Protection is Best Served With Benefits: MM DDlb Romance

Chapter Seventeen

Not edited or proofread.

Max

My head was still splitting when I woke up. Sunlight was streaming around the curtains, and the bed beside me was empty. One look around told me I was definitely not at home with Griffin... and Griffin was missing. His scent wasn't even faintly in the room.

Panic gripped my chest, and I flung the blankets back. Axel had said he was coming home soon and to go back to bed when I'd gotten up around three asking for him. Where was he? Axel wouldn't have fucking lied to me.

I rushed out of the room, my stomach swirling with nausea from the pounding in my head. My bare feet slammed on each stair as I raced down them. Harlan and Kyle were standing at the entrance to Axel's home office, and I could hear Axel barking commands into his phone, impatience lining every word he spoke.

Harlan turned to look at me as I barrelled down the hallway, and he caught me with his hands on my upper arms. The moment his eyes met mine, I knew.

"No," I gasped, tears flooding my eyes. "Where's my Papa, Harlan? Where is he?!" I yelled, sobbing now. I banged my fists on his chest, sobs wracking my chest.

Harlan wrapped his arms around me, crushing me to his chest. I wailed, my knees threatening to give out on me. Something had happened. Griffin wasn't here because something happened to him.

"We're working on finding him," Harlan assured me, his tone strong and sure. "We will find him, Max." He tipped my head back and cupped my damp cheeks, his haze eyes boring into mine. "He's coming home to you."

"What if he's dead?" I choked out. "What if—"

"He's not dead," Axel snapped from in the room. Harlan shot him a dark look. Axel scraped a hand down his face, and he calmed some when Novella moved in front of him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I know in my gut he's not dead, Max, and my gut has never let me down yet. I will find him, and when I do, I will drop every fucking body of anyone who touched him, you hear me? You have my word."

"And mine," Harlan vowed. "He's our brother, Max. Maybe not blood, but he is family. Whoever has him right now will fucking pay."

My lips trembled. Novella broke away from Axel and gently pulled me from Harlan, leading me out of the office and to the living room. Together, we curled up on the couch, and she pulled one of the throw blankets around us. Then, she hugged me to her chest and let me silently cry while her husband worked on finding my Papa.

Please be okay, Griffin. I can't do life without you.

~*~*~

My muscles tightened as I vomited for the third time that morning. My migraine was terrible—one of the worst I'd ever had. The worry and stress I felt over Griffin was doing me in, but I couldn't focus on anything else. How the hell could I? He was out there, more than likely suffering—because of me—and there was nothing I could do.

When I'd even suggested using me as bait to Axel, he'd exploded and told me Griffin would slit his throat if he even thought about doing something like that. It was the first time Axel had ever been angry with me, and it'd freaked me out so badly, I'd had a panic attack.

The poor man had cake delivered to the house as an apology. I'd eaten some of it trying to make myself feel better and had only thrown all of it up. So now, not only was I sick and hurting, I also felt like shit for essentially wasting his apology gift.

"What can we do to help?" Novella asked, sounding terrified for me. She pressed a cool, damp cloth to my flushed face to soak up some of my sweat from the pain. "I don't know what to do, Max." Her voice trembled, tears flooding her eyes.

"I need my meds," I mumbled. "But they're at Griffin's."

Kyle stepped into the bathroom, gently nudging his little sister aside. I squeaked when he crouched and picked me up like I weighed nothing, cradling me to his chest. The swaying made me moan in discomfort, my gut churning again.

"Harlan is going to try to find your meds, but I think Griffin may have them on him," Kyle said. "If so, we'll try to get you some in the meantime. For now, you need to be rest in a cold, dark room. Google says that's what best."

A tear ran down my cheek. "You Googled how to help me?" I croaked. Kyle had always freaked me out. The lack of emotion combined with how much of a ruthless killer he was always left me on edge. But knowing he still Googled how to help me was damn near bringing me to tears.

"Yes," he said, leaving it at that. He nudged open a door with his shoe. It wasn't the room I'd been in when I woke up a few hours ago. This room was almost pitch black, and I shivered at the icy temperature. The ceiling fan was on, and there were three other fans plugged in and blowing toward the bed. Gently, he set me on the mattress, then covered me up. "Your phone is beside you if you need one of us. For now, just rest. There's a trashcan beside your bed if you get sick."

And then, he was gone. Leaving me alone.

Without Griffin.

Another tear rolled down my cheek. I closed my eyes, my heart aching even more than my head.