54: Keep Her Safe
TARA
It had been twelve and a half minutes since Jenna said she was going to call me with an update about finding Nadia, but she hadn’t. These were the longest twelve minutes of my life, and I had never cried so much in so little time.
All Esme could do was pray for Nadia’s safety and comfort me, because not only could no one dare go out when StoneWolves were roaming around, but there was also a storm that had just started.
It wasn’t so severe as this wasn’t the time of the year when the storms hit, but it was enough to make everyone shut their doors and not willingly leave the comforts of their homes.
Different thoughts took shape in my mind, the next worse than the last, thinking of how much danger my child was in.
She would be scared no doubt, and I just couldn’t stomach the thought that something had happened or would happen to her.
Dialing Jenna’s number again, I put the phone on speaker and laid it on top of the kitchen island. My hands were weak and shaking so badly that I couldn’t keep a firm grip on anything.
She picked.
“Tara, you have to calm down. We’ve sent some good guys out, and they’re still searching. It just got harder with the storm, but they’re going to do their best and won’t be back until we have
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tangible information or Nadia safely back at the house,” Jennal explained.
I shook my head, sobbing as my tear ducts had completely dried up. “What if one of them hurts her before they get to her?” My lips trembled as I spoke, and the words barely came out as whispers.
My heart twisted in my chest to the point where it physically hurt, and I wished that it was me out there in the storm with the StoneWolves lurking around, and not my eight–year–old child.
Jenna paused, not even offering words of comfort because she knew that whatever she had to say in this situation would not carry the truth.
This was bad.
“You know something else, Jenna,” I said after Jenna had gone quiet for longer than necessary. “Tell me, Jenna, please. It’s my baby out there, and if no one has called saying that they have her, that means she’s outside somewhere. She’s scared, so tell me what you know. I have to know what my daughter is feeling right now, Jenna, please.”
Jenna expelled a deep sigh, the type that meant helplessness, and my ducts quickly filled up, another tear rolling down my cheeks.
She spoke. “We don’t know what they want or where they’re from Tara, but these guys are really dangerous and are looking to destroy everything they touch.” Hesitating for another
on.”
moment, Jenna went on. “They have wolfsbane, and they already messed up a few of our guys who were out.”
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54: Keep Her Safe
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I tried to hold it back, but the string of whimpers that came from
my
throat following Jenna’s statement was uncontrollable.
“So there’s no denying it, Jenna,” said through my tears. “If one of them finds my daughter, she’s as good as gone?”
“We’re still looking,” Jenna replied, sighing.
I hit the cut button, knowing that there was no other option.
If anything happened to Nadia, I would not survive it, and if it happened because of my pride, then there would be not redemption whatsoever for me.
Returning to my contact list and quickly digging through my blocked section, I prayed that his number was still here after all these years.
Heaving a sigh of relief when I found the name ‘Aidan Graham‘, I unblocked it and dialed quickly, my heart pounding against my throat as I watched it ring.
Aidan picked a few seconds in, and the shock could be heard in his voice.
“Tara?”
“A–Aidan, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, but you have to help me, please. She’s gone. Nadia is…she left the house and no one has been able to find her.”
A rattling growl sounded from the other end of the call, and I froze.
“How did this happen?” Aidan’s voice was icy.
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54: Keep Her Sale
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I didn’t mind that he was mad at me. I was mad at myself.
“We took a nap, but she woke up earlier than I did. I was so foolish, but I can’t imagine anything happening to her, Aidan. The StoneWolves, Aidan…”
“Tara, breathe. It’s not your fault that you slept. Stay inside. I’m coming back and I’ll make sure I find her and bring her home,. okay?”
I sniffed. “Coming back?”
“I’m at the airport. I was leaving for Attica pack today, but that doesn’t matter. I’m coming right back, okay? We’ll find her, I promise,” he said.
Nodding my head multiple times even though he couldn’t see me, I forced myself to believe what Aidan said. That we would find Nadia. I couldn’t believe anything other than that.
Aidan cut the call before I could speak again, and I shook my head in defeat.
Nadia was at risk if she hadn’t been harmed already. She was out alone in a storm and there were StoneWolves in the corners having wolfsbane with them.
Who knew how long it was going to take for Aidan to come all the way from the airport to, this part of the pack to start looking?
We only had that much time, and I had already wasted so much of it doing nothing. And since the pack fighters hadn’t come up with anything good, I was taking things into my own hands.
So, I ran up to my room and dug through for something to
54: Keep Her Safe
1280 vouchers
defend myself with.
Retrieving my spiked baseball bat, I abandoned all caution, and exited the house, closing the door behind me.
My body shook with fear, and my heart was racing wildly, but I didn’t care.
I was going to find my daughter.
Trudging into the stormy street that was starting to get dark, I squinted my eyes in search of her. I didn’t want to risk drawing. attention to myself by shouting, so I made a quick plan of the places to look, starting with our home.
Maybe she just missed our original home so much and she got. stranded.
I walked quickly, searching the corners as I went.
“Please be safe, baby,” I prayed with tears prickling the back of my eyes. “Moon goddess, keep her safe.”
A block over from the house, a figure appeared in the distance, but because of the storm, I could barely see their face.
Hurrying my footsteps, I approached the figure, hoping to ask them if they had seen her, only to be frozen in place once l came close.
My blood ran cold.
It was a StoneWolf, and he had noticed me too.
