Page 188 of Scandalous Contract

“Tell me where she is!” I yelled.

“S-storage facility!” he wailed, stamping his feet, trying to put out the flame. “O-on exit 23. Unit 311. The key to it is in my car! In the glove box!”

I shoved the rag back into his mouth.

“I’ll finish this once Stefanie has her daughter back. Try not to bleed out while I’m gone.”

I walked to the bathroom in the back of the basement, washed the blood off my hands and arms, splashed water on my face, and opened the supply closet where my cousins kept extra clothes.

I found a clean shirt and some slacks. I quickly changed out of my bloody clothes, then grabbed my keys, phone, and walked out. I was going to get Stefanie. And we were going to get her baby back.

Chapter Forty-Five

STEFANIE

––––––––

IWAS ALREADY ON THEporch when I saw his car turn the corner. I didn’t wait for him to park. The car barely stopped before I reached it. Julian threw the door open and stepped out, and the second I saw his face, I collapsed into him.

My arms wrapped around his neck like I was drowning, and he was the only thing keeping me above water. He held me against him with one arm around my waist, the other pressing the back of my head to his chest.

“I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not,” I whispered against his shirt. “I can’t reach Hudson. He won’t answer. I tried everything. He’s got my baby Julian, and he’s a sick fuck.”

I pulled back enough to shove the note into his hands. I’d folded it and unfolded it so many times that the creases were practically torn through. His eyes scanned it fast, jaw clenching tighter with every word.

“I know where she is,” he said.

My hands clutched his shirt. “How?”

“I’ll explain in the car. Let’s go.”

He opened my car door and waited until I was inside before slamming it shut. I barely got my seatbelt on before he was around the front and sliding behind the wheel. The engine roared to life. We peeled away from the curb.

I couldn’t stop shaking. Couldn’t stop crying. “I can’t lose her,” I said, voice raw. “I can’t. I just want her home. I want to see her face. I want to tell her I’m sorry. We’ve been so distant since she found out about you and me, and I don’t even care about that anymore. I just want my baby back.”