Page 10 of Forever His (The Donovans: Secret Son #6)

Trent

Devlin Bonner was a big guy.

Tall, broad, bald, and wearing a scowl that screamed “Go ahead and try me!”

Trent didn’t have to worry about that part though. They were two of a kind in that arena. So when he spotted Dev leaning on his truck when he came out of the building where he rented for the D&D offices, he wasn’t alarmed at all.

“Got some news,” was all Dev said before Trent nodded and moved to open the driver’s side door.

Dev walked away from his truck and as Trent pulled out he saw a red sport’s car came up behind him.

Dev must have gotten a rental because Trent knew he owned a truck that accommodated his bulky frame a lot better than that little car did.

With a shrug Trent drove home, being sure to call Tia and let her know that Dev was coming.

She hated surprise company at the house and since they were both still reeling from her confession about her medical condition last night, he wanted to do whatever he could to make her comfortable.

Once at his place Trent and Dev went in through the garage entrance and circled around the living and formal dining room to where his home office was situated in the back of their house. He closed the door and immediately asked, “What’s happened?”

Dev folded his beefy arms across his chest and stated, in a tone as calm as if he were giving the time of day, “Jaydon Donovan picked up a rental car in Las Vegas two days after the fire. After checking all of Dane’s movements and financials I remember that Jaydon was connected to him, so on a hunch I had Sam run Jaydon’s credit cards.

That’s how we found the charge. I flew out here immediately but I need to wait for a warrant to go in there and demand all their records.

Kyle McAlister works for LVPD so he’s going to work on a warrant saying the records are in connection to the fire at your parents’ place. ”

“Because we don’t want word to get out that Bailey’s missing,” Trent said with a nod as he digested everything Dev had just told him. “How long on the warrant?”

“Kyle said a few hours. I’m heading back to Vegas there tonight, but I wanted to stop by and give you the update first.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll go grab a bag.”

Dev shook his head. “No need. I’ve got this.”

Trent frowned. “I didn’t say differently, but I’m still going.”

“I said I’ve got it, Trent. I’m going to find Bailey and I’m going to do it before something happens to her,” Dev stated adamantly.

Trent had known this guy for years and thought of him as another brother.

They’d been in life and death situations together and had shared rations to keep from starving, to say they were close was an understatement.

So why, at this moment did Trent feel like he was staring into the eyes of a stranger?

“What’s going on here?” he asked Dev.

With an irritated glare—moreso than was his regular expression—Dev let his arms drop to his sides.

“I told you to deal with the arson that I would find Bailey. That means this is mine to handle. All you have to do is wait for me to call you with news,” he told him.

Trent frowned. “All I have to do is wait. Is that what you just said?”

“That’s what I said,” Dev replied.

Trent took a step closer to Dev, looking his longtime friend directly in the eye. “She’s my cousin, Dev. You do understand that don’t you?”

“I do,” Dev replied with a nod.

“And you know there’s nothing more important to me than my family.”

“There’s nothing more important to me than getting Bailey back safely,” Dev replied.

Trent paused, his mind circling and coming back to a point he definitely did not want to acknowledge. “She’s my cousin,” Trent said one more time. “My uncle’s only daughter. We love her very much.”

“I’m. Going. To. Bring. Her. Back.” Dev’s response was spoken through clenched teeth, his brow furrowed as he glared at Trent as if he couldn’t understand English.

But Trent understood. He understood very well.

“Hold on,” Trent said shaking his head. From the moment they’d found out Bailey was gone, Dev had been the one leading the hunt to find her.

He’d been flying from the west coast to the east, tracing Bailey’s steps, searching her apartment and her car.

Sam had even told Trent that Dev insisted on questioning all of Bailey’s neighbors himself, and everyone who worked at D&D.

There was even a guy at the gym now sporting a broken nose because he refused to answer whether or not Bailey had been there the day she’d gone missing.

Sam said that in Dev’s defense the guy was being an ass and told Dev if he didn’t have a ring on it, he couldn’t claim it.

Trent had thought that warranted a broken nose and then some, and the thought had him recalling when he was ready to throw Tia’s trainer through a wall for touching her.

Trent had taken all those facts as Dev being there for him. His best friend was looking out for Trent and his family, just as he always had. Only, now, there was something different, Trent thought. Something very different indeed.

“No,” he said and glared at Dev. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I don’t have to tell you a damn thing.”

Trent took another step closer until he and Dev were nose-to-nose. “If it involves you putting your hands on my cousin, yes the hell you do.”

“Back off,” Dev warned and turned to walk away.

“The hell I will,” Trent yelled, grabbing Dev by his shoulder and turning the guy around.

Dev took a quick step and was once again in Trent’s face.

“Did you touch her?” Trent demanded to know.

Dev didn’t even blink. “That’s none of your business.”

“You son of a bitch!” Trent roared.

Tia grabbed Trent’s arm just as he pulled back and was ready to punch Dev in the face. Dev had his fists clenched and was ready for the fight.

“What the hell is going on here?” Tia asked as she continued to push Trent away from Dev.

“He’s a bastard that’s what, a sneaky lying bastard,” he yelled as he glared at Dev.

“I don’t have time for this bullshit, Trent. She’s out there and I’m going to get her. You can stay here and bitch about something you know nothing about for as long as you like,” Dev told him and headed for the door.

Trent moved fast, slamming his palm on the door, effectively closing it and blocking Dev’s exit. “Tell me right here, right now, did you have sex with my cousin?”

“Trent!” Tia yelled. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about this big oaf taking advantage of Bailey,” Trent told Tia.

Dev shook his head. “Nobody can take advantage of Bailey. And if Jaydon Donovan has her she’d better keep Bailey gagged and shackled or she’s going to be the one in a body bag. Bailey is no lightweight, physically or mentally.”

“You don’t know shit! You don’t know my cousin and I want you to keep your hands off of her! Do you hear what I’m saying to you?”

Trent had grabbed Dev by his shirt and was pushing the bigger guy back until he hit the edge of his desk. Dev pushed at Trent’s shoulders so hard, Trent took a couple steps back but did not release his hold on him.

“You back the hell off, Trent! I mean it! Stay the fuck out of my business!” Dev yelled.

It was Tia who slammed one of the pool sticks from the pool table in the far corner of Trent’s office against the wall with a loud crack that grabbed both of their attention.

“Cut it out, both of you!” She yelled. “Trent let him go.”

Trent was not letting this bastard go. He knew he’d touched Bailey. At first it was just a hunch, a simple question, but the mere fact that Dev wasn’t answering made that shit true and he didn’t like it one bit.

“I said let him go,” she insisted and this time when she slammed that stick into the wall it broke in two.

Trent slackened his grip wondering if he needed to go and grab the rest of the stick from his now angry wife. Dev took that moment to push Trent’s hands away and head for the door.

“I’ll call you when I get the warrant,” he was saying as he headed for the door.

“If you hurt her,” Trent said without looking at his friend.

“Never,” was all Dev said before walking out of the room.

Bailey Donovan

“What are you looking at with those wide eyes? You’re stuck here until we’re done with you so don’t keep sitting there thinking that Badass Navy SEAL Trent is going to come and save your pretty little ass,” Jaydon said as she stood in front of Bailey.

Bailey was in the chair where Jaydon had left her an hour ago, the same chair she’d been tied to since they arrived here a few days ago. Bailey didn’t speak, even when Jaydon leaned down, putting her face directly in Bailey’s.

“You hear me? He won’t be coming in here to blow shit up like he’s used to doing. Nobody’s coming to save you, little twin. Nobody at all.”

If Jaydon meant to say something else, the words were lost when Bailey head-bunted her, knocking the woman back and onto her ass.

Jumping up from the chair after having spent the last hour working on those ropes to untie herself, Bailey kicked Jaydon in the side and watched her roll across the floor.

“Stupid bitch!” she yelled.

Another kick and Bailey felt almost vindicated.

She was beyond irritated that Jaydon had surprised her in the garage of her apartment building.

Bailey couldn’t remember how long ago that was because Jaydon and the guy she’d been with injected her with something.

Even the guy that Bailey kept seeing in her mind was still a little foggy.

He was big, she recalled, wide and stocky and he’d picked her up and put her the backseat of a car or a truck.

Bailey didn’t know. All she knew for sure was that she wasn’t about to remain a captive by this nutcase anymore.

She ran to the door, wrenching it open only to come face-to-face with the hellion that had been terrorizing her family for the last year.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Roslyn Ausby asked, the barrel of her gun pointing directly to Bailey’s head.

Something wrapped around her ankle then, pulling Bailey to the floor.

Rolling over quickly on her back Bailey saw that it was Jaydon who had a gash on the side of her forehead that was leaking blood.

Kicking out she tried to get loose once again, but Jaydon moved quickly to get on top of Bailey.

Not quickly enough, Bailey managed to punch her in the face first. Then she heard the click of the gun and Bailey froze.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Roslyn said as she knelt down beside Bailey and was touching the gun to Bailey’s temple. “Which would you prefer?”