Page 18 of Forever His (The Donovans: Secret Son #6)

Bailey

She didn’t know how long she’d slept but when Bailey moved again her entire body ached, not just her head. A part of her was just glad she had awakened in the first place, even though she was almost positive that Roslyn’s plan called for her to be alive, even if for just a little longer.

Bailey had never been a fan of taking naps.

She recalled arguing back and forth with her mother about it when she was little until finally Darla had simply left the room.

Bailey would stay in the bed staring at the walls for the entire time her mother had allotted for the nap, then she’d get up and continue whatever plan for mischief she’d planned in the first place.

But this hadn’t been a nap. She hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open and suspected that once again, they’d drugged her.

Regardless, she was getting up this time and she was going to find a way out of here.

If she couldn’t get out then at least the next time they came in she’d be prepared to defend herself.

She rolled over slowly, sighing heavily when she was on her stomach.

Keeping her face up off the floor was a task and caused a dull ached to spread from her forehead down the side of her face and to her neck.

Bailey closed her eyes and whispered so softly she doubted the words had even come out, “Mama, please.”

“Daddy said you’d always be watching over me, please.”

Her arms shook as she moved them upward, fingers uncurling slowly when she placed her hands on the floor.

Bailey counted to three and took a deep, steadying breath.

With her palms now flat on the floor she concentrated on pushing herself up.

There was wobbling and cursing, but she finally came up on her knees.

Lifting her head she looked up to see around the room and everything appeared to be in motion.

Bailey swallowed and waited a few more seconds before forcing herself to stand.

It was a good thing she was near a wall, because she needed it.

Once she was upright her legs wobbled so much Bailey was sure she would be flat on that floor in the next few seconds.

She lay her head against the wall and closed her eyes, breathing through the waves of nausea that threatened her.

Daylight was dwindling. There was a window but it was shuttered.

Pale light slipped through the slats and Bailey guessed that it was late in the afternoon, or possibly early evening, but that light wasn’t of the sun’s normal brightness.

The room was empty except for a desk and chair off to one corner.

That corner seemed far away but Bailey was determined to get there.

She wanted to see if there was something in the desk drawer.

A pair of scissors maybe, a letter opener or something else sharp.

She took a step and then another, but had to pause again.

This time when she leaned back she was against the door and she heard footsteps.

They were out there.

“Did you make sure everything’s set?”

That was Roslyn’s voice. It was deeper than Jaydon’s, feminine still, but older, edgier.

“Yeah, I had to wait until they left, but it’s done,” a male voice answered.

Bailey recognized that voice. It was a bit fuzzy but she knew she’d heard it before.

When she closed her eyes she recalled the day when she was walking in the garage.

She was going to her car and then she was going to the gym.

After the gym she was going to head to the office.

She’d had some reports on that cyber security case she was working on that she wanted to review.

His body had been huge as he slammed into her from behind, knocking the wind out of her.

She was laying over the hood of her car trying to catch her breath so she could elbow him and try to get away, when she felt the pinch in her neck.

They’d drugged her with a needle. Everything began to get fuzzy at that point and she remembered being lifted into strong arms. He breathed heavy and smelled like pickles and he’d said something to someone. In the same voice she’d just heard.

“We should move quickly. Telling that Frankfurt woman all that stuff you told me sent her right to the news station. It’s all in the papers and on the televisions,” he said.

“I know,” Roslyn told him. “That’s the plan. It’s time for the world to know exactly who they are and what they’re capable of.”

“I wonder how they’ll try to get out of this.”

Jaydon finally spoke and Bailey opened her eyes.

There were three of them.

“They can’t get out of it,” Roslyn said. “Not when I plan to keep hitting them back-to-back, over and over again until all of them are broken.”

“Starting with the threesome?” Jaydon asked.

“That’s right, starting with the threesome. Albert, Henry and Bernard. They were thick as thieves in college. It makes sense that they all suffer simultaneously,” Roslyn continued.

“Too bad we couldn’t find Brynne. Nobody knows where the hell she is. I told you Orin and I should have gone to Michigan to get Keysa.”

“No,” Roslyn replied to Jaydon. “She’s pregnant and that’s the most wonderful time in any woman’s life. It’s such a privilege to bring new life into the world.”

Jaydon made a sound. “Unless it’s an ungrateful son.”

“Dane just doesn’t understand us. He used to but now, now, I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” Roslyn added.

She sounded different now, as if she actually had some regard for pregnant women and her first born child.

Bailey thought in these last few minutes that Roslyn really did sound off.

Amber’s family had said that Roslyn was diagnosed with a personality disorder.

Bailey hadn’t readily believed that, but listening to her now, hearing the quick shift in her tone had her reconsidering.

“He’s acting like them now,” Jaydon told her. “He’s looking for us so he can try to talk us out of doing what needs to be done.”

“Right,” Roslyn said, more energy in her tone this time. “We have to do this. They have to learn. Each of them Henry, Albert and Bernard all need to learn and today they will.”

There were more footsteps as they walked away to a part of the house where Bailey could no longer hear them.

Roslyn wanted to make her father, and his brothers pay.

She’d tried to get Brynne, but couldn’t.

Brynne was Uncle Bernard’s younger daughter.

Bailey was already here. Her mind felt fuzzy again as Bailey tried to think harder.

She was Albert’s only daughter. Uncle Henry didn’t have any daughters, he only had three sons…

three boys, one who was close in age to Dane.

Oh no, she was planning to kill one of their children.

That’s how she planned to hurt them this time around.

Bailey hated the thought but she realized with a queasy feeling in her stomach that Roslyn had no plans to stop, not until all of the Donovans had suffered.

Everything she did was to that end, everything she planned to do in the future would work towards the same cause.

Roslyn wasn’t going to stop.

The idea angered Bailey and she forced her legs to move finally making it to that desk.

She grabbed the chair, holding its back tightly with her fingers to keep from falling to the floor.

Trying to steady herself more, Bailey knew she had to do something.

She knew without a doubt she had to figure out how to stop whatever was planned for today.

Trent

It was nightfall by the time Dev and Trent turned down the road where the rental company said the car Jaydon had rented was located.

Big Bear was only a two hour drive from Trent’s house, but they needed to secure back-up.

No matter how good Trent knew he and Dev were, the smart thing to do was to make sure they had someone standing guard, especially since he had no idea what type of situation they were walking into with Jaydon.

Trent was driving and he pulled over to the side of the road when he could see the cabin in the near distance.

Dev opened the passenger side door and closed it quietly.

The truck that had been following behind them also stopped and four men climbed out.

Trent took a moment to check his phone. He’d called Tia a few times but she had not answered.

He figured she and Camille had taken the boys to the movies or somewhere she couldn’t answer right away.

When he saw her text that said she was on her way home and that Apollo was still with her Trent released a sigh. Tia was safe.

Now, to bring Bailey home.

Getting out of the truck and closing the door, Trent stayed on the shoulder of the road where the others had gathered.

They were others Dev had hired for security, all of them former military men.

“You three search the perimeter around the line of the trees. We don’t want any surprises once we’re inside. York, Dev and I will search the perimeter of the house before moving in,” Trent told them.

“Check your weapons, put your earpieces in and let’s do this,” Dev told them.

Trent had already turned his phone off but still kept it in his pocket.

He slid the ear piece inside his ear and waited until he could hear the beeping of their station coming online.

Reaching behind his back he pulled his gun free and released the safety.

He could hear the others checking their guns as well and then with a nod of his head they all moved in the direction of their assignment, quiet and stealth like through the night.

There was about two miles between where they’d parked and the front steps of the house.

After noting there were no vehicles parked in the driveway and no lights on in the cabin Trent wondered if they’d left already.

With a hand signal he told Dev and York to split up and check all around the outside of the house.

Trent took the front, attempting to peek through the windows, but no lights were on so he couldn’t see a thing. A few seconds later there was a low whistle and Trent made his way around to the back of the house.

York pointed to a trash can full of beer bottles and pizza boxes. Someone had been here. A few feet away was a back door, in front of it were cigarette butts. York knelt down and picked one up.

“It’s recent, tip’s still wet,” he whispered.

Dev jerked his head toward the door and Trent nodded his agreement.

They were going in.

Guns drawn, York checked the knob first. It was open, which should have been the first warning sign.

With their minds solely on finding Bailey, Trent looked to Dev, who stared at him in turn.

A second later Trent gave the go-ahead nod and York opened the back door.

Trent went in first with Dev close behind him, each going in a different direction once inside.

They both had to pull out their mini flashlights.

The cabin was surrounded by acres of land, rows of trees giving it privacy.

With the sun gone and no moon tonight, it was dark, too dark and too quiet.

And this was too easy.

Trent couldn’t shake that feeling as they walked further into the house. They searched every corner, found more beer bottles, a few unopened bottles of water and more cigarettes. It was clear that somebody had been here and Trent wondered how long they’d stayed at this cabin and when they left.

“There’s nobody here,” York said after going to the front of the house and circling back.

Trent had finished in the back and was checking the doors toward the front of the cabin. A bathroom, a coat closet and a bedroom. Nothing. He was about to agree with York when he looked back to see Dev. He was just standing there staring at the door.

“It’s probably nothing,” York told him. “We’ve searched every inch and there are no vehicles out there. I think we missed them.”

Dev didn’t move. Trent took a step closer to him.

When Dev lifted a hand and flattened it on the door, Trent wondered what he was thinking. Something clearly had Dev’s attention. Trent continued until he was barely two feet away. That’s when Dev snatched his hand from the door. He took a few steps back and lifted his foot to slam it into the door.

The sound of wood splintering was loud as the door flew open.

Dev rushed inside, his gun still in hand.

There was a guttural cry from someone inside as Trent followed Dev into the room.

He stopped short when he saw the jagged edge of a stick on its way to Dev’s face.

Quick as a flash of light Dev lifted his hand and grabbed the stick.

Yanking it away he broke it and tossed it across the floor.

There was only a moment’s hesitation at that point in which time Trent heaved a huge sigh of relief as he saw Bailey standing there fists up and ready to fight her way out of this room.

It was what happened next that caused Trent to frown.

“Bailey,” Dev whispered.

“Devlin,” she replied, her arms lowering slowly.

In the next instant she was in Dev’s arms. Her body was plastered to his, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Dev held her just as securely, his face buried in the side of her neck. Trent’s teeth clenched and he turned away.

Seeing how uncomfortable he was York shrugged and turned away himself. He was putting his gun in the waistband of his pants when he asked, “Am I the only one that thinks that was too easy?”

Trent shook his head, trying to get the memory of Bailey in Dev’s arms out of his head. When he was about to answer she spoke.

“It’s a set-up. We’ve gotta get out of here,” Bailey said. “I heard them planning it. Roslyn, Jaydon and this guy named Orin. They want to kill one of each of the Seniors children, starting with Uncle Henry, Uncle Bernard and my father.”

“That’s why they chose you,” Trent said.

Bailey nodded, Dev close to her side. “Right. They couldn’t find Brynne and didn’t want to mess with Keysa because she’s pregnant.”

“Honor among thieves,” York quipped and frowned.

“I’m here on my father’s behalf,” Trent said.

“Yes, so we have to get moving. I heard them leave but that was a while ago,” Bailey told them. “When I heard the footsteps again, I thought you were them.”

“Then let’s go,” Dev said. “Let’s get her home safely and we can talk about all of this there.”

Trent agreed and he led the way towards the front of the house once more. All of them stopped in the living when they heard rattling at the front door. They were back.

Trent lifted his gun arm and aimed. Dev did the same after attempting to push Bailey behind him.

York was on Trent’s other side with his gun pointed.

Keys clinked louder and the doorknob finally moved.

Trent had never shot a woman before but he was ready, without a doubt he was ready to end this with Roslyn Ausby.