Chapter 35

The guys and I are leaving the Billiards and Bar when my phone rings. I pull it out from my pocket and glance at the screen.

Why is Javi calling me?

"Hello?" I answer.

He replies calmly, but I sense the anxiety in his voice. "Seb, it"s Javi. I need you to get to Nashville General Hospital."

As I approach my car, I suddenly freeze in place. I can feel the blood draining from my body as I realize something is terribly wrong. The guys must notice my sudden change in demeanor as they stop midway and turn to look at me with furrowed eyebrows.

Sensing my distress, Max mouths, "What"s going on?"

Gio, looking concerned, places his forearms on the hood of my car.

My throat feels tight as I swallow a lump of fear and nod slowly. "Is it Shorty?" I manage to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Javi sighs reflecting the weight of the situation. "Yeah."

His words hang heavily in the air.

No. Not again.

I close my eyes briefly, take a deep breath, and try to gather my thoughts. It feels like we"ve been through this too many times before. I wonder if we"ll ever be able to escape the cycle of fear and uncertainty that seems to follow us wherever the fuck we go.

"And Tia. I found them unconscious in the apartment." His voice trembles. "Tia was stabbed."

Without a word, I throw my shit onto the passenger seat and slam the door shut, causing the windows to rattle.

"What the fuck is going on?" Max demands, his tone urgent.

I run my fingers through my hair in frustration and start to pace back and forth in front of the car. "Did you call Jo?" I ask, my voice strained.

"Yes, he rode with her to the hospital, and Ash is with Tia," Javi replies quickly. "My partner is on his way to pick up his mom and Abuela."

My heart sinks. I know how close she is to them and can only imagine how worried they must be.

He pauses for a second, and what he says next rips out my heart. "Sophia"s missing."

Sophia"s missing.

I can't believe what I'm hearing. "What do you mean missing?" I croak, my throat tightening with dread.

"We believe she was kidnapped," he says, his voice breaking. "I don"t think Sadie knows."

Jesus.

I stand there for a few seconds, trying to calm down. Max looks at me with concern. "What"s going on?" he asks again.

"Just get your ass at the hospital," Javi demands before he ends the call.

"Seb?" Max"s voice pierces through my thoughts, bringing me back to reality. When I turn to face him, I notice the hint of worry on his face as he awaits my response.

"We need to get to the hospital," I say urgently, my words laced with desperation. "I"ll explain everything on the way."

Without wasting any more time, we jump into the car, my heart pounding with fear and anxiety. As soon as the engine roars to life, we take off like a rocket, as if we are being pursued by a pack of vicious hellhounds.

Donovan

The Day Before

Practice kicked my ass today.

I had a long night of studying for my upcoming exams, which kept me up until two in the morning. Despite the lack of sleep, I still woke up at six to get in my daily run before heading to my nine-a.m. class. Needless to say, I am beat.

When I get to the locker room, I notice the other guys already left, leaving only Ash waiting for me in the parking lot. My body is aching, and I can barely move from the previous day"s workout.

After taking a much-needed shower, I'm sitting on the bench getting dressed when the locker room door opens. The lockers block my view, so I can't see who it is. However, I hear light footsteps approaching, which is quite different from the usual heavy stomping.

"Hey, Donnie."

I raise my head to find Payton standing before me, her movements nervous and uncertain. "What the hell are you doing in here?" I hiss, throwing my shirt over my bare chest. "You're violating the restraining order."

"Why did you do that to me?" she whispers, her blue eyes are full of tears. "Don't you care about me?"

I don't respond but just stare at her wondering if she"s mentally unstable. That's the only explanation for her behavior.

"I don"t remember any of it," she whispers, looking down at her hands, still fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

I raise an eyebrow suspiciously. "You don"t remember what you did, but you"re apologizing?"

That makes no fucking sense.

"I didn"t do it on purpose, Donnie. Please believe me," she begs, her voice trembling like she's afraid.

I stand up and feel a sudden rush of anger. I grab the rest of my things from the locker and slam it shut with a loud thud. My heart pounds in my chest as I turn toward Payton. "I don"t believe you," I tell her. "What you did was fucked up. I don"t know what your game is, but you won"t win."

Her blue eyes flash with anger, and her innocent demeanor is stripped away, replaced with the look of a she-devil. It is as if I am looking at a completely different person.

"I saw how you looked at my naked body. You wanted me," she says with a twisted grin.

She is delusional. I have never looked at her that way and sure as fuck don't want her.

She tilts her head and has this mischievous look. "Maybe I should get rid of your perfect girlfriend," she seethes.

I take a menacing step toward her, my eyes locked on hers. My heart races and my hands shake with anger. "You stay the hell away from her," I growl through gritted teeth, my words dripping with venom. "If I catch you near her, I will go to the board and report your crazy ass. And this time, I'll make sure the cops arrest you."

She doesn't flinch or show any signs of fear. We just stand there for a moment, staring at each other in silence. I hear my own breathing, heavy and ragged, and my pulse pounding in my ears.

Finally, I step back. As I walk past her, she speaks up. "You"ll be sorry," she taunts. I ignore her and slam the door shut behind me.

Present

I sprint toward the hospital"s sliding doors, the guys right behind me. When I finally reach the reception area, panting and breathless, I blurt out, "Sadie Ramirez."

The receptionist quickly types on her keyboard and then looks back at me. "Due to lack of beds in the ER and she was not in critical condition, she was moved to the pediatric floor on the fourth level," she says. "Just go down this hall on your right and through the double doors," she adds. "The elevators will be on the left side."

I immediately turn and run toward the elevator, repeatedly pressing the up button as if that will make it go faster. "Come on, come on!" I mutter under my breath, feeling anxious and helpless.

"D, calm down," Seb says from behind me. But I am too overwhelmed to listen.

"Any word on Tia?" Max asks.

I shake my head. The last thing I remember is Ash jumping in the back of the rig the moment he saw Tia on the stretcher.

As we ascend to the fourth floor, I tap my fingers nervously on my leg, watching the numbers slowly light up. When we arrive, I am the first out of the elevator. But my relief quickly turns into dread when I see Jo crouched against the wall, rocking back and forth with his head in his hands.

"No, no." I stagger back, feeling my heart sink.

"Don't jump to conclusions, D. Let"s go," Seb urges me forward, trying to keep me moving. I follow reluctantly, still feeling the weight of my fear and uncertainty.

When we approach Jo, he looks up at the sound of our footsteps and I see his devastated face and bloodshot eyes.

"Where is she?" Are the first words out of my mouth.

Jo slowly stands up, his shoulders slumping, and looks at me with a pained expression.

"Where is she!?" I shout, but he doesn't flinch.

"I need you to calm down," he says, trying to pacify me.

"I don"t need to calm down. Just tell me where she is," I let out a growl of annoyance.

"I don't have all the news, but she was found unconscious in her apartment. It looks like she took a bad fall." His voice breaks as tears flow down his cheeks.

My mind races with questions. "What about my boys?" I ask, my voice shaking.

When Jo looks forlorn, my knees give way. If Seb wasn"t behind me, I would have fallen back.

"I don't know," Jo says, his tone broken.

My heart sinks. "And Shorty?" I ask, my voice trembling.

"She hasn't woken up yet," he adds quietly.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I fall to my knees and strong arms envelop me. I know it is Seb, and I cling to him.

I hear Max roar and punch the walls. Gio tries to calm him down.

"Security!" a female voice screams.

My sons may not make it.

The love of my life may not make it.

I feel utterly shattered.

Nothing will ever bring me back together if anything happens to them.