Page 36

LIAM

T he soft glow of the streetlight cut through the darkness on the sideroad, illuminating the outline of a car that looked like Skye’s in the ditch.

My heart beat against my ribs as I pulled onto the side of the road.

Gravel crunched under my tires as I stopped the truck abruptly, my chest tightening at the sight of Skye’s car.

The front end was crumpled. From what I could see, the car was empty. No Skye. No Lily.

“Damn it,” I cursed, throwing my truck into park. Before I could move, Fiona’s hand shot out, her voice sharp.

“Wait.” Her gaze locked on mine. “Stay calm. Don’t touch anything. If they’re not here, this is bigger than a crash.”

I hesitated, my hand gripping the door handle. “Fiona, Lily could be in danger. We don’t have time for?—”

“We make time,” she interrupted, her tone firm but steady. “If this is connected to what Skye told me earlier, then we need to handle this carefully. Let me assess the scene first.”

She got out, her movements precise as she pulled on gloves from her coat pocket. I followed, my chest burning with barely restrained panic.

Fiona crouched near the car, her flashlight cutting through the shadows. Her trained eyes scanned the area while I fought the urge to run straight into the woods lining the side of the road and shout their names. She pulled out her phone, called the station, and reported the accident.

A familiar Jeep pulled up behind my truck, and Maverick jumped out, his expression as grim as I felt. “Where is she?”

Eileen must’ve called him. It made sense that he would show up. “Not here.”

Maverick’s jaw clenched as he surveyed the wreckage. “Where’s the ambulance? If they were injured?—”

“There wasn’t one,” Fiona interjected, rising to her feet.

“The scene is off. The driver’s door is open, the car seat missing, and in addition to the damage on the front of the vehicle, there are tire marks on the road.

Whoever was here likely caused the accident and left on their own. The girls might have been taken.”

My stomach churned at her words, and I glanced toward the car.

“Damn it,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

Fiona straightened, her voice sharp as she stepped toward us. “Skye called me before your last game and told me she saw Joe handing a football player something suspicious—a plastic bag—at the science building. She said it didn’t look right. Do either of you know anything about that?”

I shook my head. “She didn’t tell me anything about Joe after the game.”

“Me either.” Mav frowned.

Fiona’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I haven’t managed to take Joe in for questioning.

He was due to come to the station tomorrow.

His involvement changes things, and the scheduled interview would have added another level of panic.

If Skye saw him hand off drugs or something illegal, she might have become a liability to him. ”

“And if she called him out on it…” Maverick trailed off, his face darkening.

“That gives him motive,” Fiona finished. She pulled out her phone and started dialing.

“I reported Skye and Lily missing from the scene, but I need to flag Joe as a person of interest.” Fiona moved a few steps away as she placed the call.

Mav turned toward me, his mouth compressed into a harsh line. “We need to find that fucker.”

We were in agreement. “I don’t know him well. Do you? We need to figure out where he would’ve taken them.”

Maverick crossed his arms, his gaze narrowing. “Skye mentioned once how territorial he was about his lab. If he wanted control, that’s probably where he’d go.”

Fiona returned and caught the tail end of our brief conversation, her fingers flying over her phone as she relayed the situation to dispatch. “That makes sense.”

My fists clenched at the thought of Skye and Lily trapped with someone who wanted to do them harm. “Then we’re wasting time. Let’s go.”

Fiona’s hand shot up, stopping me in my tracks. “No. You’re not charging in blind. If Joe’s there and he’s unstable, you’ll only escalate the situation.”

“What are you saying?” I demanded.

“I’m saying we do this right,” she said firmly. “I’ll contact backup. You and Maverick stay close, but let me lead. If Joe sees you and feels cornered, it could make things worse for Skye and Lily.”

Maverick put a hand on my shoulder, his grip steady. “She’s right, Cartwright. We go in hot, we risk blowing it. Let her handle it.”

Every instinct screamed at me to act, but Fiona’s unwavering calm and Maverick’s steady logic held me in place. I nodded reluctantly. “Fine. But we’re not waiting for backup. Let’s move.”

Fiona hesitated but didn’t argue. She gestured toward my truck. “We’ll take one vehicle. Stay quiet, and do as I say.”

As we climbed in, I clenched my fists, my jaw tight. Skye and Lily needed me. And I wouldn’t let them down.

The drive to the university was a blur of tension and silence.

Fiona sat in the passenger seat, her phone pressed to her ear as she coordinated with dispatch, her tone clipped and professional.

“We’re en route to the science building.

Suspect is possibly holding two hostages.

Name: Joe Riken. Male, mid-twenties. Potentially armed and dangerous. Standby for confirmation on-site.”

Maverick leaned forward from the back seat, his hands gripping the headrest. “How sure are we about this?”

“It fits,” Fiona replied, her voice steady. “If he’s trying to control the situation, he’d pick somewhere familiar, somewhere he can manipulate.”

“And the lab is isolated,” Maverick added grimly. “No one would stumble in on him by accident.”

My knuckles turned white against the steering wheel as I pushed the truck faster. My thoughts kept flashing to the scene of their damaged and abandoned car.

Fiona’s voice broke through my thoughts as I whipped into the nearly deserted parking lot behind the science building. “Liam, slow down. We can’t afford to draw attention.”

I forced my foot off the gas, though my chest burned with the need to get there faster.

Every second felt like an eternity. When I threw the vehicle into park, Fiona was out of the truck before I could cut the engine.

She gestured sharply for us to follow, her movements precise and purposeful with her Glock at the ready but pointed down and at her side.

“Stay behind me,” she ordered, her voice low but firm.

The three of us moved quickly but quietly through the back entrance, Fiona leading the way with her flashlight cutting through the dim hallways. The air was heavy, the silence broken only by the faint hum of the building’s fluorescent lights.

My pulse thundered in my ears as we approached a closed door near the end of the hall. That was when I heard it—Joe’s muffled voice, sharp and frantic.

“Do you think I wanted this?” A loud crash like something metal hitting the floor.

Then Lily’s cries pierced through the door, high and trembling with fear. “Mommy!”

Every muscle in my body coiled, ready to break down the door, but Fiona’s hand shot out, pressing against my chest.

“Wait,” she hissed. “We need to know what we’re dealing with on the other side.”

“I don’t care,” I growled, my vision narrowing. “Lily’s crying?—”

“Think, Liam,” Maverick cut in, his voice low but firm. “If we go in without a plan, we risk making it worse.”

Another loud crash sounded from inside, and Fiona’s jaw tightened. “I’ll open the door. You two follow my lead. We need to keep him distracted long enough to secure Skye and Lily.”

I nodded sharply, every nerve screaming for action as Fiona reached for the door handle.

The second I saw Skye tied to that chair, my vision went red.

Even from the sideview I had, I could tell she was pale, her wrists raw from the ropes biting into her skin.

Lily’s cries tore through the room, her little voice shaking with fear.

And Joe? That bastard stood there with a crowbar like he was ready to use it.

I didn’t think. I just moved.

“Get away from them!” I roared, sprinting toward Joe.

He swung the crowbar, the sharp whistle of metal slicing through the air.

I ducked low, the motion throwing me off balance but not enough to stop me.

The counter edge jabbed my hip as I lunged forward, my shoulder slamming into his chest. The impact took him to the floor with enough power to make the crowbar clatter out of his hand.

Joe let out a guttural shout, struggling beneath me, his movements sluggish from the force of my tackle.

Unable to stop myself, I slammed my fist into his face. “You’re done,” I growled, my voice shaking with rage.

Behind me, Fiona moved in swiftly, her gun trained on Joe as I pushed off him.

“Stay down,” she barked, but he wasn’t going anywhere. I’d leveled him.

Mav moved around them as Fiona snapped the cuffs onto his wrists. Lily whimpered, and he dropped to his knees before her, cooing softly that she was okay as he deftly unhooked the straps that held her in her car seat.

I didn’t wait to watch Fiona drag Joe up. My focus was on Skye. “Skye!” I hurried to her side. Her eyes brimmed with tears as I worked to untie her, my hands clumsy with urgency.

“Liam,” she choked out, her voice breaking.

“You’re okay.” I released the last knot and pulled her into my arms the second she was free.

Her eyes frantically tracked her daughter. “Lily!” she cried out, dropping to her knees before Lily and pulling her into her arms as soon as Mav had her free.

Mav shifted back, and I knelt beside Skye, pulling her and Lily into my arms, needing to feel them both whole and safe. Lily fisted my shirt with one hand, her other arm wrapping around Skye’s neck, her sobs muffled against her mom.

“I’ve got you,” I murmured, holding them close. “I’ve got both of you.”

Skye practically collapsed into me, her body trembling against mine. I pulled her closer into my chest, holding on tighter than I probably should’ve, but I couldn’t let go. Not yet.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice rough, the words catching in my throat.

She nodded, but her grip on my shirt said otherwise. “Joe?”

My hand slid up to cradle the back of her head. “Fiona has him. You’re safe. Everything will be okay.”

Skye let out a shaky breath, her forehead dropping against my chest, Lily tucked between us. Relief flooded through me, but it didn’t erase the image burned into my brain: Skye tied to that chair, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear.

“I thought I’d lost you,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. “Both of you.”

Her head lifted, her red-rimmed eyes locking onto mine. She looked as wrecked as I felt, her tear-streaked face lit only by the dim light filtering through the lab. “You didn’t.”

“I can’t lose you, Skye.” A tremor shook my body. “Either of you. I don’t know what I’d do if?—”

“Liam…” Her voice wavered, and I saw the tears welling in her eyes again.

“I mean it.” I held her gaze. “You’re everything. You and Lily—you’re my everything.”

Her breath hitched, and for a moment, neither of us moved. The world around us—the sirens, the voices—faded into nothing. There was only the three of us, my lifeline that I vowed never to let go.