68. Tessa

68

Tessa

A few minutes earlier...

H arry's voice rolls over me and I close my eyes. The trip to get ice cream has been fun and I feel a lot more relaxed than I did earlier. I trust Kade to keep us safe. I'm not blind: I know he's carrying concealed and there's another gun in the glove box.

My mind runs through what we can have in for dinner, not that the kids will be hungry for a while. Maybe some chicken dippers with fries. Or tomato and basil pasta.

Yeah, pasta is better. I can do some garlic bread and a side salad for me and Kade. It's a warm evening so we can sit on the terrace.

When the car rams us from behind, I'm thrown forward into the airbag, and for a moment, I can't breathe. Everything fades away as the car surges forward. Time slows down and then there's another impact. This time, it's on Kade's side.

I can hear screaming. Is it me? A man in a balaclava appears on Kade's side of the car and fires at us, but the window doesn't break. How is this even happening in broad daylight? Where are the cops?

Another man wrenches my door open and grabs my arm. I try to fight him off but he's much too strong and my head hurts from the impact of two cars hitting us. He fires at Kade but misses.

Chloe screams even louder and when I'm dragged from the car, there's a gunshot and I see a body fall.

Two men run toward us. Both are dressed in black tactical gear. These are no random carjackers. This has been planned. I hear a second gunshot as I'm bundled toward the waiting car. My heart stops. Are the kids hurt?

Then one of the two men appears with Chloe, his arm wrapped firmly around her wriggling body.

"Let go of my baby!" I yell before I'm shoved into the back of a car.

"Ah, my sweet baby," a familiar voice says as a heavyset man shoves Chloe into the car with me and jumps in seconds before it's driven away at high speed.

When I look up, Elaine is cuddling my daughter, who's hysterical by this point.

"Who are you?" The car takes a turn at high speed, throwing me into the door, and I hit my head.

Elaine doesn't seem to care. She just smiles at me. "I'm Chloe's grandmother."

"What? Are you fucking delusional?" The woman is talking nonsense. I know for a fact my mother is dead. Enzo's mom, too. So this woman is not Chloe's grandmother, even if she thinks she is.

But she chuckles like we're on our way to pick up a Happy Meal. Like this a fun family outing.

"It's OK. I know this is a shock for you, but I'm confident we can repair our relationship soon. I'm looking forward to getting to know my sweet little girl." She strokes Chloe's tear-stained face and smiles.

Yep, the woman is from Crazy Town, Population: 1.

The car swerves around another corner and I'm thrown sideways again because I'm not belted in. Crazy Granny holds Chloe tightly, refusing to let her go, even though she's sobbing her little heart out and reaching for me with her pudgy hands.

"Please give me my daughter." I'm trying really hard to keep a lid on my hysteria, but I'm a woman on the edge of a breakdown.

The awful scene in the car plays in my mind and I keep seeing Harry's white panicked face as the men dragged us from the car. The only thing preventing me from losing my shit is the knowledge that Kade is with him.

Harry has to be OK. He's not here with us, so they didn't get him. These people had no reason to hurt him. It was Chloe they wanted. Me too, it seems.

"We'll be home soon." Crazy Granny ignores my request and settles back in her seat, crooning some fucking lullaby to my daughter, although it's not in English, so I can't be sure what she's singing.

Not that Chloe's impressed at her vocal range. She cries even harder.

"It's OK, baby. Mommy's here," I whisper.

The car stops abruptly and I'm pulled out by my wrist. We're in a large, empty warehouse. There's a second car parked nearby, with several armed men standing around, watching the area like they're expecting trouble.

I hope they're right. I hope my father's men are about to swarm out of the woodwork to rescue me. But truthfully, I'm clutching at straws here.

My father handed over responsibility for me and the children to Kade rather than handle it himself. If he's too busy running his empire to want me around, he's hardly going to pull out all the stops if I get kidnapped.

I hope Kade gives enough of a shit to come after me. I'm certain he will. And even if he's not invested in me, Cin is. Madden too.

My guys will rescue me.

One of the armed guys walks toward me. I freeze. Is this an execution? My legs wobble and I try to speak. To plead for my life. But the words won't come. He gets closer, but there's nowhere to go. The man holding me huffs with annoyance when I attempt to pull away. His meaty hands tighten around my wrist like manacles.

"Quit it, bitch. We don't have time for this."

The goon in the black suit standing before me pulls a syringe from his pocket. He smiles and then stabs it in my neck.

Whatever he gave me takes immediate effect. Chloe's cries filter out from the car as I slump against my captor and pass out.