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“Dad!” Gavin exclaimed, his voice high and breathless, making him sound like the little kid he’d once been, on the verge of crying and needing his dad to tell him everything was going to be okay.
“What is it, son? What’s wrong?” Ian tensed for what was coming, because something was.
“It’s Ms. Popov. She’s been taken. Snatched. Like, kidnapped!”
A part of Ian hoped this was a sick joke on his son’s part, but he knew that even on his worst day, Gavin would never be that cruel.
“Tell me slowly and clearly what happened, Gav,” Ian said, keeping his voice calm to encourage his son to do the same.
“I was outside, between the school and the parking bays, hanging out with…a friend. It was before school started, and I saw a man dragging Sofia out of the school with his hand over her mouth!” Gavin half-shouted.
“But where was Eric?” Ian demanded. “He should be guarding her!”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see him, only Ms. Popov and that creep. I ran over to try to do something, but he shoved her into a van, with four men inside! I tried to get the plate, but I couldn’t make it out from where I was. I would have run after them, but they zoomed out of the visitor parking, and I couldn’t catch up on foot.”
“Gavin.” Ian swallowed. “Thank you for trying to help, but there’s nothing else you can do now. Get back to class. But I want you to know that I’m incredibly proud of you. You did exactly the right thing by calling me.”
“But Ms. Popov—those guys—”
“I’ll get her back from whatever lowlife took her,” Ian vowed.
“Promise?” Gavin demanded, still sounding like a younger version of himself. “Promise me, Dad, that you’ll save her and the baby.”
Ian’s heart swelled. “I swear I’ll do whatever it takes.”
As soon as he cut the connection, he called Eric—but there was no answer. He broke out in a cold sweat. This was bad.
“Charlie!” he cried, racing down the corridor to his boss’s office, waving Rosa away when she got to her feet and came out from behind her desk. He barreled inside and slammed the door behind him.
“Sofia’s gone, and I can’t raise Eric,” he burst out.
“What? Sofia was snatched?” Charlie was on his feet too.
“Taken from school. Gavin saw her get thrown into a van. We have to find Eric too. We need all the intel we have. If a cartel took her, it’s not likely they’re looking to hold her hostage. They’re going to want to make an example of her.”
“Yes, you’re right. Shit.” Charlie stood straight, his shoulders pulled back as though he were in the field. “We’ll need to move fast. Come on. Let’s rain seven shades of hell down on these bastards.”
