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Not without me.
Only a bullet will ever separate me and Eden, and I say that with every ounce of resolve because when I find the bastard tormenting her and inflicting her with this pain, I will shred them bit by bit and make sure they regret ever messing with her.
“Storm,” her soft voice is barely audible.
“We’ll find him. I promise you, Eden.” I’ve toned down my deep voice to a calm, soothing notion.
“That’s right. It’ll be our mission,” Asher confirms.
“I don’t get it,” Callum says loudly, and I lift my head from Eden to watch him approach Catalina. “Why didn’t you bloody phone the police when this happened? You could have endangered Eden if they were still lurking about to see when she returned.”
“I…I…I was in shock,” her voice trembles with confusion. Eden suddenly pushes me aside, breaking free from Asher’s embrace.
“Leave her alone, Callum,” she warns, casting a protective sheath around Catalina. “She’s been through enough. We all have!” She puts her arm around the older lady and leads her inside the house without a second glance at any of us.
I’m standing there stunned.
“Shock sometimes makes a person stupid,” I hear Haze say behind me. “Catalina was beaten up, and it’s apparent she tried to fight off the attackers. I suggest we save our energy into finding Storm. The officer informed me that they’ll try all the local shelters. Do you know if he was microchipped?”
“She picked him up at a shelter, so he’s implanted with one for sure,” Asher says, and I take his word for it. “Eden’s right about Storm. He’s on special meds, and if he doesn’t get them, it will deteriorate his condition pretty fast. He’s an old dog, I’m surprised she’s kept him alive this long.”
Fuck.
“If something happens to him…”
“It’ll destroy her,” I say. “He’s been her rock for the last ten years.”
Chapter 28
It’s been a fewhours since the incident, and we’ve had no word from the arseholes who kidnapped Storm. The officers came by earlier to inform us that they were looking into acquiring security footage from nearby residences to see if they could get a number of the van’s plates.
Eden’s resting in her room. It's taken a major toll on her, and after Asher took her tea that Catalina prepped for her, he left her alone as per her request.
Seeing her having that panic attack put me through a loop I’ve never found myself in. We all know she had a heart condition as a child, and while she says she’s fine now, that scar on her chest serves as a reminder that regardless of how tough she is emotionally, she needs to take better care of herself.
The guys are busy doing their own thing. Haze is on the phone with an agency that specializes in missing persons, trying to get whatever info he can to start looking for Storm. Asher is also on the phone and on his laptop simultaneously, and from the conversation, he’s talking with different animal shelters in the hope the dog was abandoned there. Jagger is on the phone with the record label, explaining the situation and following up with them from our meeting this morning.
I look towards the kitchen, and Catalina seems to be quietly wiping down the already clean surfaces, trying to appear busy. She’s taken off the plasters the medic had put on her face, and now her pale, aging skin shows signs of bruising and swelling.
Feeling utterly useless, I get up to go to my bedroom, stopping outside Eden’s room. Asher said she wanted to be alone, but I can’t help but think she just didn’t need the three of them coddling with her. That’s not something I can offer her because she isn’t my girlfriend, but I can provide support from a kindred spirit, which is probably what she would prefer. Things haven’t been good between us lately, and maybe this is an opportunity to let her know I’m still here for her, regardless.
I tap my knuckle on her door, but there’s no reply. Sensing she might be asleep, I open the door and pop my head through. The bed’s unmade, and she’s not in it. I step further in.
“Siren?” I call out, looking around.
The teacup, I assume Asher brought up to her, sits on the dresser.
The bathroom door is ajar, but I don’t hear anything.
“Eden,” I say, shoving the door slightly more open. I hesitate, but upon not hearing a reply, I wonder if she’s actually snuck out. My eyes catch the bathtub and the body in it.
“Fucking ‘ell siren, if you wanted me in here, all you have to do is ask,” I joke, but the anxiety quickly hits me, and I rush inside to grab Eden’s head that’s partially submerged in the water.
Fuck. Eden. Fuck.
She’s completely zonked out. I check her pulse, and she’s alive.
“Eden, darling, can you hear me?”
