Free The Devastatingly Beautiful Series by M Dauphin Page A

over my head and throwing me over one of their shoulders. Fuck fuck fuck!
    This can’t be happening!
    Tatum
    “GOD DAMNIT, EDDIE, SHE’S NOT HERE! Tell me you have something on her husband!?” I yell. I don’t know what the fuck to do.
    When I got to Molly’s house the front door was wide open. There’s a half drank cup of coffee on the table, just how she drinks it. It’s still warm so it hasn’t been too long.
    “Fuck,” he sighs and groans. “Savage, this man’s hard to read. Money coming from who knows where, no current residence on file, not even a cell to trace. He obviously knows what he’s doing.”
    “You aren’t making me happy, Eddie. Tell me something useful. No results, no money!” I hang up and throw my phone across the room.
    Walking out the front door, I glance around. The front porch is hidden by overgrown bushes, but the sidewalk cuts straight through the front yard. If they went out the front with her, someone would have had to see it.
    I need to find this fucker. I have a terrible feeling about this and coming from a crime filled family, I know about these feelings.
    ****
    After two hours of talking with neighbors, I have nothing. I find it odd that they didn’t even know Molly was in the house to begin with. It’s not like we were hiding the fact that she was back. It’s starting to get dark and I still have no clue where she is. My heart hurts, my head is racing through all of the terrible possibilities, and I can’t stop moving.
    My phone rings. It’s my father.
    “Please tell me you can help me,” I plea. I know things went south between us, but he is still blood and in our world that means everything. I hate it, but I need him and his name to make it through this. It will be the end of me if I lose her. I can still smell her on me and it’s the only thing getting me through.
    “Don’t worry, Nate, we know who took her and have a good idea on where she would be. These are low level criminals. They already have enough blood on their hands from the death a few years ago of her baby, they aren’t going to kill her. Before we go any further, though, I need to tell you, son, that this is messed up. This man you are dealing with is not right. He faked a death, had his baby killed before she was even born, and let his wife believe he died as well. All seemingly for a few drugs and half a million bucks. Money runs this man’s life.”
    Those were the most words I had heard out of my father’s mouth in months.
    “I need to know where she is. I need her, dad.” I run my hands through my hair and curse. The woman that stole my heart from the very first sarcastic comment might be gone forever if I can’t step up my game.
    “It’s that serious, son? You only just met her.”
    “She’s my world. There’s no life I imagine that doesn’t have her in it.”
    “I am afraid you have fallen in love with her. I remember feeling the same way about your mother. Don’t worry, Nate, we will get her back. I am pulling everything I have to make it happen.”
    “I know. I need her back I need to tell her. I—” I’m starting to freak out. This doesn’t happen. Nate Savage does not freak out.
    “Son, you will. I will make sure of it. I need to start being a better man to you. Hopefully one day you will forgive me, but in the meantime I’ll do whatever I can to show you I love you.”
    The phone goes silent. My brain is so scattered I didn’t even hear the door open or the footsteps in the house until they were right behind me. I swing around and stand, ready to fight. That’s when I see her and the breath is knocked out of me.
    There’s so much blood.

14
    Molly
    I don’t know how long I have been in this car. It keeps turning and speeding up, then slamming on the brakes. I’m sure they are doing it to confuse me, but I still have no clue who I’m even with. Assuming it’s the same people that came to Illinois to look for me, I start running through the scenarios in my