Page 80 of Until Forever
“Mommy,” JJ’s scream cuts through me.
“JJ!” I run as fast as I can. “Don’t take my baby.”
I’m not fast enough. The door slams shut, and they speed off through the parking lot.
“Babe.” Jasper grabs me from behind.
I face him. “They took him. J—those men. They. Took. My. Baby.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JASPER
‘The sinsof the father are the sins of the son.’
That’s what keeps circulating in my mind as I race after the van, swerving between cars, nearly being hit in the process. I slap the top of the hood, and the driver blares his horn, but I keep running, as fast and as hard as I can—my soles smacking against the pavement, the shock of it shooting through my ankles.
‘The sins of the father are the sins of the son.’
How could I have been so fucking stupid? Cornering me in the grocery store while I was with JJ then making snide comments about him. Expecting me to pay whatever debt my dad’s racked up with them.
I’m so fucking stupid.
It was all right there in my face, and I didn’t see it. Why didn’t I see it? I’m supposed to keep him safe. It’s my job and…I failed.
“JJ,” I scream, chasing the kidnappers even though they’re long gone. “Jasper.” My voice is strained, and my lungs constrict together like sandpaper.
‘The sins of the father are the sins of the son.’
A passage I recited over and over as a kid to help me justify the hell I went through. And for the last eight years, I somehow managed to convince myself that it wasn’t true. But here we are, me paying for the demons of my piece-of-shit sperm donor.
It looks like the rules have changed, and now those sins will be paid for by the son of the son.
Spent and out of breath, I stop running, tears pricking at the backs of my eyes. I turn, hesitantly making my way back to where Latoya is. She’s crying still, screaming JJ’s name, her voice already starting to fade from the strain.
By now, all the parents and children have exited the ballpark and are crowding around her. Her dad holds her to his chest, while her mother is on the phone. Other parents are on their phones as well, moms gripping their children so tight I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve bruised them.
I inch closer, dread weighing me down, but I try to pull it together for Latoya. My nerves are shot, and a chill stabs at my skin.
“Baby,” I groan out, and she rushes into my arms. “They’re gone, and there wasn’t a license plate.”
She’s hysterical, her shoulders rising and falling violently as she struggles to breathe. Her eyes are bloodshot red, and her hair is ruined from when she gripped it. I take her hands, forcing them to my chest. My heart pounds, its beat echoing in my ears. Everything is numb.
“Call Cobi,” she manages to get out.
Before I can reach for my phone, sirens blare and five vehicles storm into the lot—three marked and two unmarked. Cobi is the first person I see, and I take off in his direction.
“They took him.”
“Calm down, Jas.” He places a hand on either side of my shoulders. “Who took whom?”
“JJ. Scar took my son, and you’re going to help me get him back.”
“Okay, we’ll find him. But first we need to know everything you saw.” Cobi guides me over to Latoya. “I’m sorry,” he says to her.
“Who would do this? We don’t bother anyone. He was just going—” She starts to hyperventilate. “He went to the bathroom. We were right around the corner. Oh god, I shouldn’t have let him go.”
“Hey. This is not your fault,” Cobi assures her, tilting his head to meet her tear-stained eyes. “We’re going to find these assholes, but I need you to answer some questions. Anything you can think of to help us identify them?”
