20 Questions

Chapter 131

Hunter

Two hours. It's been two hours and we are no closer to finding Jenna and Griffin. Elijah has been in contact with headquarters, distant friends that live in the Louisville area, colleagues in the FBI and CIA, Carlton and probably the president. The man has connections but none of them have been able to track down my girl and her gigantic bodyguard. His associates are reviewing cameras all around the house and in the city, but it appears the storms have damaged a lot of technology. I keep trying Jenna and Griffin's phone, knowing deep down that it is no use, but I feel helpless and need to do something to pass the time while the team works.

I listen to her sweet voice over and over again. I hate myself for leaving her, even if I didn't have a choice. I had to be here to take my father down, but not at the cost of losing the only thing that's ever brought me happiness. I can't imagine how scared she must be. I don't want to think about what type of danger she is in, but my mind won't turn it off. It's killing me to stay in this room when I could be out looking for her. Then again, I have no idea what I'm looking for. If the team and all their resources can't locate her, I wouldn't stand a chance in Hell.

"Hunter, why don't you try to get some sleep while we work?" Elijah tells me. "You look exhausted and there's nothing you can do right now but wait. I can wake you up with any updates."

"I appreciate it, but there's no way I would be able to sleep knowing Jenna is out there somewhere in danger. Elijah, if something happens to her –"

"It won't," he demands. "We will find her. I've got feelers out everywhere and your dad isn't that smart. He will screw up along the way and lead us to them. I need you to hold it together. Do you understand?"

I nod, but I know my trembling bottom lip is betraying me. I'm not even remotely close to holding it together. I send my brothers a text message to keep them updated. I told them not to call me because I want to keep the line open in case Jenna or Griffin tries to contact me. They are angry, the girls are frantic and I'm an absolute basketcase. I need to call Rich and Piper, but it's too soon. We don't know anything and I still have hope that Elijah is right and the asshole slips up, giving us a chance to locate them.

I'm flipping through pictures of Jenna and me when the hotel room phone rings. Everybody jumps and looks around at each other. It's far too late for the hotel to be calling me and nobody else knows the number to this room. Besides the team, nobody even knows I am here. I stand up with shaky legs and pad over to the nightstand where the phone sits, ringing loudly and making my skin crawl. I pick it up and hold it to my ear, remaining silent. Two seconds is all it takes for me to recognize the caller.

"You're a stupid, stupid boy," he says. "Thinking you could come after me and actually win. You're just as ignorant as that whore you called a mother. I've been waiting so long for this moment. The time has finally come for me to take you out of this world that you never should have been brought into."

All eyes are on me in the room. Everybody wants to know who is on the other end of the line that is making steam billow out of my ears. The tears have dried up and all I feel is white-hot rage. Elijah asks me if it is my dad and I nod, swallowing back the disgust I have for the man.

"Fuck you," I spit. "You'll never get close enough to touch me before I put a bullet between your eyes."

"Maybe," he taunts. "But not before I carve up your princess bride. It's hard to believe such a sexy woman chose a pussy like you."

"If you lay one goddamned finger on her, I'll slit your fucking throat!" I scream, the phone in danger of crushing under my grip. "She has nothing to do with this. It's between you and me."