Marriage of Convenience

I was going fucking mad. Five days Sara had been missing and neither Hunter nor his former-FBI guy could find her. All I’d knew now from surveillance tapes around the park was that fuckhead Glen had gotten to her. When I found him, I was going to rip his head off.

There was a partial plate of a minivan suspected of being used when Sara was taken, and it was likely Glen’s but he hadn’t been home. I decided he must be keeping her in the city, although Hunter wondered if he was making a run for Canada. Fortunately, he knew people who could watch the boarder.

Up until now, we hadn’t involved the city police because there was concern that it would spook Glen into doing something crazy. He hadn’t been in touch to ask for money, which proved that Sara wasn’t in on it. That and the frightened look on her face on the surveillance tape as Glen hurried her away from the park.

Over the last few days, we’d learned that Glen had been obsessed with Sara when she left. He’d been controlling during their relationship, but according to his friends, had gone off the rocker when she left, and talked about getting her back “no matter what.” It was the “no matter what” that concerned me. If he loved her, he wouldn’t hurt her, but I knew enough about human behavior to know that people often hurt the ones they loved. Sometimes they killed them.

“We’ll find her, Chase. I promise,” Hunter said as I paced my terrace trying to get fresh air as if that would bring answers.

“If he hurt her—”

“Don’t go there.” He put his hand on my shoulder. Inside, Kade and Ash did what they could to help.

“Chase.” My father said as he came onto the terrace. I’d only just called and told him.

“Son, I’m sorry.” He embraced me and while the man in me wanted to be strong and push him away, the fear and pain had me holding on.

“There must be a way to track that van.” I said as I stood back.

“I know the police have been looking for the van, but if he’d dumped it or has in a garage somewhere not being used, they may not see it. I know a lot of people who own property in the city. I’ve called in all my favors asking if they can have their security check their buildings’ parking.”

“Thank you, dad.”

“Of course. We all want Sara home safe.”

At this point, only Hunter knew about the baby. I still had hope that we’d find her and we could tell the family together. But I was beginning to lose hope.

The minutes and hours ticked by. I felt like my life was going to end at any minute.

“Chase, we got something,” Hunter said from the doorway.

I whirled around and rushed into the house. “What?”

“Your dad’s contact has a minivan with the same partial in a garage. He insists it’s not one of his tenants, but there is an abandoned building nearby,” Jones said.

“Let’s go.” I headed toward the door.

“You should let the police deal with this,” Ash said.

My tone was lethal. “I’m going to kill that mother fucker.”

“Let him go,” Hunter said. “I’ll watch him.”

We rushed from my place and through the traffic to a sketchy part of the city.

“The police are coming,” Hunter said. “You stay here and let us look around.”

“The police won’t go in if it’s private property unless they have a good idea she’s there,” Jones said.

“I’m going.” They’d have to kill me to keep me from that building.

We walked in and took the stairs up to the first floor where there were several doors to apartments. “I’ll check these,” Hunter said, while Jones tried the others.

“This building must be condemned. These are all apartments, but they look like they’ve been sitting empty,” Hunter said.

“All clear here,” Jones said.

Not waiting for them to catch up to me, I headed to the next floor. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I reached the top of the landing.

I worked the handle to the first door I came to and walked in. I scanned the area. I saw a cereal box and several bottles of liquid sleep medicine on a table. This place wasn’t empty.

“Sara?” I rushed through the small living area and to a small hall. There were three doors. One was a bathroom. I opened the other door, and it was a messy bed, but no Sara. My heart beat a million miles a minute as I opened the third.

“Oh fuck, Sara!” I rushed to the bed where she lay motionless. “Sara, baby, wake up.” I roared in anger as I reached her and saw the bruises on her face and arms.

“Oh Christ. I’ll call for medical help,” Hunter said.

“Let me look at her,” Jones said. “I have some medical training.”

I didn’t want to leave her side, but gave him access. “Tell me she’s okay.”

“She’s breathing,” Jones said.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?”

I whirled around to the voice. Glen.

“I’m going to kill you, you fucking bastard.” I rushed across the room, grabbing him and slamming him into a wall. “What did you do to her?” I pulled him away from the wall and slammed into him again.

“She’s mine.”

Rage flowed through my blood like hot lava. I cranked my hand back and launched into his face. Blood sprayed out, hitting me, but I didn’t give a fuck. I’d be covered in his blood before I was done. I let my hate and anger flow, deflecting his weak attempts to fight back. Even when he went to the ground, I pummeled him.

“Chase! That’s enough,” Hunter said. He put his hand on my shoulder but I pushed it off.

“He’s not dead yet.”

“He’s out.” Hunter tried again to stop me.

In my periphery I heard a commotion and voices, and all of a sudden, I was yanked back. I fought the restraint. “I’m going to fucking kill you,” I yelled at the motionless man.

Soon I was prone on the floor with a knee in my back and my arms pulled back.

“Chase!” Hunter yelled. “Settle down man.”

If he was in front of me, who was on me? I felt plastic ties on my wrists and realized I was being detained the police.

“That’s his wife who this man kidnapped,” I heard Jones say.

Another group of people came in. They knelt by Glen.

“No,” I yelled from the floor. “Help Sara. Hunter make them help Sara.”

The police hoisted me up. “You’re under arrest.”

“He’s not the perpetrator,” Jones said. “He is.”

“We’re taking them both in.”

“Get her to a hospital, Hunter. And call my lawyer,” I called out as the police pulled me away.

“Done.”

The last thing I wanted was to go to jail, but at least I knew Sara would be helped. I knew if Glen died, I’d be in trouble, but it would be fucking worth it.

Tom showed up within minutes of my arrival, but not before the police told me that they’d seen me assault and threaten Glen, and that my money wouldn’t save me.

“How’s my wife?” Was all I bothered to ask.

“She’s in the hospital,” one officer said.

“If she dies, you better arrest the man that hurt her or I’ll find a way to,” I said.

“You shouldn’t be threatening to kill people to the police,” the officer said.

I shrugged. “I don’t care about me.”

When Tom walked, he told me to shut up. Then he turned to the two cops in the room with us. “Mr. Raven was protecting his wife. Surely you won’t arrest him for that.”

“He may have killed him. You can’t take the law in your own hands.”

Tom rolled his eyes. “The man had kidnapped and assaulted his wife. You’ll have a media nightmare if you arrest a man for wanting to kill the man who did that. She was missing for nearly a week. Did you see her? She’s battered and bruised from head to toe and quite possibly drugged.”

My heart ached to know she was okay. “She’s pregnant.”

“You won’t find a jury in the world that would convict him for beating the shit out of the man who kidnapped and beat his pregnant wife.” Tom emphasized the word pregnant.

There was a rap on the door and a woman poked her head in. “The father sent two friends.” She looked at me. “The police commissioner and the mayor.”

Just then a man who wasn’t either the commissioner or the mayor walked in.

“Ah someone from the district attorney’s office,” Tom said. “Tell me you’re here to tell your boys to let my client go.”

“Yes,” the district attorney lawyer said.

“We saw him—” One of the cops started.

“You saw him defending his wife.” The district attorney’s office lawyer nodded toward Tom. “He can go.”

I was up and out of my seat so fast it fell back. I rushed from the police station and hailed a cab, all the way praying that Sara and my child were fine.