Found by Love

by Jennifer Bryan Yarbrough

  "Lover's quarrel maybe? Something's definitely going on O.” I stopped myself from saying too much about what I knew but I had to tell her something and I knew she wouldn’t mention it to anyone. “Earlier Mattie told me that he LOATHED Josie but you and I both saw that exchange with our own eyes and he definitely doesn't LOATHE her. He might be mad at her for something but he's definitely in to her and I think she's into him too." I giggled and Olivia looked at me like I was crazy for laughing at the wrong time. "I'm sorry but that made me want to start a fight with Caleb on our way home so that we can have some good old fashioned make up sex." I looked at her and she seemed to be day dreaming so I nudged her and she seemed embarrassed. "Sounds like maybe Cash better get ready for an argument himself! Haha."

  "Oh no! What'd I do now Liv? Claud, what are you filling her head with now?" I innocently looked at Cash and pointed to myself.

  "Little ole me? Maybe just maybe for once Cash; I might be helping you out." I stood up to stand by my handsome man who had finally joined the table. "Care to dance with your fiancé?" The love in his eyes for me always makes my legs feel wobbly and I started to sway but he caught me.

  "Whoa there Sweetheart, maybe you should stay seated. Are you feeling okay? Are you dizzy?" The look of concern had me reaching up and kissing him on the cheek.

  "Only for you baby, I'm fine really." I started to drag him over to the dance floor but I noticed Eden running as fast as her little legs could carry her looking like the devil himself was chasing her."

  "Daddy, daddy, daddy, DADDY! It's Gideon and Grayson!" Did she just say Gideon and Grayson? I looked behind her and saw the guard that we had watching the children while we were on the main floor jogging behind her and he was holding his head. He had blood running down his face. Oh no! Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!! I sat down before I passed out because my nightmare has just happened.

  "Eden… Honey. What's wrong? Where are your brother and Grayson at?" Caleb reached for my hand while Olivia went to stand beside Cash and looked Eden over to make sure she was okay.

  "Some..... Men..... Took.... them Daddy! Some..... Mean.....men! They hit Mr. Jacob..... Over the head and I ran..... and hid from them.....because they tried to get me too!" Oh my God! Where did they take them? Oh my God! I can't speak! I can't move! I feel like I'm having a heart attack I can barely breathe!

  "Eden, Honey. Drink this and try to catch your breath." Olivia seemed calm but I knew that inside she was a wreck knowing that our boys have been taken by some lunatics.

  "Mr. Kingston. I already called 911 and I'm so sorry. The children needed to go to the bathroom and I was taking them and they ran on to the elevator just playing around and I jumped in just in time. I told them to quit messing around and that we needed to be extra cautious."

  "Get to it Jacob! WHAT HAPPENED? I want to see some security footage right now! What floor were you on?" Cash started heading towards the security room and we all got up and followed him and Jacob. I could barely move and all of a sudden I'm off the ground and in Caleb's arms. I start bawling into his chest and wrap my arms around his neck.

  "Shhh Baby. I've gotcha. Don't worry. We'll get them both back. He's not going to hurt them because he's just wanting money." That is what started this whole mess. Money! Oh god I hope he's right!

  "How, how, how can you be so calm? I'm scared to death! My baby and... Gideon... are with a mad man that evidently will do anything to take what he wants! What if it's his life?!" He squeezed me harder and whispered in my ear.

  "Stop thinking like that baby. I promise we will get them back. No matter how much we have to pay. Shhh, calm down Cru. The cops will be here any minute and they'll find them." I nodded at him and Olivia came and stood next to us and held my hand for support. I knew she was just as worried as I was because even though Gideon wasn't her blood he was her son in every sense of the word.

  I asked Caleb to let me down so that he could help the guys look at the footage from the cameras. Olivia and I were huddled in the corner holding on to each other. I felt my purse vibrate letting me know that I was getting a call or a text and I tore into my purse to get to it to see who it was. It was a text from the security alarm company letting me know that someone had used the code to get into my office. It sent me another text letting me know that the silent alarm had been set.

  "Oh! Oh my god! Oh that is one smart kid!" Cash was by my side in less than a second.

  "What is it Claudia? Is it the boys?" I grinned at him and nodded my head.

  "I know where they are. They're at mine and Caleb's office. I taught him how to use the alarm and I showed him how to set the silent alarm. It has to be him! It has to be!" Mattie showed up into the room with a bewildered look on his face.

  "What's going on? It's chaotic out there and everyone keeps saying the boss’s son was kidnapped?" Cash took charge and started directing orders.

  "Jacob, call the police and tell them where we think they are." He started heading towards the door. "Cash, Mattie, come with me. There's no way in hell that I'm letting them get away with our boys!"

  "Wait a minute! I'm going to!" Olivia joined me.

  "Me too! They're our boys, too!"

  "No! You're both pregnant and I don't want either of you to get hurt! End of conversation. Stay here with our parents and keep an eye on Eden." I looked at Olivia and shook my head and walked past Cash towards the main entrance of the building and Caleb caught up with me grabbing me by my arm and turning me around to look at him.

  "Cru, you have to trust us. We are just trying to protect you." I tried my hardest not to beg and cry in front of everyone but I couldn't see him anymore because of the tears falling so hard down my face. "Ah hell! Cash, they're going! I'm not going to be the one to keep a momma from her babies." He pointed his finger in my face with a stern look on his face. "You and Olivia are staying in the car though! Okay?" I nodded my head while Cash let out a worried sigh. I reached my hand out for Olivia's and we followed the guys out to the waiting limo to take us the 10 blocks it was going to take to our office where our boys were.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  It only took us around 3 minutes to get to my office after leaving the party. Thanks to Cash's limo driver, Trevor, for running every stop light and by dodging traffic, we got there in record time and noticed that the police hadn't shown up yet. Cash had Trevor slow down as we got closer and made him park a little ways down the road in case Roger and his buddy were looking out the windows. He turned around and looked at Olivia and me and didn't seem too happy that we were there.

  "You two stay in this car! DO NOT get out for anything! I don't care what you hear DO NOT get out! Are we clear?" We both nodded our heads at him but there's no way in hell that I'm staying in this car once they take off for the office and I'm sure Olivia would agree with me.

  "Cru! We mean it! I'll tie you down in here with my tie if I have to. I can see it all over your face that you're not going to listen to him!" I glared at Caleb and relented.

  "Fine! Don't you think you should wait for the police before you guys go in there trying to act like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday?" I knew that both of the brothers, along with Trevor, all had guns in their jackets. I saw them get them out of the security office when they were looking at the video footage. Cash's limo drivers were never just your typical limo drivers because they were usually retired military. Both Cash and Caleb seemed like different men to me right now and the murderous looks on their faces scared me to death and I think they should wait for the professionals. Cash bit my head off at my accusation.

  "Don't worry about us. Trevor is going to go through the back door while Caleb and I go through the front. We are going to talk to them and make sure the boys are okay to distract them from knowing that we have Trevor as back up. When the cops get here make sure to tell them we went in because they need to know who the good guys are." He looked over at Mattie who hasn't said a word throughout all of this and has turned ghost white. "Mattie, stay here with them and make sure
they don't leave this car okay?" He nodded at them and finally seemed to realize what was going on when he noticed Olivia and me sitting in front of him. He looked at me with tears in his eyes.

  "I'm so sorry! This is all of my fault! If I would have just taken Grayson in myself, he and Gideon wouldn't be in danger right now." He kept shaking his head back and forth and I couldn't say anything because I have been thinking the same thing on the way here. If only I had kept him he wouldn't have ever had anything traumatic happen to him and wouldn't be held up in an office with two maniacs.

  Caleb gave Mattie a light squeeze on his shoulder. "Mattie... Don't blame yourself because you had no clue how crazy they were. Right now we need to focus on getting the boys out." He let go of Mattie's shoulder and pulled me into his arms and I lost it because now I'm worried about him and Cash coming out of this alive since they have to go play Rambo!

  "Please be careful Caleb and... and... Bring my baby back to me and YOU better come back to me too!" I held him tighter and breathed in his cologne and savored this moment in case I never see him again. I'm scared to death at losing him as much as I'm scared of losing Grayson and I would put myself in a strait jacket if I lost either of them. He reached up and wiped the tears off of my face.

  "Shhh baby, trust me Cru. I know what I'm doing so wait for me here and I'll be back in a few with our boy." The air of confidence that he had made me feel somewhat better and I nodded my head. I looked over and Olivia and Cash were having their moment and she seemed more scared than I was so I grabbed her hand to help comfort her.

  The three of them stealthily walked away and I turned around in the back seat to watch everything play out through the back window of the limo. Olivia joined me and then Mattie who was still trying to compose himself got between us. None of us said a word to each other as we watched and silently prayed for everyone to come out of this unscathed.

  A couple of minutes after the guys went in through the front door the police finally arrived and I panicked at the realization that if they rushed in with the guys and the boys in there it could get pretty bad if they didn't know whose side anyone was on. I tossed my heels off and jumped out of the car and took off running down the sidewalk to the policemen that were parking their cars and getting out of them. I heard Olivia and Mattie yelling at me as they tried to keep up.

  "My fiancé and his brother went in to get the boys. Please don't hurt them and our limo driver went through the back door." One of the officers shook his head at me and cursed.

  "Why couldn't they have waited for us to get here and do our jobs?" He let out a big sigh as the other officer joined him. "How many people are in there and do you have any information on the kidnappers?" I filled him in on what happened at the party and what all led us here.

  The deafening quietness was filled by a ratta tap tap of multiple gun shots and my heart dropped into my stomach. Both cops pulled their guns out and ran into the building with Olivia running close behind them screaming Cash and Gideon's name. Mattie caught up with her and picked her up forcefully into his arms and carried her back behind the police cars where I was still standing shell shocked.

  "I can't lose them! I can't go through this again! Please oh please let them be alright! Oh my God! CASH!!! GIDEON!!" Her blood curling screams snapped me out of my shock and I ran to her and Mattie to help calm her down while I tried not to fall apart. He was having problems holding onto her and she stopped moving at my touch.

  "O. Look at me. They're okay, they're okay." Her whole body relaxed and Mattie almost dropped her but I helped him hold her up and leaned against the car. When she looked into my eyes I saw the sadness that she fought so hard to control and leave in the past had returned and I wrapped my arms around her while she cried and whispered to me.

  "How do you know? How do you know?" I choked on a sob and tried to get the words out as best as I could.

  "Because..... Caleb told me to trust him and.... I do." We both broke down in each other’s arms on the ground and Mattie did his best at consoling us. Minutes passed and my mind kept coming up with so many scenarios of what could have happened and I couldn't take it. I was about to go crazy!

  "Hey you two... You might want to see this." We both looked up and got up and I couldn't believe my eyes. We both started running towards the loves of our lives. Olivia ran into Cash's arms, who was carrying Gideon and seemed a bit terrified and I ran into Caleb's who was carrying Grayson who started smiling when he saw me.

  "Oh my God! Grayson are you okay baby? Caleb? Are you alright?" Grayson was still grinning as I pulled him out of Caleb's arms and carried him to the edge of the sidewalk to look him over. I didn't see any scrapes or bruises on him so I pulled him down into my lap and held on to him not wanting to ever let him go.

  "I knew you'd find me Mom! That was pretty smart of me to set the alarm huh? Some strange man showed up trying to help get me and Gideon out but they beat him up bad. He saved us Mom! Roger was about to shoot me when I ran into dad’s arms and the stranger guy got in the way and he got shot instead. I hope he's going to be alright." I looked up at Caleb and could tell that he needed to talk to me away from Grayson. Mattie had joined us and was patting Grayson on the head and was crying from happiness.

  "Hey Mattie, would you take Grayson over by the police cars so that I can talk to Caleb please?" I held him tight once more and kissed him on the cheek before I relinquished him to his uncle. I never wanted to lose sight of him again.

  "Boy I sure am glad to see you buddy!" Mattie picked him up and started kissing him all over his face causing Grayson to giggle.

  "I'm not a baby Uncle Mattie! I can walk ya know." They started walking off and I jumped into Caleb's arms to feel him next to me to make sure that he was alright. I jumped back when I heard him wince.

  "Caleb? What's wrong?" He pulled his arm up protectively with his other arm and held it.

  "Pretty sure I got shot." I started to fall down and he caught me and tried to give me his brave face. "I'll be fine after a few stitches but right now I need you to go back in there with me." I looked at his arm and I could see moisture seeping out of the gunshot wound.

  "No! I don't want to go in there. We need to get you to the hospital and let them take care of your arm." I heard sirens and saw that more police and a couple of ambulances were arriving. I started walking towards the ambulance and he stopped me and pulled me back. He hesitated and looked back towards the office and had a somber look on his face when he faced me again and I've never seen him this emotional. He paused and ran his fingers through his hair with his good hand. I could tell that whatever he was about to tell me was BIG.

  "Cru, the stranger is Jason!" I inhaled a deep breath and held it at the shock. "He doesn't have much time left and he's asking for you. If it weren't for him.... I don't think.... Cru.. Give the man his dying wish. We owe him... for saving us." The words that he barely choked out shook me and new tears formed at what all he was trying to say to me but wasn't able to say out loud. I nodded and grabbed his hand not wanting to do this alone and knew that I needed his strength.

  When we walked in, the coroners were placing Roger and his cohort into body bags. I have no idea what all happened in here but to know that we don't have to worry about Roger anymore was a tremendous relief no matter what the outcome was.

  "Sir, do you have any family that we can call? Do you have a wife? What about your parents?" I looked over and saw the paramedics working on Jason and they were getting fluids into him to try to get him ready for transport but they were trying to find a next of kin. I saw two wounds on his body. One gunshot wound to his chest and one to his stomach and I knew why Caleb seemed so adamant with me about hurrying up.

  I heard how shallow he was breathing and knew that he wouldn't survive much longer and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I stood over him and he recognized me immediately. He raised one finger up barely and I leaned down next to him in the only spot I could find that wasn't in the way.

  "Is....your...
.son...okay?" He started coughing up blood and the paramedics looked at me and moved away. I knew that was their way of letting me know that there was nothing else they could do for him. I moved in closer to him and grabbed his hand and could feel how cold he was from all of the blood loss. I smiled through my tears and nodded at his question.

  "I hear it's all thanks....to you." I knew that it was inevitable that I would be face to face with him one day but I never in a million years thought that it would be here. In this moment with him bruised from a beating and bleeding from gunshot wounds that saved our son. The same son that he never wanted to be a part of. The emotions that over took me were overwhelming and Caleb leaned down to let me lean on him for support.

  "He's a good....looking kid. Tttttakessss after hisssss mommmm. Sssssmmartttt toooo." He winced and I looked at the paramedic to see if he could do anything and he shook his head.

  "He got his smartness from his father... You Jason... Try not to talk. Do you want me to call-" He didn't let me finish.

  "No! I want you tttttto be the lasssst beeeeaautiful face I ssssseeee. Wanttted toooo tttttelllll you how sssssssorrrry I ammm ffffforrrr nnnnotttt......sssttayy-" I put my fingers over his lips and cried.

  "Shhhh..... It doesn't matter anymore. Save your breath... I can see how hard it is for you to speak." His breathing started to slow but he wasn't breathing as hard. I knew it was a matter of minutes before his body let go. His eyes brightened up and he smiled with blood on his lips but seemed at peace.

  "You were my first and last true love Claudia. Tell him I tried my best to make it up to him."

  His hand went slack in mine and I knew right then that he was gone. I looked at his shattered beaten face and wept for him. The heartbreak that he put me through no longer mattered because his last moment on earth was protecting the son that he never wanted or even knew existed and never claimed until his last final day on earth. I was lifted off of the ground by Caleb and cried into his neck. I looked back and watched as the father of my child was covered with a sheet and closed my eyes and sobbed at the sacrifice he made for his son.