30. Theo

Slipping in and out, weaving through the alley, I head to the back entrance of the store, knocking on the door to collect something for Declan. I'm trying to keep under the radar about our suspicions, so I've been pretending everything is fine and it's business as usual.

Once I've finished the errand, I'm heading back out when I get a call. It's Daniel, and I answer it, hoping he's got more intel for us.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask, ensuring that all the bills are in the envelope the proprietor gave me.

"Theo, I need you to listen carefully," he says. "We got word that the DeLucci Family took a girl hostage. The description given makes me think it's Evangeline."

"Evangeline?" I repeat. "Are you guys sure?"

Daniel's voice is grim. "The description given was a petite blonde woman, visibly pregnant. I thought you should know."

My mind races as I consider the implications of this news. My instincts are screaming at me to leap into action, to do whatever it takes to rescue Evangeline from danger.

But beneath the fear and urgency is fierce anger which threatens to consume me, and my hands shake so hard, I nearly drop my phone. Forcing myself to remain calm, I breathe in and out slowly.

"Thanks, Daniel," I say, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside. "We can handle it from here."

As I end the call, my thoughts are focused on one thing—finding Eva and bringing her home. I dial Ryder's number, emotions on high alert.

"Hey, Theo, we were just planning on seeing if you wanted to get dinner and go to the club tonight," Ryder says, entirely too cheerful for the grave situation we're facing.

"Ryder, shut up," I snap. "Listen to me. The fucking DeLucci Family has her. They got Eva. Daniel just called. They took her, and God knows what they're doing to her."

Ryder lets out a growl, his frustration evident. "Fucking gobshites," he curses. "Oliver, get over here!"

As he explains to our brother what's going on, my mind races. Why the fuck would they take Eva, and where did they take her? Is she alright? If she's hurt in any way, the entire DeLucci Family is going down.

"Theo," Ryder calls my name, sounding like it isn't the first time he's called it. "Theo!"

"I'm here," I say, mouth in a grim line. "We need a plan."

"Oliver and I are calling up the Callahans now," he says. "Nobody touches what's ours without permission. You wanna fuck with us, you'll get the wrath of the entire Callahan gang down on your fuckin' heads."

"Someone needs to figure out where the hell they took her!" I yell, frustration and helplessness churning like a maelstrom inside me.

"Paddy is on it," Ryder relays. "He's got his contact tracking her now. Once we figure out where she is, we'll be on our way to meet you there."

"I just can't… I don't… fuck!" I scream, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. "Fucking hell! I'm going to kill those spaghetti bastards!"

"Theo, we're gonna get her back," Ryder says, his voice bringing me out of my rage. "Don't you worry. We're going to get her back."

"If they hurt her, or if they hurt the baby…"

"She's strong, Theo. She can keep our baby safe. Our little girl is gonna be fine."

"Girl?" I ask, voice cracking. "It's a girl?"

"Yeah, didn't Oli tell you? He went with her to the appointment. She's havin' a little girl, Theo. We're gonna be dads to a little girl."

Despite the chaos and uncertainty we're facing, the one thing that grounds me in the moment is the knowledge that I'm having a daughter. It's everything I never knew I wanted, and it makes me more determined than ever to face the oncoming storm to protect my family.

"Okay, Paddy is getting back to us now. The DeLuccis were spotted bringing her into La Lune, the old hotel on Ryker Street."

"Got it," I say, my eyes narrowing. "I'll meet you guys there. I'm across town now, but I'll be there as soon as possible."

As I hang up, my mind starts racing, plans forming and being discarded as I stride toward my car, jumping inside and taking off immediately.

The traffic feels endless as I race across town, my hands drumming an anxious beat on the steering wheel to try to keep myself focused. Finally, the old hotel is within my sights. I spot several Callahan vehicles driving up, slipping around the corner where they won't be spotted by a lookout. Following them, I park next to them in an empty parking lot a few streets over.

Oliver and Ryder are with them, emerging from the backseat together. Oliver has a chain wrapped around his fist and Ryder is holding a bat over his shoulder. I pull the gun out of the holster I always keep on my belt and join them, the three of us making our way through the back of the hotel together with more of our men behind us.

"You three, you go in front and scout and tell us how many DeLucci men we're facing," I say, ordering everyone around. "Oliver, you go with Paddy and Sean to the other side so we can hit them from both directions. Ryder, you and Gil are with me."

Everyone nods, understanding their role in this raid.

My heart pounds in my chest as we navigate our way through the dimly lit hotel. The air is thick with tension, a musty smell lingering as we step past broken, boarded up windows and discarded relics of the past.

Several of my men come back, grim looks on their faces. "I think there's at least a dozen men," Doyle says. "Maybe more. That was all we managed to count."

"We can take them," I tell them, my tone sounding more confident than I feel inside. Motioning for the men to join me, we march forward, weapons in hand as we approach the outermost layer of DeLucci guards.

"Where is she?" I demand, voice low and dangerous.

The guard sneers, eyes flashing with malice. "The little bird we caught in our trap? Don't worry, we'll take real good care of her."

Ryder steps forward, fists clenched. "Touch her and I swear I'll?—"

But there's no time for threats. Chaos erupts around us as Oliver advances from the other side with his men, herding DeLuccis toward us.

Weapons fly through the air, guns blasting left and right as my mind becomes consumed by the fear for Eva's safety. We can't lose her. Not now, not ever.

One of the DeLucci men swings at me, catching me off-guard with his cryptic remark. "You think you know who"s really pulling the strings, Everhart? You have no idea."

I furrow my brow at his remark but push past the confusion, smacking him across the face with the butt of my gun. Ryder gleefully blasts men left and right with his rifle, and finally, after what feels like an eternity, the Callahans emerge victorious.

Breathing heavily, I scan the hotel lobby. "Eva!" I call out. "Evangeline!"

"Theo!" she calls back, alerting me to her position. She's just down the hall, and I rush toward it, heart pounding in anticipation.

Bursting into the ballroom, my eyes search frantically for Eva. And there she is, bound to a chair in the center of the room. Relief floods through me as I rush to her side, quickly cutting her restraints.

My voice is laced with concern as I pull her into my arms. "Are you okay?"

She nods, her eyes wide. "I am now," she whispers, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "I was so scared that you would get hurt. I'm sorry that you had to come and save me."

"Fuck, don't… don't talk like that," I tell her. "We'd come for you a thousand times."

Together, we make our way back to the lobby, Ryder and Oliver flanking us as soon as we come into sight. The two of them help Eva outside to one of the cars while I deal with facing off against the remaining DeLuccis.

"You bastards think you can steal what belongs to someone else and get away with it?" I ask, anger seeping out of every pore. "If it weren't for the fact that I'm not interested in starting a full-scale war, I'd gun each and every one of you down without hesitation right here and now," I tell them.

My lip curls into a sneer. "Tie them up," I order my men. The weasels will find their way out of the trap eventually, but for now, I don't want anyone coming after us.

Once the DeLucci scum is secured, I head back outside to the car, where Eva is pressed between Oliver and Ryder, their hands stroking over her hair and patting her back reassuringly.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," I say. We take off back for Shadowvale, and along the way, I call Dr. Monroe, asking him to meet us at the manor.

I keep looking back at Eva all through our drive, almost unable to believe we got her back safe and sound. I never want her out of my sight again, which is a dangerous thought, I realize.

I'm surrounded by danger all day, every day. Can I let Eva into this world with us, knowing that?

Once we arrive, Dr. Monroe meets us at the front door, helping Eva upstairs along with my brothers. I stay outside to call Daniel and brief him on the situation. We try not to get the cops involved as much as possible, so I don't want any of them showing up to investigate what happened at the hotel.

Once I'm done, I finally feel like I can breathe again.

My thoughts turn to that cryptic comment one of the DeLucci men made. What did he mean that I don't know who's really pulling the strings? Is it possible that Declan was behind Eva's kidnapping?

Feeling like that might be too sinister even for Declan, I brush it aside so I can go in and check on her. Still, the thought lingers in my mind as I walk into the house, nagging at me. Would he seriously do something like that just to keep us off his trail?