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Oliver sits on the other side of Eva, propping her up and massaging her back. “How about Courtney?” he offers. Eva makes a face. “Elsa?”
“You’re terrible at this,” I tell him. “How about Alice or Grace?”
“Is she fifty years old already?” Ryder says, sarcasm cutting through the tension.
We do our best to keep up a steady stream of banter about girl names as we race through the winding roads, the city lights twinkling in the distance like beacons of hope. But with each passing moment, the fear gnaws at the edges of my mind, threatening to consume me.
Will we make it on time? We’re so far away. What happens if we have to stop so Eva can push? But finally, we pull up to the hospital entrance, and relief floods through me like a tidal wave. We rush Eva inside, the medical staff springing into action to tend to her.
I stand there, watching helplessly as they wheel Eva away. A single thought consumes my mind—please, let them both be okay.
Ryder and Oliver stand with me, wearing identical looks of concern and apprehension. “Someone needs to go be with her,” Ryder mutters.
“I’ve got this,” Oliver insists. “You need to get Aunt Bridget, and you” —he looks at me— “find Daniel. See if there’s still a chance that we can track Declan.”
“But…” I protest, and Oliver shakes his head.
“Even with how close together her contractions were, labor can still take a while. It’s better for Eva if we don’t all crowd the room with her right now. I’ll call you the second there’s any new information to be had. Go!”
Realizing he’s right, I head out, Ryder following behind me.
“Eva will be okay now,” Ryder tells me, noticing the way I’m clenching my jaw as we get into the car. “You look like you’re about to snap the steering wheel in half. We have jobs to do. Now let’s focus and get this done. We need to keep our minds off things for now. Oliver promised he’ll tell us if there’s anything to know.”
Once I drop Ryder off at Shadowvale, I take off back into the city to talk to Daniel. If I can’t be there to physically comfort and protect Eva while she labors, I can certainly protect her by taking down the scumbag who tried to end her life.
A sense of determination drives me forward. This may be our toughest challenge yet, and my energy may be flagging, but I’ll stop at nothing to ensure the safety of my family.
47
OLIVER
Within seconds of leaving my brothers, I rush down the halls of the hospital, heading to the maternity ward. The nurses let me know which room Eva’s been taken to, so I head there now, footsteps echoing on the sterile tile floors.
Eva is sitting up in the hospital bed when I arrive, and a nurse is getting her vitals. She’s strapped to a bunch of monitors, so she can’t move, but she reaches out a hand, grabbing mine and squeezing tightly.
“I’m here,” I tell her, trying to be calm and reassuring. “I’m here. Everything is okay.”
Eva arches a little, the pain picking up. “She’s coming whether we like it or not,” she tells me. “They say it’s too late to stop it. She’ll be okay, though, right?”
“Of course she will,” I tell her, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. “You kept her safe until it was safe for her to come out. She’s going to be completely protected.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t fight Declan,” Eva says, her voice hoarse. “He took me, and I was too scared to fight.”
“Hey, you did the right thing,” I tell her. “When you’re all better, and the baby is a little older, Ryder and I will show you how to defend yourself if something like that ever happens again.”
“It had better not,” she says, grimacing as another wave of pain hits. “I’m not ready to deal with being kidnapped a third time anytime soon.”
“Hey, you told us you were fine with the line of work we did,” I tease, moving to get a damp cloth to wipe over her brow. “Did I forget that?”
The nurse has me move to a chair so she can check on Eva and monitor her. “You’re four centimeters,” she informs us. “You’ve got a while to go before it’s go time.”
“God, this is so not worth that one wild night,” Eva complains. “I wanted to have fun on my birthday, and look where it got me.”
“It brought you to us,” I point out. “Me and Ryder and Theo. You came into our lives and managed to drive us completely crazy within days of meeting you. Now look where we are. We’re having a baby together, and we just defeated our biggest enemy.”
“I’m sorry Declan got away,” Eva apologizes. “It’s my fault for being in labor.”
“Shh, don’t even think like that,” I tell her. “You have no idea what might have happened if we hadn’t gotten out of there. He could have hurt or killed any one of us. Now we have a chance to take him down with help from the police, since kidnapping you is a federal crime.”
