Time Stands Still (Forever and Ever #51)

by E. L. Todd

  Trinity’s eyes watered when the weight of situation hit her. “Oh my god…”

  “What about Scarlet? Cassandra?” I asked.

  “Both safe,” Mike answered. “They’re in a safe house together. But they don’t know what’s going on. Sean and I don’t want to tell them right now. They’ll go into a panic.”

  Trinity cried quietly beside me, her chest heaving with sobs. “Roland…no.”

  “We’ll get him back,” Mike said with conviction. “I can promise you that.”

  “Do we know who took him?” I asked.

  Mike shook his head. “No. But we’ll figure it out.”

  “I need to know if Skye is okay.” Trinity reached for her phone on her nightstand.

  Mike gently pushed her hand down. “Sean took care of it. The second he knows something he’ll call.”

  I squeezed her hand. “They’ll be okay, baby. Cayson will protect them. He’s strong, fast, and smart.”

  She nodded in agreement, needing that comfort.

  Mike placed a hand on her cheek then grabbed her shoulder, checking to see if she was real. The affection and relief was heavy in his eyes. He breathed hard, his eyes building up with moisture. “I’m so grateful you’re alright. I hate what Sean is going through. I couldn’t even imagine…”

  She grabbed his wrist. “We’re okay, Dad. Conrad and I are both okay.”

  “This is such a nightmare,” he whispered. “Our family took a hard hit today.”

  The weight of the situation rested heavily on my shoulders. I knew the plague that hit our family would test our limits. We were all vulnerable and under attack. Whoever did this to us wanted to make us suffer—and they were succeeding. But I couldn’t give into the fear. I had to be strong for Trinity.

  I had to be strong for everyone.

  Chapter Four

  Skye

  Cedric had been crying in the middle of the night all week. He had a slight cold so he was uncomfortable. Sometimes he was too hot and sometimes he was too cold. I went into his bedroom since Cayson had work in the morning. I didn’t want to wake him up when I had all day to snap.

  I scooped him into my arms and gently rocked him in the rocking chair. Once he was in my arms his cries softened. They turned into gentle coos. He kicked his feet restlessly and flung his hands around.

  “I know, baby.” I kissed his forehead. “You’ll feel better soon, alright?” I rocked him back and forth and stared at his face, waiting for his eyes to close. He spent the following ten minutes staring at me, looking into my eyes the way I looked at his.

  I didn’t mind getting up in the middle of the night to console him. It didn’t matter what time of day it was. I loved holding him in my arms and treasuring the beautiful baby Cayson and I made together. He was absolutely perfect in every way imaginable. Now I couldn’t imagine my life without him. It was as if he’d always been there.

  When Cedric finally fell asleep, I stood up and returned him to the crib. I placed him back on the mattress and pulled the thin blanket over his body. His little feet and hands were covered with the material, and soon he was fast asleep again.

  He was perfect.

  I looked up out the window and realized the blinds were still open. Just when I went to close them I saw a black car approach our driveway. I stilled in terror and noticed the headlights weren’t on. They clearly didn’t want to be seen.

  It was nearly midnight.

  Whatever was happening wasn’t good. And based on the things that had already happened to my family, this was terrifying. Whoever was in that car only had one purpose for being here.

  I ran back into the bedroom. “Cayson! Get up! Someone is breaking into the house.”

  Cayson jumped out of bed immediately, coming to consciousness the second he heard me scream. He stumbled slightly when he was on his feet, his hair messy and his eyes hooded. “What?”

  “A black car just pulled into our driveway. No headlights.” I snatched my cell phone off the dresser and immediately called the police.

  Cayson finally came around and sprang into action. He grabbed the wooden baseball bat from underneath the bed and left the room.

  I followed him and spoke to the operator. “Someone is breaking into our house. It’s a black car with tinted windows. I can’t see who’s inside, but they’re on our property.” I gave her all the information before I hung up. She wanted me to stay on the line, but I couldn’t focus on that right now.

  Cayson grabbed Cedric out of the crib and held him against his chest. Thankfully, he didn’t cry. “Hide.”

  I didn’t want to hide. I wanted to grab the best weapon I could find and help Cayson fight off our attackers. But I knew that wasn’t my place anymore. My job was to protect our son even if that meant abandoning Cayson to fight them off alone.

  Cayson read my thoughts in my eyes. “I’ll be okay.” He handed him off to me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you.” He kissed Cedric on the forehead. “I love you too.”

  I started to cry. I couldn’t help it. I was so scared of losing my husband, my family.

  He grabbed me by the forearm and pulled me into the spare bedroom. He opened the closet and guided me inside before he covered us with the extra shoeboxes and suits that neither one of us used. Then he shut the door without saying goodbye.

  I cried to myself with my son cradled in my arms.

  And then I prayed.

  Chapter Five

  Cayson

  Now I wish I had a gun.

  It was stupid not to have one.

  If I survived this, I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  I gripped the bat and felt my tendons tense with adrenaline. I wouldn’t hesitate the second someone entered the house. I would break every skull and every bone. There would be no mercy from me. And I expected none from them.

  I lingered in the entryway, knowing they would come through the front door or the back door. I lingered in the shadows so I couldn’t be seen. The bat was held in both hands, chafing against my skin because I gripped it so tightly.

  Two shadows emerged from the backdoor. They didn’t carry flashlights, but the illumination of the moon wasn’t so bright when they were pressed to the window. The alarm was set, but they moved forward anyway.

  I was scared. But fear was the least emotion I felt. My family was on the line, so I didn’t have the ability to feel the terror. All I could think about was keeping them safe. It made me ten times stronger than I normally was. Every muscle was pumped with blood and adrenaline. I would kill these men no matter what their intentions were. Maybe they just wanted to rob us. But I had a strong hunch that wasn’t the case.

  I stayed in the shadows and waited for them to make their move. The alarm would sound the second they opened the door, and that should blindside them enough for me to crush their skulls.

  They pulled out a device and pressed it against the window. After a few buttons they unlocked the back door and slid it open without tripping the alarm.

  What the hell?

  I knew I wasn’t up against average criminals. These guys were professionals, if there was such a thing.

  And that just made everything worse.

  They entered the house without noticing me, falsely assuming we were upstairs and sound asleep.

  They were large men with pistols. Silently, they moved across the floor without making a sound.

  But they didn’t notice me.

  Once I was behind them and their backs were to me, I made my move. I used every muscle in my body to swing the bat with crushing force. It landed against the back of the intruder’s head, making him crumble to a pile on the floor.

  I knew I only had a second to react.

  The second man turned his gun on me and fired.

  I rolled out of the way and somehow missed the flying bullets. I landed near his feet and slammed my bat into his ankles before he had the chance to train the gun on me. He buckled underneath the hit and fell forward.

  I
took the opportunity to jump on him and strike my fist against his face. I put all my strength into it, not thinking once about morals. All I knew was survival. If I didn’t kill him, he would kill me. And then he would take my family.

  I couldn’t let that happen.

  He fought back and slammed his fist into my face, drawing blood from my eyes and my nose.

  The pain was excruciating, but I didn’t feel any of it. Adrenaline stole all my focus. All I could do was strike until there was nothing but a corpse underneath me.

  He punched me in the side, hitting the area right over my ribs.

  My body naturally convulsed when the pain hit me at a tender spot, but I threw a punch anyway. We rolled around on the floor, the gun lying beside us. Every time I tried to grab it he derailed my attempts. Neck-to-neck, we fought for dominion over the fight.

  We were both covered in blood and sweat. My shoulder ached, and I thought it might be dislocated. My ribs screamed in agony, but my body pushed on. Punches were thrown and grunts were made.

  He got a hold of my neck and squeezed tightly, cutting off my air supply. I kept fighting. I kept punching. My lungs ached for breath, but I didn’t give up. If I did, I would lose more than I could afford.

  His free hand stretched for the gun, using my weakness against me.

  By a stroke of luck, the front door burst open. Police with guns entered the room, their flashlights bright.

  Thank fucking god.

  He loosened his hold on my neck when he realized he lost the battle. In a final attempt, he grabbed the gun and put his finger over the trigger.

  I punched his arm so he couldn’t get a shot, but it didn’t work.

  He pointed the barrel against his forehead and made the shot.

  Brains splattered across the hardwood floor, and his eyes immediately went dull.

  “No!” I grabbed his shoulders and slammed his head into the hardwood floor. I wanted to know who this man was. I wanted to know who broke into the house and tried to take my family. I needed answers, but I couldn’t get them if he was dead. I got off him and went to the other guy, hoping he was still alive.

  I pressed my fingertips against his neck but there wasn’t a pulse.

  Goddammit.

  “Cayson!” Sean came out of nowhere and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me. Can you hear me?”

  I turned to him, but my mind was still in fight mode. I just killed one man and watched another die right before my eyes. Reality was skewed. All I could think about was Skye and Cedric. They were safe in the closet. I didn’t even wonder why Sean was there.

  “Where’s Skye?” he demanded. “Where’s Cedric?” He shook me when I didn’t answer. “Are they okay? Tell me they’re okay.”

  “Upstairs. Hiding in the closet.” I was breathless and shaky. The bat had rolled away during the fight. Blood was everywhere. The lights came on when the police hit the switches.

  Sean took a deep breath, his eyes watering. “Thank god.”

  I slowly rose to my feet, already feeling sore from the battle of my life.

  “Thank you so much.” Sean pulled me in for a hug and held me for nearly a minute. “Thank you for protecting them. Thank you.”

  I patted his back, still disassociated from reality.

  “Cayson!” Skye pushed through the police offers until she reached me. Cedric was still in her eyes, his eyes wide at the commotion. She ran into my chest with our son still held in her arm. “You’re okay. Oh my god, you’re okay.”

  I wrapped my arms around her, caking her with blood. “I’m okay. Are you guys okay?”

  Skye nodded into my chest. “I was so scared, Cayson.”

  “No need to be scared. It’s over now.” I pulled Cedric from her arms and held him against my chest. There was nothing more comforting than holding him, feeling my son alive and well. I held Skye with my other hand. Together, we stood as a family. “We’re okay. No one can hurt us now.”

  Sean faded into the background, giving us our moment.

  I closed my family and felt my wife and son in my arms. Tonight could have gone quite differently. I was grateful that bat had been tucked under my bed. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to take out one of the guys. I thought I would feel guilty for claiming a man’s life but I didn’t. He would have taken my wife and child if he had the chance.

  I didn’t feel anything.

  Chapter Six

  Sean

  My office was the safest place in Manhattan so everyone gathered there. Bulletproof windows, security downstairs, and safe rooms made entirely of concrete were within our grasp. And we were together.

  “Where’s Mom?” Skye held Cedric in her arms. She didn’t put him down, even for a second.

  “She’s in a safe house with Aunt Cassandra.” They were probably safer than the rest of us. Only Mike and I knew the location of the house. It was off the map and undetectable by radar. Even my security detail didn’t know about it. The only way our enemies could find them was if Mike and I gave them up ourselves—and that would never happen.

  “Are they coming here?”

  “No. They’re staying put.” At this point it was too hazardous to move them.

  “And she doesn’t know about Roland?”

  I shook my head.

  Skye took the news harder than anyone. Her eyes were constantly wet with tears, and she held Cedric as close as possible.

  I kept up a strong exterior in front of her to keep her calm. If I gave into the fear I felt, it would just make her panic even more. “We’ll get him back, Skye. Don’t worry.”

  “I hope so…”

  “We will. Now lay down and get some rest.”

  She nodded then walked out of my office.

  Cayson walked in a moment later. His face was bruised and the cuts were still fresh. Sometimes blood dripped from his nose, but he tried to quickly wipe it away before anyone noticed. He couldn’t check into a hospital because I feared he would be tracked down. It wasn’t worth the risk. “What can I do? I want to help?”

  “We have every man working on the job. When there’s news, I’ll let you know.”

  He gripped the edge of my desk and leaned forward. “I hope he’s alright.”

  “I’m sure he’s okay.” I tried to convince myself to believe that but I struggled. If they laid a single hand on him I’d kill them all.

  “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”

  “No. Just keep Skye calm.”

  He nodded and stepped back.

  “Thank you for protecting them.” I could never convey my gratitude. My biggest fear was the safety of my children when I was no longer on this earth. Cayson gave me comfort because he protected my daughter and grandson. He was courageous and brave, going against two armed men when he only had a gun. “You’ll never understand how much I appreciate it.”

  Cayson gave a gentle nod before he walked out.

  Mike walked in a moment later. “Everyone is accounted for. The hit was just directed at our kids—no one else.”

  “That’s something to be thankful for.”

  “Ryan and Janice just got here. Arsen and Silke are with them. Abby too.”

  “Good. We should stay together.”

  “Cassandra just called. Scarlet is still buying the story.”

  “Good.” I was terrified to face Scarlet with the news. She would be heartbroken, devastated. I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face when she broke down in front of me. I’d break down too.

  “Good thing no one else was taken. If we hadn’t acted quickly and Cayson and Slade weren’t brave as they are, we could have a bigger problem on our hands. And thank god Conrad is on the other side of the country.”

  I nodded in agreement. If they took Skye too, I wouldn’t be able to stand on my own two feet.

  Mike shut the door to my office then approached my desk. “The police haven’t found any leads. Roland’s phone was destroyed so we can’t trace that. It’s still early in the investigat
ion but nothing has turned up…”

  “We need to have a plan when we call.”

  “They must want something. Just give them whatever it is.”

  “I agree,” I said. “They must want money.”

  “Probably everything you have.”

  “That’s fine. I couldn’t care less about it.”

  Mike nodded in agreement. “So they’ll ask for the cash and we’ll make the swap. Sound simple.”

  “I’ll only give them half.”

  Mike stared at me incredulously.

  “I need some collateral that they’ll actually give him back. We don’t know what kind of men we’re dealing with. We can give them half up front and the other half when he’s in sight.”

  “I don’t know if you should press your luck.”

  “What if they’re trying to get both?” he asked. “My son is worth a lot of money. If they take everything I have I don’t have the resources to track him down.”

  “We have my resources. That should be enough.”

  I didn’t expect Mike to offer that, but once he did I wasn’t surprised.

  “Our goal is to get Roland back. I say give them everything and hope they uphold their end of the bargain.”

  I nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

  “Now we just have to wait for them to call.” I eyed the phone like I expected it to ring that very moment.

  “Have you talked to Heath?”

  The idea hadn’t crossed my mind. “No…”

  “So he doesn’t know?”

  I shook my head.

  “He’s on his way now. I guess we’ll tell him when he gets here. Do you want me to handle it?”

  I didn’t want to have this conversation with Heath. Talking about it out loud just made the fear more real. But I knew it had to be me. I was like a father to him. “I’ll talk to him.”

  “I’ll send him when he gets here.” He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before he walked out.

  I continued to stand at my desk because I couldn’t sit. The last ten hours had become a distinctive blur. Slade and Trinity had almost been ambushed, Skye and Cayson were almost hit, and now I had to tell Heath he might never see Roland again.