Chapter Twenty-Five
his mother’s house. He hadn’t stopped Reggie when she left, not again. He couldn’t tie her up and force her stay, even when he wanted to. He didn’t bother lying to himself. She ignited something in him that Josh never expected to feel again. Hell, it’d been stronger than Sonja, stronger than anything. Whatever demons had her running. If Reggie wouldn’t let him in to help—then he’d have to hope she’d figure it out and come back to him.
Something told him, though, that she was never coming back.
He slammed the steering wheel and shook his head, trying to rid himself of thoughts of Reggie. He still had two kids that needed him. Josh couldn’t afford to let himself get lost over a woman. His kids had already lost one parent and despite Sonja’s promise to be different now he didn’t hold his breath.
Killing the engine, Josh got out of the truck and walked into the house.
“Mom, I’m here! Emma, you ready?”
Silence greeted him, and he frowned. His mom’s car was in the front drive, so they had to be around somewhere.
“Mom? Emma?”
A muffled groan sent a spike of fear through him. Josh walked through the front hall to the living room and found his mother’s slumped frame tied to a chair. Blood slid down her face from her forehead.
“Mom!” He ran over, kneeling in front of her. He gripped her head gently, pushing her hair out of her face. “Mom!”
Her eyes fluttered and Josh pulled off the cloth gag that restricted her speech. “Hey, it’s Josh. Mom?” She pried her eyes open even more, her hazel eyes glassy, but coherent.
“Josh?” She shook her head.
He let out a breath. “Mom, where’s Emma?”
“They took her,” she said. “Josh, I’m so sorry. They took her!”
The world fell out from beneath Josh’s feet. “Who?” He moved around to untie her wrists. “Who took her?”
He helped her out of the chair, moving her to the couch. His stomach flip-flopped, and a hint of hysteria tinged his mind. Someone had Emma. He had to find them, find her. He’d almost lost her once and he couldn’t do it again.
“I don’t know,” she said in a weak voice. “They were looking for Sonja, for the drugs or money or something.”
“God damn it!” Standing up, Josh pulled out his cell phone.
Mary put a hand over his and shook her head. “No! They said if we call the cops, they’ll kill her.”
His finger froze in midair at the thought of someone hurting his baby girl. “What do they want?”
“Ten thousand dollars or the drugs,” Mary said. “And Sonja.”
The world tilted, and Josh sat on the edge of the coffee table. He didn’t have any of those things. His mom should have known better than to invite Sonja back into the house. She should have known it would bring nothing but trouble, but even Josh could admit, none of them expected this.
Knowing that Emma was once again in danger made Josh realize that the next time he saw his ex-wife, he couldn’t be responsible for his actions. “Who took her?” His voice was quiet, filled with contempt for a woman who was supposed to be a mother, but instead found more pleasure in drugs than her own children.
His mom put a hand to her head, wincing when her fingers found the gash. Josh idly got up and went to the kitchen, getting a clean washcloth and wetting it down.
“He said his name was Marcus Crichton.”
Josh shook his head, knowing the name sounded familiar, but unable to place it. He sat down next to his mother and began cleaning up her wound. “We have to call the cops. Carrie—“
“These men were serious.” She grabbed his hand and held it tight. “If we call the cops, get them involved—“ Her eyes widened, filled with tears. “Josh—I believe they will kill her.”
He clenched his jaw. This was the epitome of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he went to the cops, he might lose Emma. If he didn’t, he might lose her anyway. Even if they gave them the money or the drugs, he still might not get his daughter back.
And all he wanted to do was kill Sonja for bringing this shit storm into their lives.
“Where is she?” Josh asked. His words came out with such rage, he barely recognized himself. “Where is Sonja?”
His mother tensed and shook her head. “I don’t know. After I flushed the drugs, she stormed out. I haven’t seen her since.”
“You need to go to the hospital,” Josh said, standing up. His anger extended to his mother for being stupid enough to let Sonja walk through the front door. When she reached out to him, he pulled away. “For now, tell them you fell down the stairs.”
“Josh—“
“Don’t.” He stopped for a moment and took a breath. “You had her here, behind my back. This isn’t your fault, but you sure as fuck didn’t help any.”
Before his mother could reply, Josh walked out the front door. He knew where Sonja’s old hangouts were. He’d start there and tear apart the whole damn town if that’s what it took to find out who she crossed and get his kid back safe. Nothing would stop him from finding Emma.
Reggie pulled her rig into a truck stop just outside Merrydale. She needed to get some provisions for the drive. Not that she knew where she was going. After she got far enough away, she’d sell the truck for cash, get a new identity, and figure out a new career that kept her on the move. She doubted any would be as good as truck driving, but she’d find a way. If Reggie wanted to stay away from her mother, she had to.
Hopping out of the rig, she walked around to the pump using a credit card that wasn’t even in her alias. She clicked the bar down so the pump could run without her holding it and leaned against the rig, pressing her head against the hot metal body. She closed her eyes, wondered what the hell she was doing. How could she keep running? Technology today made it nearly impossible. Even now, she knew where every camera was in the station and managed to position herself so that they wouldn’t pick her up. They’d see her truck, though. Reggie had to ditch it as soon as she could.
The smell of gasoline clouded her thoughts, and she opened her eyes as a dark SUV pulled up on the other side. It wasn’t unheard of to see regular cars around this way. The truck stop had food, showers, and regular gas, as well as diesel. Bathroom breaks didn’t always schedule themselves near a rest stop on the interstate.
A large man, bald and angry looking, stepped out of the car as he adjusted his suit. Reggie narrowed her gaze, noticing the bulge beneath the hem of his jacket. That nagging feeling wiggled at the base of her skull. This wasn’t one of her mother’s men. Definitely not Angelo and Dimitri, but he gave off the same vibe of danger.
Reggie stayed relaxed, but eyed her surroundings. Just because she didn’t know the man, it didn’t mean her mother hadn’t hired him, didn’t mean he didn’t work for the family. If her mom found out that Dom knew where Reggie was, she’d keep the facts from him, try to trip them both up.
The bald man walked past her inside, barely giving her a second glance.
She didn’t let her guard down. They weren’t about making a scene. If they drew attention, that would leave witnesses and one hell of a mess to clean up.
The metal bar clicked, stopping the gas from flowing. Taking it from the tank, Reggie shook it off and replaced it in the cradle before declining a receipt.
“Reggie!” Her name came out as a muffled word as something thumped on the other side of the tank.
Stepping around, she eased her hand to the small of her back, where the gun waited for her grip.
Her heart skipped when she saw Emma’s tiny face in the tinted window for a brief moment before being pulled back into the darkness. Every instinct was to rush the door, pull it open, and jerk her out. It wasn’t Josh’s vehicle, or Carrie’s. It wasn’t anyone that Reggie noticed around the property, or hell, around the kids at all.
But she couldn’t just rush up. She knew it might get Emma killed.
Of course, the kid just identified her. Reggie gave a perplexed look, as if she wasn’t sure what she just saw. Purposely shrugging, she turned on her heel, and followed Baldy into the convenience store as if it were any other day.
He walked past the aisles into the head.
Like she said, sometimes pee breaks just aren’t scheduled.
Only a few people browsed the aisles, which Reggie was thankful for. It would make her next move much easier. Later, the cameras would be able to see what happened, but at this point, she didn’t care. She needed to find out who had Emma, and why.
To hell with the consequences.