’s office. Easton doesn’t even knock, bursting through the door and shutting it behind me. “What have you found out?” He asks, and Rich and Hugo look up from where they’re looking at the computer.
It’s been two hours since Rose talked to Cara. Potentially two hours since Cara has been kidnapped. That means that Cara could be in Wisconsin, near the Iowa border, or in South Dakota. Possibly headed to Canada. We don’t know where they’re going, and we don’t have much more time to find out.
“We’ve got a couple PI’s on the case. They’re in a newer Lexus. SUV. Black, with tinted windows. Headed on 35 towards Iowa. I bet they’re headed towards Texas. That’ll be their quickest access to the border.”
“How do you know?” I bark out, anxiety making my heart race. I’ve been listening to my heart bear in my ears for the last hour and I’m starting to get a splitting headache.
“Look.” Hugo turns one of Rich’s monitors, and I watch as they pull up to a Shell gas station. Two large Hispanic men step out, dressed in all black with sunglasses on (in the middle of the night? Fucking idiots). I’m about to ask why they think that Cara’s with them, since I don’t see her anywhere. But once one of them is finished pumping gas, he opens up the door, and my rage engulfs me.
I only catch a glimpse, but that’s all I need. A glimpse of Cara’s head on the ground of the vehicle. Her hair is splayed out around her. She’s either drugged and sleeping or got knocked out. Knocked