Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“Kenji, call 9-1-1,” I barked over my shoulder while fumbling with my phone to try and get a picture of the license plate in case they managed to leave.
I heard Dev’s terror as he screamed for them to stop. Just as the van began backing out of the parking spot, I grabbed the door handle and yanked, nearly face-planting when it opened. I dove inside, noting the car seat with a screaming Lellie halfway buckled into it. Thankfully, she was fighting Mrs. Scott every step of the way.
“Baby, I’m here,” I said, reaching for her and elbowing Mrs. Scott out of the way. Lellie’s eyes swam with tears, and her little chubby hands reached for my shirt, fisting the material and grabbing some of my chest hairs in the process.
“Tuh-wee,” she wailed, nearly breaking my fucking heart. “Tuh-weeee!”
Once she was free from the straps, I pulled her close to my chest and tucked her face into my neck before wrapping my hand gently around the front of the driver’s neck and growling, “Park this car right this minute before you are charged with felony kidnapping. The cops are on their way.”
Mrs. Scott was fretting behind me. “It’s not kidnapping! That’s my grandchild, and you have no right to keep her from me. All I wanted was a visit. I have a right to a visit with my own granddaughter!”
I ignored her and tightened my hand around the man’s throat just enough to remind him it was there. “Do it now. I am an officer of the court, and my location is actively tracked. You will be caught and punished if you do not stop this insanity before leaving the property.”
There was no need to inform him that my location was only really tracked by my Find My iPhone app. I was sure law enforcement would be able to access my location if needed since I had my phone and watch, as well as an AirTag in my wallet due to a small and incredibly unimportant habit of leaving my wallet in various locations across town by mistake.
He threw the vehicle into Park. I yanked open the door closest to me and hopped out, walking quickly away while holding Lellie close.
Running footsteps approached, but I could tell they were Dev’s. As soon as he reached us, instead of grabbing Lellie out of my arms, he threw his arms around both of us and held on tight. “Oh god. Oh fuck. Tully.”
I tried to reassure him, even though my heart was thundering. “She’s okay, just scared.”
As much as I loved the embrace and wanted to wallow in it as long as possible, I quickly pulled away and handed Lellie to Dev, sending an apologetic look to him as the rest of the party approached us.
He closed his eyes and exhaled, nodding slightly in understanding. My boss was here watching everything. The Scotts’ asshole attorney was here. Susanna. Pastor Scott, who wanted any excuse to declare Dev an unfit parent. And lastly, the McKays, who seemed shell-shocked altogether.
Lellie was hiccuping, her eyes wide and bright with tears. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Dev murmured into her hair, pressing kisses between his reassurances. “Daddy’s here. Daddy has you. It’s okay.”
My heart felt like it was going to implode. It was the first time he’d referred to himself as “Daddy,” and I was pretty sure he didn’t even realize he was doing it.
Police cars with sirens and lights came screaming into the lot. Susanna pulled Dev farther off to the side as clinic personnel came flooding out of the front doors to see what was going on.
Pastor Scott was blustering, but thankfully, Brock seemed to realize calming down his client was the first step toward mitigating the potential criminal situation. I overheard Susanna ask Dev if he wanted to press charges, but she added a warning that criminal law wasn’t her forte. “I can call my brother Tomas, who’s a criminal defense attorney, to advise us.”
Dev nodded. “I’d like some help figuring out the best course of action. I can’t think straight right now.”
Kenji stood calmly at Dev’s elbow, handing him a muslin cloth from the diaper bag to help wash the tears and snot off Lellie’s face. “I can call the firm in New York, too,” he said quietly. Dev nodded again, spurring Kenji to pull his phone out and walk away.
Susanna seemed ready and willing to throw herself into the ring bodily to protect Lellie. “At the very least, we should have them held for attempted kidnapping while we consider our options. We can always dial it back, but it’s harder to get more aggressive after being lenient.”
“Agreed,” I said in a voice too low for Orris to hear. He was watching me carefully from where he stood near Brock, and I expected any moment to get pulled into a conversation with him in which he demanded that I pressure Dev into “being reasonable.”