Keith looks at me and presses his lips together.
“Frank is now in charge,” Daniel says in an eerie voice, “since Cole isn’t able—” He stops himself, taking a deep breath. “They’re coming home, and that’s an order from Frank. They don’t have a choice, Savannah.”
“Yes, they do!” I shout through my tears. “What about Cole? What if they—” My hand covers my mouth. Another loud sob escapes as I stand, feeling sick and lightheaded. “Please make them go back.” I turn to Keith, crying out every word. “Please, please, Keith, please, make them go back and find him. I want him back. He needs to come back!”
“I’m sorry, Savannah. It’s out of my control.” Keith’s eyes plead with me to understand.
I back up toward the door. I feel claustrophobic—the walls closing in and the ceiling lowering. I need to get away. Everyone is watching me. Some stand and approach, but I hold up a hand, warning them off. I just want Cole back. I bump into Derek, who’s now standing in my path. I hear Sue say to Daniel that I should calm down. How can I calm down when they are telling me that Cole is being held captive? Not when the father of our baby is being held against his will. No, I need to get out of here…now.
The look I give Derek makes him move aside. Dr. Roberts calls out for me, but I hear nothing but the door handle turning. I move without thinking up to my room, punch the keypad on the wall, and drop onto the pillows in Sue’s private library. I curl up, passing out immediately. My thoughts quickly return to when I was held safe and sound in his arms. Yes, it’s only a dream, but I’ll take what I can get.
Sue finds me sometime later with Keith’s help. She slowly lowers herself to the floor.
I’m awake, facing away from her. I ache too much to move.
She lies behind me and wraps her arm around my mid-section, holding my hand in hers.
I sob, desperately needing a mother, and she sobs, desperately needing a child to hold.
She holds on while we both go through a roller coaster of emotions. We fall asleep and wake several hours later, feeling drained and in need of some water.
We decide to go for a walk, neither wanting to be alone.
Keith and Daniel are working away in Cole’s office. We don’t want to disturb them, so we head outside for some fresh air. We don’t talk about anything important, just mindless jabber when the pain becomes too much. I’m thankful for Sue needing me as much as I need her. She is fast becoming my rock. Thank God for her and Abigail. I don’t know what I would do without them.
I flinch when she does. We hear it before we see it, and the noise of the rotor makes my heart pound. I turn to see the black helicopter flying low over the mountains behind us. As it descends, it kicks up snow to swirl around us. I squeeze her hand, knowing how hard this is going to be.
She tugs my arm, and we head back toward the house.
We’re almost to the porch when the SUV stops next to us. Keith comes to my side.
The doors open, and Paul gets out first. He’s struggling to stand up straight.
John is next. He goes to Paul’s side, grabs his bag, then wraps his arm around Paul’s waist to stabilize him.
Mark keeps his head down as he comes into view. His body language makes me uncomfortable. I notice not one of them has made eye contact with me.
Keith motions for us to come inside.
Sue never lets go of my hand as we slump down onto the couch, waiting for them to join us.
They drop their bags and carefully make their way in. Daniel helps John sit Paul on the couch. His leg is in a small brace, making it hard for him to move around.
Mark’s arm is in a sling tied tightly to his chest, and he’s like a robot making his way to his seat. He sits and stares at the floor. I’m not even sure if he knows we are all here with him.
“Here.” Daniel sets Mark’s drink on the table and stands by the fire. I notice Mark doesn’t reach for it. We all wait while the guys gather themselves.
“Nothing went according to plan.” Paul’s voice is quiet. “The moment we entered the house, it all went to shit.”
My stomach is in knots. I want to yell out, “What the fuck happened? Where is Cole?” But I don’t. Instead, I sit and stare at Mark, who still hasn’t raised his head.
“A maid caught us as we moved through the kitchen. She dropped her tray, and one of their men saw us.”
“There were so many of them,” John says, clearing his throat. “My radio got busted when three of them jumped me. I managed to get away and went to our next location, but no one came, so I went back to the last spot I’d seen Paul in the dining room. I found a safe spot and tried to fix my radio, but it was done.”
“After I got a knife to the leg, I found cover in a closet. Thirty minutes later, Cole found me,” Paul says.
I break my gaze from Mark and look at Paul.