23. Chapter Twenty-Three

23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rowan

***Twenty Hours Earlier***

W alking through the front doors you can instantly feel the emptiness. It's not a home right now, just four walls and a shell. The life that lives here feels like it drained away with Clara and Rhett gone. I have no time to dwell on that though, the six of us make our way through the house and up to Mac's tech room. Thankfully this room is huge and we can all fit in here comfortably. It's a large room with monitors, keyboards, and other things with wires coming out that I couldn't even guess the function of. Mac sits in the center of a desk on the far wall and instantly starts clicking and typing things as at least fifteen screens come to life. Each one is playing a different security camera footage angle, how he's doing this and what he's even looking for is beyond me.

We all look around at the monitors when Declan finally gets impatient, " Mac, what are we looking for? We can't help if we don't know what the fuck is going on."

Mac sounds like he's more talking to himself than us, "It's right on the tip of my finger, I know who it is. I KNOW, where's the fucking proof though? It's here I know it is." His fingers are flying as he's scanning all the monitors.

I'm about to suggest we take a break because he seems like he's about to have a nervous breakdown when he yells, "There! I've got it!" Enlarging the image on the screen so we can see who's been working with Preston we get the first clear image of their face. My heart drops to my feet as a wave of nausea takes over. My brothers collectively gasp and I hear a few muttered ‘No fucking way's but I'm too stunned to speak. Grabbing my phone out of my pocket I call Killian. Waiting the most anguishing twenty seconds of my life the phone cuts to his voicemail.

My wild eyes fly to Mac's "Find them. Find them now."

It took Mac less than five minutes to pull them up on his phone. I had been feeling guilty about having a tracker on them, but I've never been more thankful for being an overprotective prick. Mac hands the phone to me confusing the fuck out of me, their trackers aren't together. Kieran, who's looking over my shoulder, says aloud what I'm thinking.

"They aren't together? No, that can't be right." Yet both trackers are moving and it's clear ones in a vehicle and ones on foot.

Looking to my brothers feeling so broken for the first time since my parents died, "What do I do? I can't be in both places at once. "

Flynn grips my shoulder as Dec speaks up, "We have to pass the first location to follow the second tracker. We'll go to both, and we'll get them back safe, I promise you Roe. If it's the last thing we do, we'll get our family back together." Nodding, I slide the stone cold, no mercy, ruthless killer mask in place. I'm not going to save my wife and son by being the crying husband and dad. No, I'm going to get them and I dare anyone to step in my way.

* * *

Pulling into the old gas station and skidding into a spot my eyes are laser focused on my phone and the dot blinking. We all have the same app pulled up right now. The hard part about finding Rhett, hopefully unharmed? He can't hear us yelling for him. Heading straight for the woods I look to Kie, "He's in the woods?"

Kieran shrugs, "Or Safe is in the woods. Rowan, he may not be with the bear, have you thought about that?"

Have I thought about that? What kind of stupid fucking question is that? I've spent the past almost two hours thinking of nothing but every single situation we may be walking into. However, snapping that response at him would be counterproductive so I just nod and continue moving into the woods.

Leading the six of us, I'm moving as swiftly and quietly as possible just in case he isn't in here alone. As we approach the blinking dot that stopped moving around forty-five minutes ago I find myself holding my breath. My eyes scanning all over the area, we're right here at the dot. Come on Little Bear. Where are you? I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and break off into a full sprint, sliding on my knees and stopping directly in front of my boy's crumpled form.

Yelling out, "Got Him!", my hand slowly reaches out to brush the curls out of his face. As soon as I make contact he's letting out an ear piercing scream, his hazel eyes fly to mine with so much fear. He's trembling, clutching the bear I gave him, instantly I'm noticing the left side of his face is scraped up and swollen.

"Daddy? Daddy!" He throws his arm around me and I scoop him up while also grabbing Safe and standing up. Surrounded by my brothers, holding him, and knowing that at least from a physical standpoint he isn't life altering hurt, I can't hold back anymore. Tears flood my eyes and free fall, this is relief like I've never felt. Pulling him back slightly and taking note of the way his left arm and leg aren't wrapped around me with even a fraction of the strength his right are, I shift my arm to support him more on that side.

Sully stands beside me and signs what I'm thinking but don't have free hands to ask, "Bear, we need you to tell us what happened? How'd you end up out here?" Rhett does his best to relay what happened, although he's not even five yet and his mobility in his left hand is limited. Regardless we get most of the picture; they stopped to go to the bathroom, Preston showed up, he threw Rhett across the parking lot (which he'll be skinned alive for), Clara told him to run somewhere safe and wait for me, and he hid in the woods until I got here. He hasn't seen Killian, or anyone else for that matter, which I guess is good all things considered.

Tucking him tight into me we make our way out of the woods. Declan insists on examining his injuries when we get back to the SUV, after some back and forth I relent as long as he can stay in my arms. Declan used to swear he was going to be a paramedic when we were younger. So much so that he researched everything he needed to know and would make us quiz him on ailments, injuries, and the best ways to treat them. That was before we were smacked with the reality that all we could ever really be is working members of the family. I'm holding Rhett while Declan examines him.

Flynn translates as Dec speaks out loud, "His shoulder is dislocated, and at the very least his knee and ankle are sprained, at most they're broken. He needs scans Roe, a hospital, or an Urgent Care."

Knowing he's right, and I'll be dead before I leave him again, my eyes turn to my other brothers,"Okay, let's go. Sully, Kieran and Mac you guys follow Clara. I want a location and a rescue plan by the time we leave the ER." With our plans set, the other three leave while as gently as possible I get Rhett buckled in so we can go get him taken care of.

Three hours later we're leaving the hospital with a bag of medications and a little boy with two casts on. His ankle was broken, as well as his humerus, and clavicle. The medicine they put him on is strong enough to have him passed out right now. That and the trauma he endured today is probably enough to have him out for the rest of the day and night. He was a soldier, though. Keeping a brave face the entire time, he's more like me than I realized, which is humorous since my DNA didn't help make him. Getting him buckled then myself situated while Flynn buckles in on the other side of him, Dec calls the other three.

Kieran answers before the first ring stops, "How is he?"

Declan barks out, "What do you have?" at the exact same time.

Agitated beyond belief and needing updates I answer before they can, "Kieran first, what do you have for me?"

He awkwardly clears his throat, "You're not going to like this, She's in Arizona. She's being held in some kind of house from what we can tell. Weirdest part is that the house is in a neighborhood. I don't know what the significance is, if any, but we know where she is. We're on the jet to Arizona now. A second one is waiting for you guys. Bags are packed on it already, even one for Bear. Speaking of, how is he?"

We give them the run down of Rhett's injuries and decide they'll watch the house until we can get there and formulate a plan. Once this is all said and done, I'm taking them away from all this shit. I can keep them safe on a deserted island, where no one can get to us.

* * *

We're at the hotel five minutes from the house, Rhett's been in and out for almost a full twelve hours. Currently he's passed out in my lap with his legs on either side of my waist and his good arm draped over my shoulder. His casted arm is between us, pulled tight to his body by the smallest sling I've ever seen. His face buried into my shoulder and he's snoring softly while one of my arms holds him in place. We're going over our game plan now. I need to get Clara out of there now, but Mac brought up a good point.

"We have no idea what we're walking into. She's definitely in there, but we have no idea what else waits for us. Is it both of the assholes and her? Is she alone? Or is there an entire fucking army waiting for us? We have to be careful. "

My emotions are all over the place, and all I know right now is that the keeper of my heart and soul is in that house with her shitty ex and we have no idea what position she's in. God help me, let her be alive. Let me get her back from this nightmare.

"Fuck being careful, I will go in guns blazing right now. I don't think you understand that I do not care what has to be done. We're getting her now. That's an order!"

Kieran steps up, "Listen, Roe, I can't imagine what you're going through right now. But you can't run in there guns blazing. For one she could easily be caught in the crossfire. For two your kid is sleeping on your chest right now. He needs his parents alive and okay. We'll get her out while also making sure no one but the traitor and the bastard are killed."

Using my free hand to tug at my hair, I can't keep it in any longer, I try but it explodes out of me, "You don't get it, you don't know everything! We need her back. We can't.. Kieran I can't lose her. I won't survive it, there is no me without her."

Suddenly Mac shoots up out of his chair, "Motherfucker, I'm in." He laughs in disbelief. "I'm in his system." Scooting my chair as gently as possible over to his laptop we comb through his security system. It takes about fifteen minutes but we find her. She's in the basement, and Preston is in there too. Turning the sound on we catch the end of their conversation, "It's time to remind you who you belong to, and what happens when you try to leave." My stomach drop as his boot connects with her ribs, the only thing keeping me in this seat is a sleeping boy.

Unable to stop myself I growl out, "We're going in NOW!"