SWNOVELS Before the Storm: Chapter 59
Every second since we realized Ayvah was missing has been complete chaos. For the first few minutes, after I told my family the security team had lost the only woman to ever captivate me, I was numb. I sat behind my desk as each member of my family jumped into action.
Wynter was on the phone to the security team immediately getting every piece of information they had.
Everett was tracking traffic footage around the time they think she was taken to see if he could track them that way.
Snow was checking for movement and calls on the phones we bugged, triple checking to make sure they hadn’t missed anything when they were monitoring them.
And Elijah, Rayne, and Emerson were coordinating every member of security we have working for both families to get them here as soon as possible.
But I can’t bring myself to move. A mixture of terror and guilt swirl around in my gut and nausea rolls over me in crashing waves. I did this. Ayvah has been taken because I sent her away, because I left her vulnerable.
I broke both our hearts, only so she could be taken away from me anyway.
A body rounds the desk and stands beside me, but I can’t bring myself to look up at whoever it is. I’m stuck in place without the ability to move or think, and honestly, breathing seems to get harder the more time that passes.
“Storm.” Wynter’s voice penetrates my daze, but I can’t drag my attention from the painting on the other side of the room. It’s hung above the lounges since long before we moved in. My father hated the thing with a passion, but for some reason, neither of us has ever been able to remove it. The ocean crashing on the cliffs captures my attention when I’m deep in thought, and sometimes I’m so deep in thought it’s impossible to drag my attention away from it.
Another beat passes before she jabs her fingers into my arm. “Storm, you need to snap the fuck out of it. Ayvah needs you right now, so you need to man the fuck up and work out a way to get her back. I don’t care if you don’t love her anymore or whatever, but you got her in this fucking mess, and you’re going to get her the hell out of it.”
Something about my sister’s words has my attention snapping up to her, and where there was fear a moment ago, blinging rage moves into its place. “Of course I fucking love her,” I growl. “I sent her away because I thought it was safer for her as far away from me as I could allow her to be. Every fucking day since she left has been hell, so don’t fucking question how I feel about her.”
“Storm,” Everett warns, looking up over his laptop screen at us warily. He should know I’ll never lay a hand on my sisters, and he should know the four of us have always bickered like there’s no tomorrow.
“It’s fine, Ev,” Wynter reassures him before turning her attention back to me.
“Don’t you think I know I fucked up, Wyn? Don’t you think I know it’s my fault she’s gone? You don’t need to rub salt in the goddamn wounds, because they’re already gaping open.” It’s strange to admit my weakness to my siblings, but somehow I know they won’t judge me. I’ve watched each of them find their weakness in their partners, including watching Elijah, the most ruthless man I’ve ever met, fall in love with my sister and constantly put her needs above his own and that of his business. They all understand Annalise just made this personal.
“That’s not what I meant, Storm. I just mean you need to snap out of it and get your head in the game. You’ve never fallen apart before, and now is not a good time to start.”
I close my eyes and suck in a breath. She’s right. I need to get my shit together. I need to work out how the fuck I’m going to get my woman back, and then I need to make sure she’s never out of my sight again. I was an idiot to send her away, so struck down with my own bullshit, but I won’t make that mistake again.
“Have you got anything?” I ask Everett.
He nods slowly. “There’s a car that I’m pretty sure she’s in, but I can’t be sure. I’ve followed them from Rawdon all the way into the city and now they’re heading to the docks. I’d put money on them heading to that damn warehouse.”
I rub my hand over my face in frustration. We need to work out how to infiltrate their hideout, but the issue is we have no idea what to expect when we do just that. We don’t know how many men she has. We don’t know if there are traps. If we went in, we’d be going in completely blind, and that’s not a good idea in our line of work. “Okay, keep tracking them.” I turn my attention to Snow, who is pacing up and down the office with her phone in her hand and headphones in her ears. “Are you finding anything?”
“I think so.” She crosses to the desk and places the phone on the pile of papers in front of me, her finger hovering over the speaker button. “This was last night, but I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was just exactly as it sounds, but now I’m starting to think they’re speaking in code.” She presses the screen and we all go quiet as we listen for voices on the other end of the line.
“You and Frank are going to get the team dinner tonight.” Annalise’s voice fills the line, and we each collectively glower at the phone. The sooner she’s wiped off the face of the planet, the better. I can’t allow her to live after all the pain she’s caused my family, and especially now, she’s threatened my woman’s life. “The restaurant is a few hours away, and you’ll both need to go in to collect the meal.”
“Are they talking about Ayvah?” Wynter asks, her hand over her mouth in horror.
“I think so.” Snow frowns. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time, because of the language they used, but now that she’s missing, it seems to add up. I’m so sorry, Storm. I should have known it was code, I just didn’t realize.”
“It’s not your fault,” I reassure her. “The only person to blame here is me for ever sending her away. But we’re going to get her back. We have to get her back.” The last words come out in a defeated whisper, because the thought that I may never see Ayvah again, even from a distance, has panic and dread pooling in my stomach.
“I’m calling Crew,” Rayne says, his phone against his ear.
Everett looks up at me. His deep blue eyes swirl with sadness. “We’re going to get her back.” It’s not a promise he can give me, and it reminds me of the night I promised Ayvah things I never should have, promises I broke. But hope is all I have right now, and it’s what gets me out of my seat.
I can’t just sit here and wait. I have to work out how the hell I’m going to get my woman back.