Page 77 of My Destiny

“I’ll follow you in mine. I’m parked out front too.”

“I’ll come with you, kiddo.”

I give my uncle a look, but say nothing when he climbs into the passenger seat. I’ll hash this out with him later. Right now, my sole focus is getting my girl back.

We’re only a few minutes into our drive when my uncle speaks. “I’ll never forgive myself if she’s been harmed.”

I raise an eyebrow as my temper rises. “That makes two of us,” I say.

I hear him sigh beside me. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I honestly thought I’d never see her.”

Although I’d rather deal with this later, I still can’t seem to wrap my head around all of this. “What even makes you think you’re her father?”

“Her mother, Maree, used to work for your company as an intern.”

“That still doesn’t prove anything.”

“We had an affair; it lasted for months. They were some of the happiest times of my life,” he says. “Brooke looks just like her.” I’ve seen a photo of her mother, so I know that part is true, but again, that proves nothing. “The last time I saw Maree, she told me she was pregnant, and I panicked. You know what Kathleen’s like.” My gaze flicks in his direction. “She would’ve crucified us both.” He bows his head. “I told Maree she needed to have an abortion, and I’ll never forgive myself for saying those words to her.”

We come to a red light, and my eyes move back to him. Could he really be her father? His story matches up with Brooke’s perfectly. I shake my head in disbelief.

“I loved that woman more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life.” He covers his face with his hands, but instead of offering any comfort, I focus back on the road. I have so many questions, but I can’t deal with this right now.

My adrenaline is pumping as we slowly drive past the property. I’m not surprised it’s a rundown house, a fucking dump.The white van is parked out front, and that fills me with hope. My first instinct is to smash the front door down, but as Mike said, the element of surprise is the best way to go. I don’t want to do anything that may put Brooke’s life in jeopardy. She’s still alive—I have to believe that. My mind cannot comprehend any other scenario.

I follow Mike further down the street, where we park. “What’s the plan?” I ask, as we exit the vehicle and approach him.

“I’m going to case the joint first, then decide,” he answers, popping the boot of his car and pulling out a small torch and black leather pouch. He shoves the pouch into the pocket of his jeans, and I’m amazed at how calm he is. I’m glad someone is, because I’m anything but.

I stand there with a mixture of shock and relief when he flips open a black case, revealing a small handgun. My uncle and I are both silent as he slides a magazine into the base, which is preloaded with bullets. He slips the gun into a leather holster strapped to his torso and concealed under his jacket, before grabbing a second preloaded magazine. He comes prepared, I’ll give him that, but I’d be lying if I said the thought of a possible shootout didn’t make me feel uneasy. In a perfect world, we’d go inside, take Brooke, and leave without anyone getting hurt, but I’d be a fool to believe that’s what’s going to happen here.

Closing the boot, he turns to John and me. “It’s against my better judgment having you both here, but time is of the essence, so you’ll need to listen to everything I say.” His eyes move to me. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.” I don’t want to do anything that will put her at risk.

“If we have any chance of getting her out of there alive, we need to be smart.”

“Okay,” I reply.

“I mean it, Logan; this is no place for vigilantes. I know how much she means to you, but letting your heart get in the way of your head is going to get people killed—remember that.”

“It’s the last thing I want.”

“Good. Let’s do this then.”

Mike turns and makes his way up the street, my uncle and I following close behind. When we reach the property, Mike signals us to stop. We both stand at the foot of the driveway, shielded by some bushes.

Mike moves behind the van, using his flashlight to shine inside. My heart thumps in my chest. Is she still in there? Tilting my head back, I look up at the stars and plead,please let her be okay.

Looking over his shoulder, he shakes his head at us, confirming she’s not in the van. Again, I’m filled with a mixture of relief and dread. She must be in the house. My eyes focus on it. From here I can’t see any lights on. What does that mean? It’s been hours since she left, and anything could’ve happened in that time. I start to panic as the gravity of this situation hits me full force.

“You okay?” my uncle asks in a soft voice, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“No,” I snap. If it wasn’t for his actions, we wouldn’t even be here.

“You need to pull yourself together, kiddo.”

I want to reply, “And you need to shut the fuck up,” but I don’t. He’s right. I need to have my wits about me. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to hinder our chances of getting her back.