Holden's Resurrection (Gemini Group #6) - Riley Edwards Page 0,25
He’d known dread. He’d felt the gut-clenching fear of a firefight, moments when you weren’t sure if you or the men by your side would make it out alive. But he’d never felt those things when they were coated in love. Seeing Charleigh’s blood spilled in the foyer of her apartment had almost been his undoing. In the single most difficult moment of his life, he had to hold himself together. Push away every emotion so he could find Faith. He couldn’t think about what had happened to Leigh-Leigh or he’d lose control.
“Are you sure you want to go before she regains consciousness?” Chasin asked when they stepped out of Charleigh’s hospital room.
Fuck no, he didn’t want to leave her side. But he knew Charleigh would put Faith before herself. That was the only reason he was leaving her in a hospital bed with a fractured skull and a concussion.
“Faith’s been gone for three hours, it doesn’t matter what I want. I need to find her,” Holden replied, nearly choking on the words.
“Where are you gonna go? We have no leads,” Chasin reminded him.
They had jackshit because when Macy had found Charleigh, she was sprawled out on the floor, a pool of blood waterfalling down the stairs where Charleigh had cracked open her head. After a call to 911, she called Alec, who called the rest of the team and everyone descended on the scene at the same time.
Faith was gone.
They’d looked in every closet, under every bed, in the cabinets, in the attic space, anywhere and everywhere Faith could’ve hidden, they looked.
Just gone.
And no one saw a thing. There were no security or traffic cameras in the area. They had nothing to go on. Except Holden did. His gut screamed the Towlers had taken her. The question was, how had they overpowered Charleigh. Beatrice was old, Charleigh would beat the hell out of the woman if she’d threatened to enter. Patricia might be able to take Charleigh, but with Faith on the line, he doubted it. Besides, Charleigh had no defensive wounds.
No, she had a fucking possible fractured skull and a missing child.
“I’m going with you,” Chasin said.
“I need you to stay here with Charleigh.”
“The rest of the team and the women will be here.”
Holden grappled with how to explain to his friend why he needed him to stay with Charleigh. He didn’t understand it fully himself but he needed Chasin to keep her safe.
“She’s closest to you.” Holden pointed out.
“She’s close to all of us.”
“No, she was always closest to you. Before she married Paul, she sought you out. And then there’s Genevieve…”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
It was no secret—Genevieve pretty much hated Charleigh. Bobby was a tossup. That left Micky and Kennedy to keep Charleigh calm, though Macy and Silver would pitch in. But Holden needed Chasin to monitor the situation.
“You know Evie, you know Charleigh’s not her favorite person, but I am. She’ll worry about me and likely that’s gonna make her on-edge. I need you to keep Charleigh safe until I can bring Faith home.”
“Evie would never hurt Charleigh,” Chasin snapped. “But you’re right, Evie’s gonna be worried for you.”
“Let’s hit the road.” Chasin and Holden turned to find Jameson stalking toward them. “I’ve got my truck loaded up.”
“I’m—”
“Heard what you said to Chasin and I agree, she’s closest to him so he should stay. But that doesn’t mean you’re going alone.”
Holden didn’t have the time or patience to argue about who was going or staying. Moreover, Faith didn’t have the time. He needed to get on the road—he should’ve done it the moment he’d realized Faith had been taken—but he’d needed to lay eyes on Charleigh before he left.
“You’re gonna find her.”
Chasin’s proclamation hit him square in the chest and threatened to crack the reinforced walls he’d built. He couldn’t allow a single twinge of emotion to color his anger. He had to stay completely detached or he’d find himself crumbling under the debilitating fear. His friend meant well, but none of them had any idea how close he was to breaking down.
Holden had seen the blood, had watched Charleigh get loaded into an ambulance, he’d searched her house, he’d heard the doctor’s assessment. The woman he loved more than anyone else on earth was lying in a hospital bed and her daughter had been kidnapped. With each breath he took he’d disconnected, he’d separated from the overwhelming agony. He had to, he owed it to Charleigh.