Chapter 34

Iam on my way home from the office, the street bustling with cars and people, when my phone starts ringing. Without missing a beat, I answer, "Delgado."

"Get to Shorty"s, now!" says a familiar voice on the other end.

I hesitate for a moment. "Donnie?" I ask.

"Yes! You need to get over there." I sense the desperation in his voice as he replies, "It was a picture of someone holding a knife to her belly." His words come out strained.

"The fuck?" I snap. "I'm already enroute. I"ll call the police," I add, my words rushed and urgent. "Just stay put, Donnie," I warn him, knowing he's going to go in halfcocked like he did when Vince kidnapped Sadie.

"Jo is supposed to be there with her!" Donnie yells, his voice rising in panic. For a few minutes, I hear Donnie moving around and then the phone goes dead.

"Fuck!" I smack the steering wheel. "Always fucking hanging up on me!"

As I hit the siren button, I bark, "Siri! Call 911!" My car lights flash red and blue as I wait for the dispatcher to pick up.

The dispatcher answers. "911, what"s your emergency?"

After relaying the information to her, she assures me that help is already on the way.

I hang up and call Jo.

After a few rings, Jo finally answers. "What"s up, man?" he asks.

"I need you to go immediately to Sadie's," I rush out, my eyes still fixed on the road ahead.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" he asks, sounding slightly panicked.

"The stalker is with her now."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jo hisses.

"I'm ten minutes out, and I've already called the police." I can hear rustling sounds in the background and then the distinct sound of a car door opening.

"Jo, you need to wait for me. Don't go in with guns blazing."

"Fuck that!" he barks through the phone.

"I'm serious, Jo! You don't know what you're walking into. Let the cops handle it."

"Just get your ass there, brother," he hisses and hangs up.

"God damnit to hell," I groan, my mind racing with all the possible scenarios while dialing my partner.

"Derick," he answers.

"Get to Sadie's house. Her stalker is there with her right now."

"I'm on my way."

We hang up, and I try calling Sadie, hoping against hope that she"ll answer, but she doesn"t.

The moment I pull up to her apartment, I see Jo"s parked car and him sprinting up the steps.

Where the hell are the cops? They should've been here by now.

I quickly get out of my car and catch up with him.

"Jo!" I yell, and he turns around, visibly relieved to see me. We race up the stairs together, eager to reach Sadie"s door. But our steps falter as soon as we reach the landing a few feet away from her door.

Something is off.

Without wasting time, I draw my gun from its holster and motion for Jo to stop. He looks over his shoulder and asks, "Why is the door open?"

I put a finger to my lips, signaling him to stay quiet. "Follow my lead," I whisper, and he nods, stepping behind me as I scan the surroundings.

I slowly push the door open with my gun, peering around the corner. Once I am sure it is safe, I signal for Jo to follow, and he quietly shuts the door behind us. We continue down the hall, but everything seems normal.

But appearances can be deceiving. I know I have to stay alert and be ready for anything. Who knows what we might find in one of the bedrooms?

Walking down the hallway toward Sadie"s room, I notice bloody footsteps leading away from her door. Just as I am about to investigate, Jo runs past me and quickly approaches the room.

"Jo!" I hiss in a hushed tone. My heart races with anticipation and fear as I make my way to her bedroom door, my footsteps echoing down the hallway. I hear my own breathing, ragged and uneven, as I step into the room. The room is lit only by a single lamp, casting long shadows across the floor. My eyes scan the room, and the sight that meets my eyes makes my blood run cold.

Tia is lying on her back in the middle of the room, blood pouring out of her stomach. "Fuck!" I drop to my knees and press my hand to her wound to stop the bleeding. I raise my other hand to check her pulse.

Thank fuck. There's a faint pulse.

"Jo?" I call out as Tia's blood coats my palms.

Then I hear his agonized cry. I turn to see Jo kneeling beside Sadie's lifeless-looking form on the bathroom floor.

"Is she alive?" My voice is tight with fear and anger.

No response.

"Jo! Is she alive Jo?"

"Jesus, fuck," Jo replies, his voice choked with emotion.

Police!" An officer says in a stern voice as I hear footsteps approaching the room.

"Back here!" I shout.

I look up to see two police officers. One joins me on the floor while the other announces, "I"ll call an ambulance." He quickly reaches for the radio clipped to his shoulder and presses the button. Static crackles through the radio before a female voice responds, "Dispatch, we need an ambulance at 2300 Moonshine, apartment 200. Send help immediately. Also, requesting backup at the same location. The suspect may still be in the vicinity. Over."

"10-4, ambulance en route."

"Switch your hands with mine," I instruct the officer beside me before rushing to the bathroom to assess the situation.

I drop to my knees beside Sadie, feeling a sense of dread. I gently brush a lock of hair away from Sadie"s face, my heart breaking at seeing her pale and still form.

"Call an ambulance, for fuck"s sake!" Jo screeches, his voice shaking with urgency.

"They did."

Suddenly, we hear the distinct sound of Sadie"s voice, which comes across as tired and groggy. She utters "Jo," but it's spoken softly and muffled, almost like she is speaking in her sleep.

"Sade, hang on, okay? Just hang on," Jo says in a strained voice. He pulls her into his arms and whispers, "Please don't wake up," he pleads as tears fall freely down his face.

When the sound of sirens fills the air, signaling the arrival of paramedics, I run to the front door and direct the paramedics to Sadie"s room.

My heart aches as Sadie and Tia are carried out on stretchers, their bodies still and fragile in the hands of the paramedics.

"Jo, you follow, and I"ll stay behind," I tell him, trying to mask the shakiness in my voice. Tears stream down his face as he tries to hold myself together. Jo nods curtly and aggressively wipes his tears with his bloody hands.

My partner, Derick, walks in and looks at me with concern and confusion. "Dude, what the hell is going on?" he asks.

"We found her..." I manage to choke out. I can't bear to say more and run into Sophia"s room.

I take a deep breath before pushing the door open, and what I see makes my heart sink.

No. No, no. This can"t be happening.

The atmosphere in the room is unsettlingly still, disturbed only by the faint hum of the fan. Sophia"s crib, which had been the room"s focal point, is now empty, and the pale pink bedding is disheveled, giving away that she has been taken from it. As I approach the crib, my heart racing with dread, I notice a piece of paper sitting atop the rumpled sheets. My hands shake as I pick up the note, the message scrawled onto it sending shivers down my spine: "You took what was mine. And now I have taken what was once yours."

Panic grips me as I realize my niece has been taken, but I can't fathom who would do such a thing. My mind races as I try to make sense of the situation. Why have they taken Sophia? What do they hope to gain by taking her? These questions swirl around as I try to decipher what the fuck just happened and how to find her.

"Stay back, sir!" one of the officer demands of someone outside the room.

"I can"t! My girlfriend lives here!" Donnie shouts. "Shorty!"

Fuck.

Tia

Oh, my God.

The pain is excruciating.

I am writhing in agony.

My body feels like it is being handled like I'm a ragdoll, and every bump I go over makes me cry out in agony.

I feel hands on my body slowly bringing me back to consciousness.

What the hell is going on?

A jolt of pain in my abdomen forces my eyes to spring open, and a painful cry bursts out of me, bringing me back to life.

"Tia, it"s okay," Ash coaxes, clutching my hand and bringing it to his lips. "I"m here, Tia, I"m here."

"Ash?" My voice is strained. "What ha-happened to me?" I gasp, trying to catch my breath. The pain is unbearable. I look at Ash's face, but it is blurred. I can hardly make out his expression.

"Shh, don't speak. We're taking you to the hospital," he says.

"God, I'm going to die." I start to sob, gasping between breaths. The thought of not being able to witness the birth of Sadie's sons or watch Sophia grow up and become the amazing person I know she will be is unbearable, and it pains me to think about it.

"No, no, you're not. Shh, it's going to be okay." He squeezes my hand, but I feel his body tremble.

No, nothing is okay.

I twist my head from side to side, trying to remember what happened, but nothing comes to mind.

Out of nowhere, a loud beeping goes off, and my heart starts racing as if I"m running a marathon.

"Ash?" I cry, but it comes out hoarse.

"Sir, I need you to move out of the way," one of the paramedics says to Ash.

"We're losing her!" he cries out.

"No! Don't you die on me, Tia! Don't you fucking die on me!" Ash screams.

"We need to hurry up! She's losing too much blood!" The paramedic's yelled words are the last thing I hear before darkness swallows me whole.