Wyatt
Wyatt turned on his phone’s GPS, waiting for the location app to load. “I shouldn’t... shouldn’t be worried, should I?”
But his heart pattered anyway. I can’t find her, Sam had said, his voice tinny across the line. One moment, she was pulling on her skates. The next moment, she’s gone. I don’t see her apron anywhere.
Hazel’s apron had her name stitched onto the bottom corner—all the staff knew it was hers. For both apron and girl to go missing... Hazel had gone out to the parking lot, intending to grab some orders.
Raph squeezed Wyatt’s shoulder. “She’s a smart one. She’ll be fine.”
“But Hazel’s never been lost before.” Wyatt’s heart pattered. He’d only been prepared for the anxiety of meeting their dad. Not his daughter going missing. He leaned into Raph in the elevator, closing his eyes. “I can’t deal with this.”
Raph wrapped his arm around Wyatt’s waist, guiding him out through the lobby. “She’s gonna be fine. Just you wait.”
Except the maps on his phone downloaded the moment they stepped out of the station. There was a red dot on the map, moving quickly away from Meadowfall. A chill slid down Wyatt’s spine.
“Oh, gods,” he said. There was no way Hazel could travel that far on her own. Maybe someone had stolen her phone, and she was chasing after them, safe and unharmed. Except his instincts said that wasn’t true. His Hazel was no longer in Meadowfall. “I think she’s been taken.”
Raph froze. “Fuck, get in the car. I’ll drive.”
“We should tell Dad,” Wyatt said.
“Get in the car. I’ll do that.”
Raph ushered Wyatt into the passenger seat, pulling out his phone. “Dad? We think Hazel’s been kidnapped,” he said. “They’re heading for Highton. Right. Right. I’ll get Sam to do that.”
Wyatt shuddered. Kidnapped. It was a terrible word. More so when his baby was involved.
Raph ended the call, then ducked into the car, pressing a quick kiss to Wyatt’s lips. “Can you get Sam to check the security footage on the restaurant? We need a license plate number.”
Wyatt groaned. “Sam’s not great with tech stuff. I’d have to get the files off the camera myself—damn it!”
They drove out of the parking lot, wheels screeching. Raph swore. “Almost empty on gas here. I don’t know how far we’re gonna be driving.”
Wyatt’s heart sank. With shaking fingers, he hit Sam’s Call button. Sam answered after two rings. “Wyatt?”
“I need the security footage, Sam. Can you pop it out of the cameras? Is there anyone else who can help?”
“The cameras?” Wyatt could almost hear Sam wincing. “Hey, Penny,” Sam said. “Do you know how to deal with the cameras? Wy needs the footage.”
In the background, Penny said, “Sure,” and Wyatt sagged into the seat, the weight on his chest easing slightly.
“Thanks,” he said. “We think someone took Hazel.”
“What?” Sam yelped. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Wy. I should’ve been keeping an eye on her. Tell me what to look for on the footage. I’m just—I...”
Wyatt didn’t know whose fault it was. It didn’t matter, anyway. Hazel was gone. His precious baby girl, who had smiled at him when she was two months old, the one person who didn’t know any of Wyatt’s history, only that he was her dad.
Raph reached over, catching his hand. “Do you want to try calling her?”
“Sam said she didn’t answer.” If Wyatt called, would it alert the kidnapper? How much battery was left on Hazel’s phone? They were still moving; he couldn’t risk losing the GPS signal now.
“Penny’s getting the footage,” Sam said over the line. “She’s bringing it to the office.”
“Thanks. Close up after the last patron,” Wyatt said. “Paid hours for everyone.”
Raph squeezed his hand, and Wyatt squeezed back. Was Hazel scared? Was she conscious? His stomach twisted.
They pulled into the drive-in’s parking lot, stopped right outside the front door. The parking lot was near-empty; at 1 PM, there were only a few diners present. Inside, Mina waved, her smile strained—she had to have heard the news, too. Wyatt’s gut churned. Who could have taken Hazel? Why would they have chosen her?
“Think it’s Max?” Raph muttered halfway to the office.
Wyatt stumbled, his heart lodging in his throat. “I—I hope not.”
But Max was the most prominent suspect—he was in Meadowfall. He knew where Wyatt worked. He’d seen Wyatt and Hazel at the store.
Raph caught him around the chest, holding him up. Then he hugged Wyatt from behind, his breath puffing through Wyatt’s hair. “Things will be fine. We’re gonna find Hazel, and she’ll be back before you know it.”
Wyatt trembled. Raph was just saying that to comfort him. The map had updated; since they’d located Hazel at the station, she’d traveled another ten miles north.
They burst into the office, crowding into the tiny space. Penny and Sam looked up from the laptop. Then they both stood, Sam with regret on his face, Penny with her forehead crinkled.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “I should’ve been more careful.”
“I should’ve started to search when Sam first mentioned it.” Penny winced, rounding the desk. She pulled Wyatt into a hug. “We’re fast-forwarding through the footage now. We’ll find her, Wy.”
“Have a car we can borrow?” Raph asked. “Wy’s is low on fuel.”
“Take mine.” Penny dropped her key into Raph’s hand. “I’ve just gassed up, and it’s turbo-charged.”
“Thanks. Didn’t know yours was a turbo,” Raph said.
Penny puffed her chest up, some of the worry falling away from her face. “It might look tiny, but that Mini Cooper is mean.”
Raph squeezed her shoulders. “I’m sure.”
“How does the security footage look?” Wyatt asked.
Penny released him, hurrying back to the laptop. “We’ve been fast-forwarding the footage from this morning. It’ll take another fifteen minutes or so.”
“We’re tracking her with an app.” Raph glanced at Wyatt’s phone. “Fifty miles from us, now.”
Wyatt’s stomach flipped. “We need to go. I don’t want to wait the fifteen.”
“Tell us when you find her,” Raph said, setting Wyatt’s key on the desk. “If it’s a false alarm and no one took Hazel, then we’ll need you to search for her around here.”
“Sure,” Sam said. Then he blinked. “Wait. I thought you guys broke up.”
Penny looked up, surprised. Wyatt smiled sheepishly. “We made up. And told Dad. Dad’s okay with us, I think. You don’t have to keep secrets from them anymore, Penny.”
Penny smiled in relief. “That’s good to hear.”
She turned back to the screen, and Raph caught Wyatt’s hand, turning them out of the office. “C’mon, Wy.”
“I’m coming.”
If things had been better, he’d have made a joke of that. Right now, Wyatt followed behind Raph, his heart thudding. With every minute they wasted, his baby was getting further from them. Who knew where she was? Who knew what would happen to her?
As long as she was on the move, it meant her captor couldn’t do anything to her... right?
He swallowed, climbing into the passenger seat when Raph opened the door for him. Then they were off, screeching out of the parking lot.
“Drives like a sports car,” Raph said, his lips curling a little.
“Don’t joke about that.”
Raph glanced at the road, then at Wyatt. “I’m not leaving you to your thoughts, Wy. Your mind’s a dark place.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
Raph shrugged, turning them down one street, then another. Then they got onto the acceleration ramp of the highway, and Wyatt relaxed by a fraction. We’re heading for you, hon. Hang in there. “Tell me anyway.”
“The time you asked me to slap you,” Raph finally said, looking at the road. �
��I learned things about you, Wy. Not sure you meant me to, but I did.”
“Oh.”
Wyatt still remembered that night, when Raph had stripped him raw with words, and Wyatt had laid before him, vulnerable and broken. Then Raph had cradled him after, loved him, and Wyatt had known he wanted no other alpha, but Raph.
They drove in silence, switching lanes, passing slower cars. Wyatt watched as the asphalt skimmed by beneath them, the mile markers passing one by one. “I don’t suppose you could drive faster.”
Raph eyed him sidelong. “No. Not if I want to keep you safe.”
And Wyatt looked down, remembering the baby in his belly. He’d not thought to keep himself safe, but he needed to remember, for their child’s sake.
“How far are we from Hazel?” Raph asked.
Wyatt looked at his phone. “About fifty-five miles.”
“I can’t go much faster. At most, eighty. They’re probably doing sixty an hour.”
Unease coiled his guts into a tight knot. Wyatt stared at the red dot on his phone, willing it to stop moving. But if it did... what would happen to Hazel? He refused to believe she was dead. No. Hazel was alive somewhere, and he’d get to hold her in his arms again.
Raph reached over, squeezing Wyatt’s thigh. Then he rubbed his knuckles over Wyatt’s belly, dipping his thumb into Wyatt’s navel. Wyatt nudged his hand away.
“What?”
“Tickles.”
“Really? I didn’t know you were ticklish.” Raph’s hand slipped up his chest, a light, warm touch.
Wyatt squirmed, pushing it away. “Drive!”
“I’m driving!”
His phone buzzed—a message from Penny. His stomach flipped.
Raph glanced over. “What did she say?”
Wyatt clicked on the message, his throat tight. Sam says it’s someone called Max. He’s in a silver car with the following license plate number. I’m attaching pictures and a video clip. He took her at 1:43 PM.
He dropped the phone, his pulse roaring in his ears. Max had his baby. Max took his baby, and who knew what he’d do to her?
“Wy?” Raph asked, his eyebrows screwing together. “Wy, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Max,” he choked, his throat too tight. He should watch the video. He should see what Max had done to his daughter, but he couldn’t. Not when he remembered that too-tight grip, the way Max had slammed him against the wall. “I—I... Penny sent a video.”
“What car am I looking for?”
“Silver.”
“That’s all I need. You did good, Wy.”
Raph caught his hand, his grip warm and firm. Wyatt concentrated on Raph’s touch. Outside, the forest flew by on either side of the highway, and the afternoon sun glinted off the cars.
Wyatt gulped. “I should—should watch the video. Just—just so I know.”
Raph glanced over. “You don’t have to. We’ll track her down and beat the hell out of him.”
The phone buzzed again. Wyatt closed his eyes, torn. He was a dad. He should be brave enough to know what happened to his daughter. But the sight of Max... He gulped. Maybe a video would be okay, if he wasn’t looking at Max in person. “If you want to... to watch it, I can... hold the phone up.”
Raph studied him again. “If you’re sure.”
Wyatt nodded. He needed to be brave. So he held his breath, picked the phone up. Penny’s new message said, I’ve forwarded all this info to Dad, too. He’s passed the news to the Highton police. He’s on his way.
“Dad’s on his way,” Wyatt said, some of the weight on his chest easing. Then he scrolled up, tapping on the video.
The video was grainy, a wide-angle view of the drive-in’s parking lot. There was a silver car there, and two others to the side. Hazel skated up in her yellow apron. The window rolled down, and Wyatt glimpsed the vague outlines of Max in the car, with his bulky body, and his sandy hair.
In the video, Hazel faltered when she skated closer—she recognized Max, but she was too far away for Wyatt to read her expression. Wyatt’s heart pounded.
“We don’t have to watch,” Raph said, glancing at him.
Wyatt shook his head. “I—I should.”
Hazel made to skate backward. Then she paused, as though something Max said had stopped her. And Max continued talking, that slimy jerk. He opened the car door, and Hazel turned. Max pounced on her, grabbed her by the waist, and threw her into the driver’s seat. Wyatt’s blood turned cold. His hands sweated, and his ears rang.
In the car, Hazel squirmed, trying to push herself from the seat. Max caught her knees, rolled her onto the passenger seat, and got into the car, closing the door. Then he drove out of the video, Hazel kicking at him.
How badly did he hit her, after she’d kicked at him like that?
Wyatt shook, the phone falling from his fingers onto the center console. He couldn’t breathe. Max had taken his baby, and who knew what terror he’d unleash on her?
“That bastard,” Raph growled, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.
Raph became a blur, and Wyatt remembered rough hands on his hair, dragging him painfully backward. He remembered sharp slaps to his face, that left his ears ringing. His throat tightened, and he couldn’t breathe.
For an eternity, he shook, gasping, nausea swirling in his gut. He tried to tell himself things would be fine, but he remembered Everyone you love will die, and You’re a failure of an omega, and his brain couldn’t process past that.
“Wy,” Raph said, his voice faraway. “Wy, listen to me.”
Raph’s voice was familiar, calming. He slid his fingers against Wyatt’s palm, and squeezed his hand. Wyatt clung to him, tears tracking down his face, his body strung so tight he couldn’t move.
“Hazel will be fine,” Raph said. “We’ve got the police on the lookout for them. We’ve got enough evidence to lock that shithead away. You’re gonna be okay.”
Wyatt drew his knees up to protect his belly, hugging himself. He was a terrible father. He’d screwed up, and maybe there would be no patching this mistake. Maybe Raph was lying to him again.
“I don’t b-believe you,” he said. Raph sighed, rubbing Wyatt’s hand with his thumb.
“I’m here with you. Right now, I need to know where Hazel is. Can you do that for me? And for Hazel. I’d navigate your phone myself if I weren’t driving.”
Hazel needed him. I need to be stronger.
Slowly, Wyatt gathered the frayed ends of his courage, reaching down for his phone. He held his breath. Tapped away from the video. Then he pulled up the app with the map, looking for the red dot again. “They turned away from Highton. Due east. I... I think they’re getting off the highway.”
“Which town?”
“Rivervale.”
Raph’s eyes narrowed. “We’re almost there. Twenty minutes.”
“We caught up?”
“They might’ve stopped.”
Wyatt closed his eyes, trying not to think of all the worst-case scenarios. Raph hit the volume button. String music filled the car, followed by piano notes, and two familiar voices.
“I didn’t know Penny recorded us,” Raph said.
The music washed over Wyatt, gave him something to focus on. He listened to Penny and Hazel’s voices, and the lilt of the violin, the accompanying piano notes. Those had been better times, when the four of them had gotten together, Penny working with Hazel to harmonize their voices. And it was beautiful.
Raph reached over, holding Wyatt’s hand. Wyatt stared at his phone, praying that the red dot wouldn’t move, that they’d get there in time to find Hazel unharmed.
The next twenty minutes passed excruciatingly slowly. The red dot still hadn’t moved.
They drove down the exit ramp, turning onto a quiet street with no stoplights, only stop signs at the intersections. The buildings in Rivervale were old, with peeling paint and broken windows. Raph took the phone from Wyatt, zooming in on the map. “They’re close to a gas station. Think we�
��ll pull up there. That okay with you?”
Hazel was somewhere in this town, with Max. Wyatt hoped she was fine, hoped she wasn’t in pain. He nodded woodenly.
“Duck down when we get there,” Raph said. “Easier when they can’t see you. Send the map to Dad.”
“Okay.” His pulse throbbed. Wyatt tapped shakily on his phone.
They wove past abandoned buildings with boarded-up windows, and park benches with graffiti scrawled over them. Then the gas station came into view a block away, and Wyatt’s heart crashed against his ribs like an animal caged.
“I’m going to pull up real slow,” Raph said, rubbing Wyatt’s back. “How far can you get down?”
With his belly half the size of a basketball, not very much. Wyatt breathed shallowly, his palms sweating against his yoga pants.
“I’m crossing the intersection now,” Raph said. “Turning in. Shit, I see the car. No one in it. Turning around to the back—holy fuck.”
Wyatt’s stomach wrenched. “What?”
Raph cut the engine, flung the car door open. And Wyatt trembled, shaking so hard he couldn’t breathe. He had to look.
At the unloading area behind the gas station, Max had backed Hazel up against a wall, her hair clenched in his hand. He pulled her forward, as though he was going to slam her back into the wall.
“Hazel!” Wyatt cried out, his fingers scrabbling against the car door, his foot finding solid ground.
Raph sprinted, caught Max by the arm, and swung him around. He punched Max hard in the face, slammed him into the building, and punched him again, so Max’s skull cracked against the wall. Raph’s eyes blazed, and he punched Max in the mouth. Then the gut, so Max doubled over, trying to find his bearings.
Wyatt stumbled out of the car, his throat closing. Hazel had yanked herself away from Max. Her eyes were red, large hand prints on her face. Wyatt’s heart cracked. He staggered toward her. Hazel burrowed into his arms, her face crumpling. “Dad!”
“I’m sorry we got here so late, hon,” he whispered, burying his nose in her hair. Her body was small against his, fragile. He pulled them behind Raph, out of Max’s sight.
But maybe Max couldn’t see anyway, when his eyes were squinted shut, and Raph was yanking Max’s head down, slamming his knee into Max’s face. Blood trailed from Max’s nose and mouth; he gripped at Raph’s arms. Raph snarled, flinging him to the ground, stomping on the back of his head.
Omega's Stepbrother Page 28
