Chapter Thirteen
Eve was certain her world had collapsed. Her legs barely supported her as she tried to think logically. The phone rang twice and an eternity seemed to pass before the call connected.
“911, what’s your emergency?” the operator said.
“My girl… kidnapped,” she got out. A flash of movement to her left caught her eye. Was that a pink shirt and dark hair?
She whirled and saw Mark scurry from behind a huge tree trunk, carrying Paisley the other direction toward the visitor’s center. Beck had chased after the silver car and was too far away to help.
“Stop!” Eve screamed. “Mark!” She ran their direction. Mark cast a glance over his shoulder and upped his pace. Even though Paisley was still in danger, the sight of her gave Eve hope. At least she wasn’t speeding toward the unknown in a silver Lexus.
“Mama!” Paisley cried out, wriggling to be free of Mark’s arms.
Eve ran faster than she’d ever run, gripping her phone with slick fingers. She’d talk to the dispatcher after she caught Mark and hit him harder than Beck had last night. How dare he steal her daughter?
Mark skirted behind the building. Did he have another car there? Had that even been his car that had disappeared? Was Beck still chasing that car? She didn’t have time to look for Beck as she made it around the side of the building. Some overgrown bushes snagged on her shirt and tugged at her. Eve pushed on, yelling for Paisley.
She tripped over something and went sprawling. She heard Paisley crying for her and tried to scramble to her feet. A whoosh of sound had her glancing to the side. She saw Mark chuck a log at her forehead. Eve went down hard, pain shooting from her head. The world around her swirled and all she could see for a moment was black. The pain was so intense she feared she’d vomit.
“Mama!” Paisley screamed.
“You hid her from me for five years,” Mark yelled at her. “Now you’re going to have to pay to get her back!”
Eve struggled to her knees, everything was spinning. She could hear Paisley’s cries growing fainter, but she couldn’t get to her feet. It hurt too much. No! She couldn’t let her daughter down.
“Eve!” Beck wrapped his arm around her and lifted her to her feet. He was here. Her hero. Her protector. He’d save Paisley.
She was so dizzy, she leaned heavily against him, but she couldn’t afford to be weak. “Paisley,” she begged him, pulling away and leaning against the building. “Save her.”
Beck released her and took off. Eve’s vision cleared and she saw Beck hurtling after Mark and Paisley. She forced herself to cling to the building and shuffle after them. She’d lost her phone somewhere. Would any other help come? Hadn’t anyone at the park seen Mark kidnap her daughter?
She came around the rear of the building and a small parking lot in time to see Mark shove Paisley into a black SUV through the driver’s side door and try to jump in himself.
Beck reached him, grabbed his arm, and yanked him back out. Eve kept moving forward. She had to get to her girl. Mark screamed in horror as Beck slammed his fists into the jerk’s face and body. Mark kept knocking back into the car and bouncing back into another hit from Beck. Mark slid to the ground and put his arms over his head. “Stop! I’ll leave them alone!”
Sirens cut through the air and people appeared around the building. Eve glanced over as a mom, holding the blonde girl in the blue shirt told her. “We called the police. Are you okay?”
Eve nodded her head. It hurt. She wasn’t okay but Paisley was and that was all that mattered. “Thank you,” she managed.
Beck stepped over Mark, growling, “Stay down.”
Mark looked up at him and just whimpered.
Paisley scrambled out of the vehicle and into Beck’s arms. “My Beck, my Beck,” she cried over and over again.
Eve found renewed energy as she straightened and walked a wobbly line to the two people who meant everything to her. Paisley was clinging to Beck’s neck and he was patting her back and saying something to her. He saw Eve and his eyes widened. He rushed her way.
“Eve!”
She held up a hand, wondering how bad she looked. At least there wasn’t any blood but she was sure she’d have bruises. “I’m okay,” she murmured.
Beck jogged to her. He pulled her in close and she laid against his strong chest, encircling one arm around his back and wrapping her other arm around Paisley.
“Mama,” Paisley cried. “You okay?”
“I’m okay, sweet girl. Are you okay?”
“He said he was my daddy and wanted to give me a present. Then he tried to steal me.”