“Hey fucker, wake up!” I shouted, slamming my fist against the wood.
The heavy beat of my desperation was accented by cursing on the other side of the door. I heard a groan and a thump as Wade rolled out of bed and scurried over to the door.
His eyes were wide, his hair a mess, and his boxers askew. He’d clearly been fighting some demons in his sleep, something I’d make sure to talk to him about later. He rubbed at his eyes to clear the haze and looked up at me with a questioning stare.
“What the..” he started before taking notice of the inherent rage coursing through my face. “What happened?”
“Stella’s gone after Charlie. Get dressed and grab a gun. We’re going to get my girls.”
Quickly, and without question, Wade grabbed jeans, a black tee shirt, tennis shoes, and a belt from near the door. He walked over to his own bedside table and grabbed his firearm.
Thank God Pops had always taught us the importance of protecting yourself and those you loved. We were ready, but prayed we wouldn’t have to use it.
“Let’s go. I’ll call Ray from the car.” He snapped, squeezing past me to head towards the front door.
Before he got too far, he stopped and looked me in theeyes, placing his hand on my shoulder with a tight squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get them back.”
I wish I matched his confidence. It would have been a welcome reprieve from the gnawing fear that had taken residence in my gut. Stella and Charlie were my world. Their presence in our lives had made everything brighter. Without them, I’d go back to being a bitter shell of a human, void of any genuine relationships. I wasn’t going to let that happen. Come hell or high water, I was bringing my girls home.
It tookWade and I less than an hour to make it to the warehouse. Neither one of us had uttered a word the entire drive, except for when Wade called Ray to make sure she knew what was going on. She had insisted on meeting us there, but Wade talked her out of it, citing that she needed to stay behind in case someone needed something at the ranch. She’d reluctantly agreed and I could hear the pain in her voice as she told us to be safe.
I wasn’t sure if her worry was for me, Stella and Charlie, or Wade, but it was painful to hear the crack in her voice as she said goodbye.
I spent the drive trying to avoid thinking of the worst-case scenario. My mind had spun in circles as images of Stella and Charlie, lifeless and covered in blood, popped in and out.
Instead, I focused on all the things I was going to say and do when we finally reunited.
I focused on visions of Stella walking down a flower draped aisle, wearing a slim fitting white gown. Her hair would be curled, brushing over her bare shoulders, a hugesmile on her face as she made her way towards me, forever on our minds.
I imagined Charlie’s childhood unfolding at the ranch, where she would learn to ride the horses she’d grown to love. Of course, I’d end up buying her a horse and Stella would shake her head at how wrapped around that little girl’s finger I was.
Images of Stella cradling her swollen belly as she grew our first child together. How Charlie would be the best big sister, doting on the new baby with unfiltered love. The joy of holding our newborn and growing our family filled me with warmth.
I wasn’t giving up on our happily ever after. If anyone deserved a win in the column of life, it was Stella. She’d given up so much of herself for others, she deserved to get everything she could ever dream of.
The cutting of the engine pulled me from my daydreams of a future with the woman and girl I loved.
We’d pulled up beside the two deputies on duty and I nodded in acknowledgement in their direction. An overwhelming sense of rage filtered through me.
How had they not seen Stella go into the warehouse? They were supposed to be covering all the entry points.
Sheriff Cortez pulled up beside Wade’s truck, quickly cutting the engine and stepping out. He looked ever the vision of authority in his tan uniform with a shiny sheriff’s badge pinned to his chest.
He didn’t look like a man who’d been woken from sleep less than an hour ago to the news that a woman he considered another daughter had put herself in harm’s way. The gaze on his face was formidable, and I would hate to be the deputies on the receiving end of his wrath.
“I’ll deal with you two later,” he spat at the deputies cowering to his right. “For now, give me all the information you have.” He commanded, as he spread a map across the hood of his cruiser that detailed the inner blueprints of the building.
Fumbling for their words, the deputies filled us in on how Stella had managed to get inside. They had been in the process of a responsibilities hand over, when she’d skirted around them and entered through a side door on the loading dock.
They didn’t know a lot about what was happening inside the building, except that the female seemed in charge of caring for Charlie and there was a male who’d been seen entering the building as well.
“Okay, so game-”
The sound of a gunshot from inside the warehouse cut Sheriff Cortez off. Neither Wade nor I hesitated. We sprinted towards the front door, drawing our own weapons as we ran.
I felt my pulse thrumming in my ears as I sent up a silent prayer. Adrenaline coursing through my veins and fear clogging my senses.
Please God, let them be alright.
