TAKING HIS SEED

by Zoey Parker

If Nick had taken her, he might hurt her, but that was less likely at this point. Nick only hurt people when they didn’t do what he wanted. Though if he’d tried to take Emma and she’d resisted, he could easily have smacked her to get her to listen. But that would be the worst of it. Probably. He wouldn’t kill his own child, would he? Or hurt her worse? He might use her as bait to get Becca back. And what would he do when Becca refused him?

  The thought terrified her. But if Abram and his guys had her, wouldn’t that be worse? They’d beat up Rowan very badly. Almost killed him. Thought they’d killed him. So, clearly, they were violent people. But a child? She was only bait for them to get to Rowan, which had to be why they had her. If a man had held a gun to Becca’s head to get info about Rowan, then surely this was about Rowan, too. They wouldn’t rest until he was dead. But they wouldn’t go so far as to kill a child over it, would they?

  She pulled back into Lucille’s driveway and saw that a police car was there. An officer exited the car, closing the door behind him. He’d just arrived.

  He turned to her when she got out of her car and she said, “I’m the mother. It’s my daughter who’s missing.”

  “Is this your home?”

  “No, this Lucille’s house. She watches my daughter. She was here when she was taken.”

  The officer made notes in his notebook. “Taken?”

  “Emma wouldn’t just wander off, and I have reason to believe she was kidnapped.”

  “Let’s go inside and discuss this.” The officer gestured toward the door.

  They went in and Lucille came to meet them. They sat at the dining room table and Lucille first relayed what she’d told Becca of how Emma had just vanished.

  “But you said you believe she was taken,” the officer said to Becca.

  She nodded. She had to be very careful about how she answered this. She knew enough from life with Nick to know that any police attention on the MC was bad news. If she told him that part of the story, it might get Rowan in trouble. But she still wasn’t sure who it was—Nick or someone after Rowan—so either reason should work.

  “My ex was abusive. We had to leave him abruptly and I think he may have found us and taken Emma.”

  The officer scribbled down more notes. He asked about Nick. Name, last known address, etcetera. She gave him all the info she had. He’d radioed some of Nick’s physical appearance details to the car that was driving around the area. They’d look for Emma and keep an eye out for someone who looked like Nick, as well.

  When they finished talking with the officer, she sat with Lucille, waiting. The police would be coming back in an hour with an update. They turned on the TV and tried to watch, but every time the phone rang, they jumped up, and Becca couldn’t keep from checking out the window constantly. She walked to the back door, the front door, pausing in the middle to watch Lucille talk on the phone and glance at the TV. Lucille had the whole neighborhood looking for Emma.

  Becca hated that she had to stay there, waiting. But the officer said that was the best thing. She was in no state to drive around looking for her and they were well practiced in cases like this, they assured her. Still. She felt so helpless just sitting there. She tried to call Rowan a few more times. She’d left one more message, telling him Emma was missing and that she thought maybe it was Abram’s guys or her ex.

  He had to just be unavailable or had lost his phone or something. There was no way he wouldn’t call her back after messages like those, right? Could he be that heartless? She didn’t think so, but she kept checking her phone and calling his, wondering why in the world he wasn’t answering or calling her back.

  An hour and a half later, the officer returned. He told them they had no solid leads, but they were opening a full investigation and would continue searching for Emma. While they were talking with the officer, her phone rang. She looked down and saw an unknown number. Maybe it was Rowan, though.

  “Excuse me, I have to take this,” Becca said, and walked outside onto the porch where she’d have privacy. “Hello?”

  “Becca Mullins?”

  She didn’t recognize the voice, but it certainly didn’t sound like a friendly sales call. Her heart raced as she listened.

  “Yes?” she said.

  “If you’d like to see your daughter alive, come to the farm at 494 Greenville Road in exactly three hours.”

  “494 Greenville Road,” she repeated.

  “And I’m sure it goes without saying, do not get the police involved. Unless, of course, you want to be rid of this kid. I’m sure they can be a pain in the ass and all. I’d understand.”

  “No, I won’t.” Her voice shook and she hoped the officer inside the house right now couldn’t hear. And that the guy on the phone had no idea the cop was there.

  “Oh, and that little pussy boyfriend of yours? Rowan? If you were smart, you wouldn’t bring him either. See you soon, doll.” The man laughed and hung up.

  Becca stood on the porch and gripped her phone so tight it dug into her hand, shaking. Okay, well, at least she knew this was about Rowan and it wasn’t Nick who’d taken Emma. But she felt no relief at that. Had she expected to?

  Suddenly, the fact that Rowan wasn’t answering worried her far more than it had before. What if they had him? And what if they had his phone? They’d just told her not to call him. They’d know if she did. She couldn’t even try calling him again. But why say not to bring him if they had him? Unless they were testing her. If that were the case, she had to get away from this cop as soon as possible. She couldn’t risk being seen near him.

  She ducked back inside the house like she just needed to get something from her purse. She held the phone to her ear and when she was near Lucille said, “One sec, Penny, let me find my notebook and I can tell you.”

  She walked back out to the porch with her purse and then put her phone in her pocket and dashed to the front of the house where her car was. She hopped in and quickly drove off.

  But she had so much time to kill. She wanted to drive right to this farmhouse right now. But she wanted more not to mess up and endanger Emma. She’d already caused her too much pain by not being there when she was taken. By getting mixed up with this guy in the first place. She was the worst mother in the world. Picked a horrible man to be her father, and now another man who brought them trouble. Maybe she deserved to have her daughter taken for all the better care she’d given her. How could she be so stupid?

  She turned into her apartment’s building. Where else could she possibly go right now? She paced for a while, then thought, what if they needed to make a getaway for some reason? She packed bags for her and Emma and filled the car with her stuffed animals so when she got Emma back, she’d have all her favorite things. She had to believe she’d get her back. There was no other option than to keep believing that. And she had no other option right now but to sit and wait.

  Chapter 11

  Rowan sat on the edge of the ambulance, sipping water. He’d told the guy a thousand times he was fine, and he didn’t need to go to the hospital. But they were taking Marcus.

  “I’ll ride over with you,” he said to Nate.

  All Rowan had was his bike, and he didn’t feel up to riding that right now. Maybe his car was okay. It’d been in the garage, but he couldn’t get to anything inside until after the police cleared the place. Guess it was a good thing any papers or drugs were burned up. Having the cops poke around wasn’t something he ever wanted to have happen.

  He was trying not to think of everything that was gone. His computer, TV, other electronics. His clothes, photos, furniture. And the money. He had so much money hidden in that house. Thousands and thousands of dollars. Of course, it wasn’t all hidden there, but a lot of it was. Good thing he’d taken out a chunk and given it to Becca. It was far better off in her hands than up in smoke.

  Maybe some of his stuff was salvageable. The place hadn’t caved in or collapsed. The cops said once the fire was out for sure, and they’d had time to check the place to
find the cause, then he’d be allowed in to look around and see if he could save anything. He didn’t have high hopes. Really, besides the money, everything was replaceable and didn’t matter much. Even his photos all existed in digital form in other places. No big deal. It would be a hassle, sure. But who knew, maybe he’d have Becca to go shopping with.

  Right now, Becca was his biggest worry. His phone wasn’t charged and he didn’t know her number. He wanted to make sure she was okay and that Abram and his guys hadn’t come after her. He was antsy sitting there, waiting for the medical guy to clear him.

  “You have a phone charger in your car?” Rowan asked.

  Nate nodded. “Did your phone survive all that?”

  “It was shut off because the battery died before I even went in, so yeah, it should be fine.” But what if it weren’t? He needed some way to get to her then. If he couldn’t call her, he’d have to go to her house or the gift shop.

  “Can you go plug it in now? I have to make sure Becca is okay and her number is in my phone.”

  He took his phone from his pocket. It looked okay. Not cracked or anything. But maybe the heat had messed it up. Only one way to find out.

  “Sure thing.” Nate took the phone and went to his car, not too many feet away.

  They’d moved his bike into the driveway for him. He hated the thought of just leaving it there like that, but what choice did he have? Maybe he could get it later tonight. After they figured out what was going on with Marcus. He wasn’t doing well right now.

  The EMT finally walked over to Rowan. “Okay, we’re going to take Marcus to the hospital and I really think you should come, too. You’ve had a lot of smoke inhalation.”

  “I feel fine.”

  “I know that, but you don’t know what damage could be happening internally.”

  Rowan started to protest, but Nate, who’d just returned from his car, spoke up. “We’re going to the hospital anyway. Might as well let them check you over or whatever they’re going to do.”

  Rowan sighed. “Fine. Do me a favor, though. Drive by Becca’s on the way and see if her car is there.”

  Nate nodded. “I’m going right to the hospital after.”

  “Don’t forget to bring my phone in. And your charger. I have to talk to her.”

  “Yup. See you over there.”

  Rowan spun his legs so he was fully in the ambulance.

  “Do I have to lie down?” he asked the EMT.

  “No, sitting is fine. But I do want to run an IV and get some fluids in you, okay?”

  “Fine.”

  He buckled Rowan in and took a seat beside him. After he put in the IV line and had started the drip, he told the ambulance driver to go ahead. They drove off and Rowan looked out the back window at the smoking remains of his house.

  Now what would he do? He’d need a new house, or at least a place to stay while his house was being fixed—if it were fixable or worth fixing. It all seemed like such a hassle. He’d put a lot of work into that house. Finished the basement, repainted the rooms, redid the kitchen and bathrooms. It was kind of his project when he didn’t have other things going on. And now he’d either have to spend a lot of time fixing it up again, pay a lot of money to have someone else do it, or hope the insurance money was enough that he could buy a new place and start over.

  The thought of starting over was daunting, but his second thought—that maybe he could start over with Becca—gave him hope and filled his chest with excitement. He had to keep reminding himself that he couldn’t get his hopes up. He hadn’t talked to her. He had no idea what she was thinking or if she’d ever even talk to him again. But the dream built up in his head. Picking out paint colors with her for their bedroom, letting her choose the curtains, making Emma’s room all pretty, like a little girl’s room should be. He’d let Becca design the kitchen and bathrooms and whatever else she wanted to do in the place, and he’d make it happen. Didn’t she know he could make her dreams come true and give her an amazing life? She just had to let him.

  He really needed to get to his phone and call her. Nothing would feel right until he did. Too many horrible possibilities ran through his mind. What if they set her apartment building on fire, too? Or took her or beat her like they had him? Or something even worse. The anger rose in his chest just at the thought that someone could hurt her in any way. If they actually had touched her, they would pay. His burned hand clenched into a fist. When the pain hit him, he released it immediately and looked down at his bandage.

  This hand better heal up fast. What a pain this was to deal with. He couldn’t do much of anything with just one hand. Couldn’t even ride his bike right. How would he grip the handle bars? And he couldn’t ride with only one hand.

  Flashes of the fire and trying to get Marcus out of there kept coming to his mind. He could smell the smoke like it’d burned into his nostrils. It still burned his chest and he couldn’t breathe deeply. If he tried, he’d go into a coughing fit. Maybe the EMT guy was right. But what could they even do for him? Some sort of breathing treatment?

  And Marcus. He could barely stand to think of him. He hadn’t woken up yet and they said he was in bad shape. What if he never woke up? How would he look his wife and kids in the eye and tell them he hadn’t gotten Marcus out soon enough? That he’d only been there in the first place because he’d called a meeting. And that the meeting was because of things he’d done and revenge he needed to take. His death would be entirely on him. Any injury he faced would be, too.

  And he would pay for his damages where Marcus was concerned, too. He’d cover any doctor bills, any inconveniences. Whatever he could do to make up for it. Marcus just had to live. And until he was well enough to go home, he’d help out his wife and kids however he could.

  The ambulance turned into the hospital and when it stopped, the EMT opened the doors and hopped down. He took out the IV bag, then Rowan hopped down, too, and followed the EMT into the hospital. He was taken to a trauma room and immediately, nurses and doctors starting poking at him. They took his temperature, his blood pressure, drew blood, made him breathe into a tube device. It all seemed to take forever, and he had no idea where Nate was.

  They hooked him up to some kind of breathing machine and told him to breathe in slow and deep. He had to admit, it made his lungs feel better and he was able to breathe better. But he wanted to be out of here. He needed to find Nate and get his phone. His heart was racing with anxiety. Even the doctors said he was likely in shock. No, not shock, he just needed to check on Becca. He couldn’t take not knowing. He kept picturing the worst and the horrible things that could be happening to her right now.

  Finally, Jameson showed up in the doorway of his room. He pulled back from the breathing machine to talk to him.

  “How’s Marcus?”

  “Still hasn’t woken up. They’re working on him, though. He’s alive.”

  “Keep me updated. Where’s Nate?”

  “Not sure.”

  Rowan growled in frustration. “Find him and get my phone. I have to call Becca.”

  Jameson nodded. “I’ll try to track him down.” He took out his phone and sent him a text. “Oh, he’s here. I’ll be right back.”

  Rowan resumed breathing from the machine and kept an eye on the door. Every time someone walked by, he turned to look, hoping it was Nate. When he appeared, Rowan held his hand out before he even got over to him. Nate handed him the phone with wide eyes.

  “What?” Rowan asked.

  “You have a lot of missed calls and messages from Becca.”

  Rowan looked down and already his stomach was twisting in knots. Eight missed calls, four texts, and three voice mails. He read through the texts quickly. Mostly they just asked him to call her. The voice mails were much the same, until the last one.

  She was crying and it was hard to make out what she said. “Rowan, I don’t know why you’re not answering. I hope you’re okay. They have her. They took Emma. I think. I’m going to Lucille’s now. I gues
s it could be Nick, I don’t know, but she’s missing. I don’t know what else to do. I hope you’re okay. Where are you? I’m sorry.”

  Her words were scattered throughout with sobs and sniffles. His heart lurched in his chest. The last voice mail had come over two hours ago. That seemed weird. And ominous. There’d been messages or calls every few minutes for two hours, then silence. Couldn’t be a good thing. Unless she’d gotten mad at him and given up. He actually hoped for that at this point.

  “Thanks, man,” he said to Nate, and dialed.

  He held his breath, waiting for her to answer.

  “Hello?” Her voice sounded scratchy and weak and hesitant all at once.

  “Becca, are you okay?”

  “Oh, thank God it’s you. Are you okay?”

  The worry in her voice melted his heart. At least she cared about him still. “I’m at the hospital. Abram burned my house down, but I’m okay. Where are you and where’s Emma?”