ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 27

GABRIELLE’S POV

I freshened up while Damon spoke on the phone with the forensic analysts.

Fortunately, my calls were always recorded, so they were already searching for anything that could reveal a location.

At this point, we were desperate enough to cling to anything.

And even when Damon gives them the money, I didn’t trust them to release the girls.

Damon stood by the bedroom window with his phone pressed to his ear, his expression unreadable.

“Run it again,” he ordered.

A brief pause followed.

“You hear water?” he asked, turning toward me. “Get back to me.”

Then he ended the call.

I stepped closer to him. “What is it?”

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “They think they hear waves in the background of the call.”

“Waves?”

He nodded once. “Water too loud to be pipes.”

Hope flared inside my chest.

That narrowed things down a little.

Damon picked up his jacket from the chair and reached for another phone on the table.

“I went through the camera footage from the hotel, but their cars didn’t have any plates,” he said.

“And the staff just watched as unknown men took our children?” I asked. “Nobody thought to stop them?”

Damon looked up from his phone. “The manager said they arrived with our security detail and used my name.”

Anger burned through me instantly.

“They should have called us first.”

“They should have,” he agreed. “Remind me to fire everyone after this.”

A knock sounded on the bedroom door before either of us could say anything else.

One of the staff members stepped inside. “The Don and his wife are downstairs waiting for you.”

Damon nodded once. “We’re coming.”

I waited until we were alone before speaking.“But why are we tracking them when they will give us the location?”

“So we can send some men there,” he answered, walking out of the room. “If we wait until the last minute, there’ll be no time to plan and set up. They know that.”

That explained why they didn’t want Damon to be aware until they called again.

I followed him downstairs, tightening my robe around myself as we entered the living area.

Rhys was standing near the center table with several armed men around him.

Fiorella stood beside the couch, watching the room anxiously.

My eyes landed on the black duffel bags spread across the table.

The bank manager stood nearby looking pale and exhausted.

“That's all the cash we could gather on such short notice,” he said quickly when Damon approached. “The rest will be ready within the hour."

Rhys unzipped one of the bags before closing it again. “It doesn’t have to be complete. They can’t tell at a glance.”

I wrapped my arms around myself tighter, my mind racing with thoughts of Lila and Aria, and how scared they must be right now.

And then there was Susan, who already had her partner killed because of us, and poor Mrs. Marlow.

She would have been safer in the clinic.

This wouldn’t have happened if I had just left her alone.

Fiorella walked over to me. “I’m so sorry about this, Gabby.”

It took all my strength to hold myself back from breaking down in front of everyone.

I nodded and blinked back my tears.

Anxiety sat heavily in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Nobody in the room looked relaxed, no one even sat down.

Damon’s phone buzzed.

He looked down at the screen, reading the message once before lifting his eyes to me. “They found them.”

My heart almost stopped.

“Where?” Rhys asked.

“A warehouse near the docks.”

The sliver of hope I felt minutes ago began to rise so fast it almost made my knees weak.

Damon continued reading the message on the screen. “Our people already confirmed movement inside. They have armed guards outside too.”

Rhys stepped closer. “How many?”

“More than twenty.”

One of our armed men cursed under his breath, then spoke up. “If they’re twenty then you only need ten of us to take them down.”

Damon shook his head, handing his phone to Rhys. “I know. But we can’t take that risk with my children.”

The man nodded respectfully and stepped back.

I glanced at the wall clock.

We had barely two hours left, and the kidnappers were bound to call with instructions anytime soon.

Fiorella followed my eyes to the clock. “Hey, stop worrying, okay? No harm will come to them.”

I wanted to believe her.

But I had this sickening feeling in my stomach that something could go wrong.

Rhys was still going through the phone. “The surveillance team is keeping their distance for now.”

“Good,” Damon said, then turned to one of the armed men. “Dispatch some of our best men to surround the place. They’ll move in at my signal.”

“Yes, boss,” he answered and walked out of the house.

Damon’s attention returned to his brother. “All we have to do is wait for them to give us the location so they don’t get suspicious.”

Waiting seemed like hell.

But if Damon went there now, they would know we tracked them down early, and there was no telling what they’d do to the girls.

I began pacing the room.

Well, everyone was pacing and unable to rest.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice Fiorella had left my side until she returned with a cup of tea.

“It’s chamomile,” she said, urging me to sit. “It will help you stay calm.”

I sat and took it from her. “Thank you.”

“I don’t give a fuck, Gabrielle,” he cut me off angrily. “Don’t even think I’m going to stand by and watch you risk yourself again.”

My mouth clammed shut.

The reminder hit me immediately.

We were still recovering from the damage I had caused tonight, and now this was happening too.

Guilt settled heavily inside me.

Damon must have seen something change on my face because his expression softened almost instantly.

“Gabrielle,” he said softly, stepping closer. “This is different. It isn’t your fault.”

I looked away from him. “You’re still angry at me.”

“I am,” he admitted. “But that has nothing to do with this. And this isn’t the best time to be on bad terms.”

I stared at him for a while, then closed the space between us and wrapped my arms around him.

He hugged me back, pressing me tightly against him.

“Talk to me,” he murmured against my hair.

My throat tightened painfully.

“You almost died before,” I whispered. “I’m so scared. I don’t want that to happen again.”

Images from that night flashed through my head instantly.

The blood, the hospital, and the horrible wait outside his room while doctors fought to keep him alive.

I still remember the fear of hearing that flatline.

Even years later, the memory still made me sick.

I suddenly felt nauseous.

“I can’t go through that again,” I admitted. “I can’t sit here waiting to hear whether my husband is alive or dead while our children are trapped with criminals.”

He pulled back enough to look at me. “We’re coming back to you.”

My eyes burned from crying so much, but the tears still wouldn’t stop.

Damon lifted my chin and kissed me gently.

“You’re not going to lose me,” he whispered against my lips. “I’ll always come back to you.”

I wanted to believe him.

God, I wanted to.

A shaky breath left me. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

His thumbs caressed my cheeks. “I promise.”

I nodded and forced a smile.

His expression softened slightly at that.

He kissed my forehead and held me closer for a few more seconds.

I leaned against his chest and closed my eyes while his scent and warmth comforted me.

Rhys walked up to us. “We have to go now.”

Damon kissed me one more time.

Then hesitantly, he pulled away from me before walking out of the house with his brother and the armed men.

And all I could do was stand there and hope it wouldn’t be the last time he kissed me.