“If you’d left her alone, she never would have been hit by that car to begin with,” Nathaniel continued, fists clenched at his sides.
Alek sighed. “You’re right. Don’t think I haven’t gone over these same thoughts at least a hundred times. From the beginning, I told myself to leave her alone.”
“Then why the hell did you keep bothering her?” Nathaniel demanded, sounding less angry and more perplexed.
Alek let out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m obsessed with her,” he admitted. “From the moment I met Trish, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.” He collapsed onto the sofa, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
Nathaniel sat down in the chair across the room. “I suppose I don’t have much right to judge people for their obsessions.”
Alek sat up to study Nathaniel. No, Nathaniel didn’t have a right to judge. He’d been so obsessed with Hannah that he’d gotten her pregnant and tried to force her to marry him.
“I don’t know how I’m going to live without her,” Alek admitted.
“Why the hell did you end things with her?” Nathaniel asked.
“I didn’t,” Alek said softly. “Okay, I sort of ended things, but only after I heard her say I’m not the type of man a woman gets serious about.”
Nathaniel stared at him, looking bewildered. “None of this makes any sense,” Nathaniel said. “If she matters this much to you, why haven’t you gone over to work things out with her?”
“Ever since she went home, and I headed back here, all I’ve thought about is going over there and acting like a caveman. The woman made it clear she doesn’t want to be with me long-term, but I want to toss her over my shoulder and keep her with me forever. What does that say about me?” Alek asked.
Nathaniel chuckled. “It says you’re part of this family. The men go a little crazy when it comes to women,” he said. “Trish is special,” Nathaniel added.
“I know,” Alek agreed. “Christ, that’s been the problem since the beginning. I won’t lie. The first thing that attracted me to her was her looks, but it only took about five minutes to move past that. There she was, acting all shy and innocent with me. She was actually blushing, and I was suddenly dying to see her smile.”
“That sounds serious,” Nathaniel said.
“No shit, it’s serious. After that, I was trying to see her everywhere and asking people about her. That was before I’d even kissed her. That first kiss added to my obsession. She was so into it, I could have had her that night. I’d never wanted a woman that much, but do you know what I did?” Alek looked at his nephew and noticed Nathaniel was fighting back a grin.
“I’m guessing you put a stop to what was happening,” Nathaniel said.
“Damn straight I put a stop to it,” Alek said. “I didn’t want her to regret it and start avoiding me. The whole thing just added to my obsession.”
“Sounds more like you love her,” Nathaniel said.
Alek snorted. “Fat lot of good it does me. Trish was right. I’m not the kind of man a woman can spend the rest of her life with.”
“You’re an idiot, Alek,” Nathaniel said and stood. “While I’m tempted to stay here and beat some sense into you, I’ve got work to do. Hopefully, you’ll pull your head out of your ass soon and realize how much Trish means to you before it’s too late.”
“Why am I getting lectured?” he demanded. “I saved her the trouble of having to end things with me.”
“Let me give you some advice,” Nathaniel said. “Don’t listen to part of a conversation and assume you know what’s going on. I’m guessing you took off before the end of the conversation you eavesdropped on.”
“So?” Alek asked. “Should I have stood around and listened to more reasons I’m a poor choice for love?”
“No,” Nathaniel said. “You should have stuck around to hear the reasons Trish loves you but is afraid to tell you because she doesn’t want you to feel obligated to be with her.”
“She told you that?” Alek asked with a faint glimmer of hope.
“No, but I’m smart enough to read between the lines,” Nathaniel said. “If you love her, man up and try to make it work.”
“You’re right,” Alek said. “Even if she turns me down, I need to try. I thought it would make things less awkward between us if I just let her go, but I can’t.”
“You really hurt her,” Nathaniel said.
Alek paled. “I never meant to hurt her.”
“I believe you, but you have to make this up to her.”
Alek agreed. As soon as Nathaniel left, he called Trish, but the call rang through to voicemail. He hesitated before leaving a message, which would probably make the message sound creepy, but he decided to leave the message anyway.
“Hey, Trish. It’s Alek. I really need to talk to you. The way we left things is bothering me. Hell, I don’t know what I’m saying. Please call me back.”
Setting his phone down, he sat on the sofa and stared at his phone as if he could will it to ring. He’d give her an hour before driving over there.
Chapter Forty-Five
Trish looked around the condo she’d been living in for the last few months and felt strangely out of place. Then again, her entire life had changed recently. She’d died, come back to life with some freakish psychic ability, and proven her father had been murdered. She’d also set herself up to have her heart broken by falling in love with Alek.
“I need to use the potty.”
Trish smiled at the sleepy little voice making that statement. He’d had a very fitful night, so it was no surprise that he’d slept until nine in the morning.
“It’s right over here,” she reminded him with a reassuring smile.
Hunter returned her smile and trotted off toward the bathroom.
Hunter refused to stay anywhere without her. It was crazy that no one had questioned her decision to have Hunter live with her. She was guessing the Draksel family was happy they didn’t have to find someone to take the little boy in. Her mom had been the real surprise. She’d expected to get at least some argument about how she wasn’t in any position to raise a child. Instead, her mom had said she needed to get off the phone because they were only in port for two hours and she wanted to pick up some things for Hunter.
Noah had come by with some stuff for Hunter shortly after Caitlin dropped them off yesterday, and had promised to bring more clothes for Hunter today. Funny how Trish hadn’t been at all uncomfortable with Noah. Of course, Noah was no longer her obsession. Nope, her not so secret crush now was Alek— another man she had no future with.
When Hunter came out of the bathroom, he was rubbing his eyes.
“You still look sleepy,” she said.
Hunter pouted. “I’m not sleepy,” he grumbled.
“Well, I am,” she said, and it was the truth. “How about if I fix you some breakfast? After that, we’ll watch a movie together.”
Hunter nodded enthusiastically. “I’m hungry.”
“I’ll bet you are,” she said. “You hardly ate anything yesterday. What do you like for breakfast?”
“I like everything,” he said.
“Everything?” she asked, having trouble believing he was that good of an eater.
“Except eggs,” he said. “Raisins are yucky too. I don’t like cereal with raisins.”
“Anything else you don’t like?” she asked.
“No,” he said.
“How about oatmeal?”
He made an ugly face. “Oatmeal is gross.”
Trish stifled a giggle. Hunter didn’t eat everything. “Yogurt?” she asked.
“With berries and toast!” Hunter added.
Trish smiled at his enthusiasm. It had to be a good sign that he liked her usual breakfast. After polishing off three yogurts, a slice of toast, and two small bowls of mixed berries, he was full and ready to watch a movie.
“What kinds of movies do you got?” he asked after Trish cleared their dishes.
Trish was grateful she could stream movies in her bedroom. Without Netflix, she wasn’t sure what she would have watched with Hunter. She made a mental note to have someone pick up some good movies for kids. After watching the movie, they played with the blocks and cars Noah had brought over for Hunter.
She tried her hand at making grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and almost cried when she remembered Alek making one for her. The ones she made weren’t nearly as good as Alek’s, but Hunter ate his, along with more berries.
“Nap time,” she said after lunch, hoping to get some photos edited while Hunter was asleep.
Poor Hunter didn’t even argue with her. He was exhausted. He was settled into her bed and fast asleep within a few minutes. Since her laptop was charging on her desk, she decided to work in her room so she wouldn’t wake Hunter while trying to unplug it.
The doorbell rang twenty minutes into Hunter’s nap, and she rushed to answer it before they rang the bell again. Naturally, the one time she didn’t check the peephole like her mother always told her to do, there was a man with a gun on the other side of the door. Strange how the only thing she was thinking about was Hunter. She found herself praying the man wouldn’t hurt him.
“What do you want?” she asked quietly.
“I need you to come with me, Ms. Williams,” he said calmly.
“You’re certainly polite for a kidnapper,” she replied, not sure what was keeping her from freaking out.
Rather than smiling, or even responding to her statement, the man leaned closer. Obviously, he was trying to conceal the gun from anyone who might walk by. “I’m going to put this gun away while we walk to my car. If you make a sound, I will pull it back out and shoot any witnesses. Am I making myself clear?”
Trish nodded, feeling like an idiot for going with this guy. Every article she’d ever read told her not to get into a car with a stranger. She knew what she needed to do was scream like a banshee or she was as good as dead. The problem she faced now was Hunter; screaming might wake him up and put him in danger. Walking further from her condo before screaming seemed like the best idea. That also made it more likely neighbors would hear her.
Unfortunately, no one was around. Her kidnapper must have noticed that too. A burly arm snaked around her neck, and a cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose. A scent similar to nail polish remover overwhelmed her, but she didn’t lose consciousness instantly like they do in movies. First, her hearing faded. Still, she heard the man telling her to stop struggling, which meant at least part of her brain was working. The tinny sound of his voice disappeared completely, and the black spots dancing in front of her eyes knitted themselves together like a blanket just before there was nothing.
Chapter Forty-Six
Drew had been sitting in his car for the last two hours. That morning, he’d gotten up, told Sofia he was going for a drive, and made it all of two blocks before parking and staring out at nothing. This crazy funk made no sense. With normal people, it would make perfect sense. He’d killed his own mother and discovered he’d fathered a kid. That was enough to throw most people off their game. But Drew wasn’t a normal person. No, he was his mother’s son— a sociopath and a killer.
When his phone rang, he was tempted to ignore it. Normally, no one called him, but he knew his father would call eventually. When he saw Trish’s number, he decided to answer because she might need something for the kid.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Drew?” asked a frightened little voice.
“Hunter? How the fuck did you get this number?” Then he remembered he shouldn’t be swearing around a kid. “Sorry about cussing.”
“I found Trish’s phone, and I know what a D looks like, so I was hoping it was for you,” Hunter said.
“Where is Trish?” Drew asked, wondering why Hunter would need to find her phone.
“A man came and took Trish away,” Hunter said, and it sounded like he was trying hard not to cry.
Drew didn’t panic, probably because he wasn’t the emotional type. Still, he was pissed that someone would take Trish. “Don’t worry, Hunter. I’ll get her back. I’m going to send someone over there to stay with you.”
“Okay,” Hunter said, his voice quivering. “The door is locked.”
“I’ll send someone who has a key,” Drew said. “Don’t be afraid when they get there. Hannah’s nice. Noah’s a dick, but he won’t hurt you.”
“I know who Noah is,” Hunter said. “Please get Trish back. I’m scared without her.”
“I will,” Drew said, and hung up.
First, he called Aiden, not completely sure his cousin would answer. “What the hell do you want?” Aiden asked sleepily. “You just woke up one of the babies.”
Drew so did not care. “Some asshole kidnapped Trish.”
“Who has her?” Aiden snapped out.
“I don’t know,” Drew said. “Hunter called to tell me what happened. All I know is someone took her. I know you can track people by their energy, so I figured you could find her.”
“I’m leaving now,” Aiden said.
“Call me when you’re on the road to let me know where you’re going,” Drew said.
Aiden hesitated, proving he didn’t want Drew involved. “Sure,” Aiden said before hanging up.
Drew hit the button to put the call to Hannah on the car’s speakers. He had a good idea where Trish was and figured he’d head there first, since he wasn’t sure Aiden would really tell him where they were going. Thankfully, Hannah also answered his call.
“Hello,” she said. Clearly, she’d failed to look at the Caller ID.
Rather than risk her hanging up on him, he started right in with what he needed to say. “Trish has been kidnapped. I’m going to get her back, but I need you and Noah to go over to the condo and stay with Hunter. He’s there alone.”
“We’ll leave now,” Hannah said and hung up on him.
No one said goodbye anymore, or maybe they just didn’t say goodbye to him.
Despite the stress, and the strange worry over Trish’s safety, Drew was kind of having fun. He’d never rescued anyone except Hunter. It was exciting being on this side of the action. He was already heading toward Hayward when Aiden called him.
“We’re on our way out of the canyon now. I’m guessing she’s in Hayward or Union City. Alek’s heading in our direction, so we may pick him up.”
“I’m a little ahead of you,” Drew said. “I’ll probably beat you there.”
“You already know where she is?” Aiden asked, sounding seriously pissed.
“Probably, but I’m not completely sure,” Drew admitted. “I thought it would be better to have you involved.”
“Does this have anything to do with your mother?” Aiden asked.
“I think so,” Drew admitted, feeling the strangest emotion— guilt. “The good news is that Trish is most likely safe. Whoever took her doesn’t know my mom’s dead. Assuming this has something to do with my mom, whoever has Trish will have orders not to kill her because my mom would have wanted to do it herself.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” Aiden said. “I’ll keep you updated on where we are,” he said before hanging up.
This day was just full of surprises because Drew was also hoping he was right about Trish being okay, but not in the detached way he normally would. No, Drew really wanted Trish to be safe. Then he had another thought. Damn, he was just full of ideas today.
He hit a button on his car’s touch screen and spoke. “Call Isaiah.”
Isaiah was the one person he knew would actually answer his call, which was ironic considering how much Isaiah hated him. They’d had a little falling out after the death of a girl they’d picked up together. The whole thing had been kind of funny, but Isaiah had no sense of humor and went crazy after they buried the girl. His cousin still wasn’t right in the head. Drew was the first to admit that him calling
anyone crazy was a lot like the pot calling the kettle black.
“What do you want?” Isaiah asked by way of greeting.
“Come on, Cuz, is that any way to talk to family?” Drew drawled. Fucking with Isaiah was too much fun to resist the temptation.
“Hanging up unless you give me a good reason not to,” Isaiah said in a distracted voice. The sound of keys tapping meant Isaiah was already at his computer.
“Some dickhead humans kidnapped Trish, and I’m pretty sure it’s related to my mom,” Drew said. “I have the address of the warehouse my mom was using. If I give it to you, can you find out who owns it and tell me if they have more property in that area?”
“What’s the address?” Isaiah asked.
Drew rattled off the address. “I also need you to deactivate the alarms at the warehouse.”
“No problem,” Isaiah said, typing away. “The owner is listed as West Coast Imports, but it looks like a dummy corporation. If you need, I can trace it further. I’m sending you the addresses of the other two warehouses owned by this corporation in that area. I should have the alarm systems deactivated for all three in the next five minutes.”
“That fast?” Drew asked, kind of impressed.
Isaiah snorted. “These idiots have the most simplistic alarm system. Any moron could break in there.”
Drew doubted it was that easy. There was no denying his cousin was a genius with computers. “Let me know when they’re down.”
“Sure thing,” Isaiah said.
“And thanks for not hanging up on me,” he said, feeling pretty lame saying it.
Isaiah snorted again. “You may be a complete bastard, but you’re still my cousin.” He hung up without waiting for Drew’s reply, which was a relief because Drew couldn’t handle any more warm fuzzy crap today.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Sitting in the backseat of Justin’s Range Rover, Alek was quite literally about to lose it. He’d been on his way to Trish’s house when Aiden had called to tell him about the call from Drew. His first instinct had been to go out looking for her, but he had no idea where Trish could be and needed Aiden to find her. So, he’d abandoned his car on the side of the road and climbed into the backseat of the Range Rover with Aiden. Justin was driving, and Nathaniel was in the passenger seat. Alek suspected the only reason Caitlin wasn’t there was that someone needed to stay with Tempest and the triplets.
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