Page 58 of Between Regrets and Promises (Between Us Trilogy #2)

MASON

I knew I shouldn’t have let her leave with that crazy fuck. The moment he showed up, I should’ve stood my ground and took her to the meeting myself. But the last thing I wanted to do was argue with Sophie before our date.

I don’t want to be the guy who tells her what to do.

After the hell she went through with Weston, I don’t want to mirror any of his controlling behavior.

I want Sophie to be free to make her own decisions, but I’m kicking myself now for not pushing harder to keep her away from him.

That’s when I think about Maddie because she was with them earlier.

“Fuck,” I whisper, then demand Liam call Maddie as soon as possible to make sure she’s okay as I continue to call Sophie.

Back when I first met him as Caleb, I could tell he was bad news.

His brother gave me the same creepy vibe.

The way he looked at her and used a sob story to gain her trust were red flags from the start, and I’m so pissed because my gut was spot-on.

But him being related to Weston? That was one thing that had never crossed my mind.

“She’s fine. At her dorm,” he tells me after a moment.

“Good,” I say, relieved she’s okay because this is messed up as it is.

He could’ve taken them both, but I suspect I’m his main target in all of this.

Knowing Sophie’s with Dalton makes me fucking sick.

We have to find her as soon as possible.

Liam and I stand in the empty parking lot of the church where the grief meetings are held, and I scream her name, praying for a goddamn miracle that she can hear me.

I call her again, over and over and over, pleading for her to call me. But it’s no use. She’s not here.

“This can’t be happening…” I whisper-shriek to Liam, struggling to catch my breath. What the hell am I gonna do? Call the cops? Call my dad? Tell Jerad to put a warrant out for his arrest?

If he has my girlfriend, and she can’t respond to my messages and calls, does that qualify as kidnapping?

Holy fuck, I can’t breathe, and the world seems to be spinning around me. The last time I felt this way was the night I couldn’t get ahold of Emma, and she ended her life. I have zero control of the situation, and it’s destroying me from the inside out.

Right before I have a full-on panic attack, my phone vibrates.

Dalton

An eye for an eye, killer. Murdered someone I loved, now I’m going to kill someone you love. Payback’s a bitch, asshole.

Attached is a picture of my sweet Sophie tied to a chair with duct tape across her mouth and unconscious as she sits there so helplessly.

“Motherfucker! I’m gonna kill him!” I howl.

Liam glances at the screen over my shoulder and gasps. I type out a response, not able to stop shaking.

Mason

If you fucking touch her, I’m gonna kill you. And it won’t be classified as self-defense this time. Let her go, Dalton, or I swear to God, this won’t end well for you.

Dalton

Tsk, tsk. We’re not playing by your rules, Mason. This time…justice WILL be served. It’s either gonna be you or her. And if you call the police, your father, or any of your little bitch friends, she’ll be dead before you even find her. Your choice.

I’m sick to my stomach as I hand my phone to Liam. His eyes widen as I try to get a hold of myself.

“What the fuck do I do?” I ask, panting as we walk to the truck.

The wheels are turning in Liam’s head, and I can see he’s thinking of every possible scenario.

“He disabled her location sharing,” he says, sliding his thumb over the screen.

“Motherfucker.” After Sophie moved in, we shared locations with her as a precaution.

Knowing Weston’s family might come after me for a wrongful homicide charge, we decided it was better to be safe than sorry since we all worked long hours.

Considering what Liam does for a living, we’ve had ours shared with each other for years.

He pretends to be tough as nails, but that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about the types of criminals he has to be around.

“Call Jerad. See if he can track her phone number to a cell tower and or even get a specific address since it’s on. If he can pinpoint her location, maybe we can find his car since we know what he drives.”

A million different thoughts stream through my mind, and all I can do is hope Sophie isn’t hurt and is staying strong. Though, by the photo, I know he intends to break her down physically and mentally while fucking with me. He’s a goddamn psycho.

I call Jerad and explain the messages and pictures and what I need from him as we climb inside the truck. Liam instantly starts it, and we begin driving away.

“You’ll have to give me some time, but I can get my guy on it ASAP. You gonna tell your dad or call the cops? Report a kidnapping? You have his license plate number? We could have people all over the city looking for this sick fucker.”

Letting out a smothered breath, I ball my hand into a fist, wishing I could drive it straight into Dalton’s face.

“I can’t. He’s threatened to kill her, and after knowing about his wife, I believe him.

I can’t get my dad or the police involved, so I have to take matters into my own hands.

But so help me God, if I find him and he’s hurt her… ”

“Mason,” he warns. “Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll call you when I find out more info. Give me an hour.”

“An hour? A fucking hour? She could be dead by then. That’s too long, Jerad.”

He sighs. “It’s all I can do. Tracing shit takes time, and I have to go back to the office. It’s not like I can do this from my goddamn cell phone.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. But every second she’s gone is another second she’s in danger.”

“I get it, but you need to calm down. I get you’re worried, but I can’t snap my fingers and make it happen.”

Even in situations such as this, Jerad remains calm and collected. He’s doing the best he can, but I’m frustrated as fuck. The stress of Sophie being with Weston’s brother is already wearing me down and this nightmare just began.

Jerad ends the call with a promise to get back with me as soon as he knows something.

As we speed down the highway, my mind spirals.

Though I want the whole damn city looking for her, I don’t second-guess Dalton’s threats, just as I didn’t doubt Weston had that gun to kill Sophie.

Dalton will kill her without a second thought.

They’re both psychotics with zero compassion.

Dalton’s already gotten away with murder once—hell, maybe more for all anyone knows.

The thought of him touching Sophie sickens me, especially since I doubt she went wherever he took her willingly. She’s a fighter.

Liam drives across town, and we’re soon pulling into the driveway of the house. I look at him in confusion because we need to keep looking for her.

“There’s no reason for us to aimlessly roam the city searching for her when we have no idea where she is. We should wait for Jerad to call and at least give us a location. Continue to interact with Dalton so he doesn’t turn off her phone.”

I release a frustrated breath and nod as we walk into the house. “You’re right,” I admit, trying to find the strength to keep texting him. Before I can finish my thought, another message comes in.

Dalton

Wondering if I should fuck her before I kill her. See what all the fuss is about. What do you think?

A picture comes through of Sophie still restrained to the chair, and he’s pushed her dress so far up her legs that I can see the lace panties she wore for our date.

My jaw clenches so tight, I might break a damn tooth.

She’s unconscious, and knowing he can do whatever he wants to her creates a feeling inside me that I’ve never felt before.

She’s mine . She’s fucking mine . I don’t want him touching her.

“Motherfucker.” A growl comes from deep in my core. I’m so damn helpless, and he knows it.

“We’re gonna find her,” Liam promises, bending down and opening the duffle bag he threw on the floor earlier. “We’re gonna find her and make him suffer.” It’s clear he means business as he pulls a Glock from the bag and loads it.

“Shit. You have a gun?” My eyes widen, and Liam nods.

Good , is what comes to mind when I think about what Liam intends to do with it.

Dalton deserves to feel pain.

I want revenge for taking my girl. I want him to be sorry he ever insinuated himself into our lives.

“We’re gonna need backup. Call Hunter and have him meet us here. Do not tell him why. The last thing we need is a frantic Lennon calling the police.” Liam’s coolheaded as he tucks the gun in the back of his pants. “We’ll explain once he gets here.”

Knowing he’s probably right, I call Hunter.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on your special romantic date right now?” He chuckles, but it causes my heart to drop because the time Sophie and I were supposed to spend together was stolen from us.

“Can you come to the house and help us move some furniture?” I ask, trying to keep my tone even to avoid any questions.

“Uhh…seriously?” I feel guilty for lying, but if Lennon suspects anything and calls the cops, Sophie could die.

“Yeah, we need some help, and it’s really fuckin’ important,” I snap.

He sits silently on the phone for a moment, and I hear the noise from the TV in the background fade away. “Everything okay?”

“It’s somewhat of an emergency, but I don’t want you to alert Lennon to anything that’s going on. It has to do with Sophie,” I explain carefully.

“Gonna be honest, man. You’re scaring me.” Hunter’s voice is low.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you as soon as you get here.” Worry coats my tone, and I don’t think it’s lost on Hunter because he tells me he’ll be here in fifteen minutes. We might need his help if we figure out where the hell Dalton’s taken her. The more people on our side, the better.

My phone vibrates, and it’s Sophie’s phone calling. With a racing heart, I put it on speaker.