Love Me One More Time (Nick and Alaia) novel Chapter 98

Alaia

“Who did they take?” I asked, beside myself, and started to move through the house.

“Noah and Paula,” Grace sobbed, and a sharp pain shot through my chest. I shook my head, no, no, tears streaming down my face, and frantically searched for them throughout the house.

“My son, my son,” I whispered through my tears, my hopes shattering as I entered the last room and didn’t find him.

“What happened?” I reached Grace, who was trembling. Dominic was in the chair beside her. I dried my tears as my little girl lifted her face to look at me. I hugged her tighter as I watched everyone else move around.

***

Paula

We watched my daughter leave and return to the house. The children came out of their grandfather’s room.

“Your relationship with your children will improve,” I assured Grace, seeing the sadness on her face. She hadn’t been able to be completely happy because her children hadn’t been able to move past what happened between them after they thought Dominic was dead.

“I know it’s my fault. I shut myself off in my grief, believing I was the only one suffering.” She laughed sadly. “I didn’t think about the fact that they needed me. Killian became my only support, and I thought we were in good hands. I was a fool.” She sighed.

“We don’t know how much something will affect us until it happens to us. Maybe they didn’t have the real support they needed at the time, but now, heaven has given them a new chance.”

I took her hands.

“And I don’t intend to waste it. I’m going to start with them.” Grace squeezed my hands and talked to the children, in her first real attempt to get closer to them.

And, filled with love, we watched them play in the living room.

“Ladies,” an unfamiliar voice called from the kitchen, followed by the sound of several

footsteps. Grace’s eyes flew open, and she scooped up Alana. I instinctively did the same with Noah and turned around to see five men in black clothes and balaclavas. I pressed my grandson against my body, and we both stepped back as the men aimed their guns at us. We buried the children’s faces in our necks so they couldn’t see what was happening.

“What do you want?” I asked, looking towards the door for Gavin or the other security guard.

“This will be quick and easy, or slow and painful. You choose,” said the one in front of the group. “Paula.” He looked at me and pointed his gun. “We’re taking the boy“-he gestured toward Noah with the weapon-” and you’re coming with us.”

The men approached us, and we saw one of the security guards coming towards the door. We walked backward to get further away from them, but a shot, which made very little noise, hit our security man, making us jump and freeze in our tracks as we watched him fall to the floor. Suddenly, any thought of fighting or escaping vanished. I couldn’t risk the lives of my grandchildren.

“Move!” The man grabbed my arm to pull me through the backyard, and I looked at Grace.

“Don’t make any sudden moves, ma’am. You and the girl are of no use to us,” one of them threatened Grace, who looked terrified and shielded Alana in her arms.

“Take care of her. Don’t let them hurt her,” was all I could say, and I saw her eyes well up with tears.

I saw Beast barking and lunging at the men, biting one of them. The man shot him without a second thought.

“Bastards!” I tried to break free, but they grabbed me tighter. He pointed the gun at Noah, and I turned my back to shield him with my body.

“Stay still. We’re not patient people, as you can see,” he pushed me.

We were going down a small slope where there was a car. I heard a detonation followed by several more and managed to see Gavin shooting at the men who were behind us. That’s when they bundled us into a van, which took off at high speed.

“Mommy,” Noah whispered, his face peeking out from my neck, and I covered him up again.

“We’ll see Mommy soon, honey.” Tears stung my eyes, not knowing what to do, and all I saw were the men who had me trapped between them.

*****

Alaia

“We’re taking care of it, ma’am,” an officer said and went back to his radio. My hands were shaking, my chest ached, and I clung to my daughter as she pressed her little hands against my back, not wanting to let me go. I muffled my sobs; I didn’t want to scare my little girl.

“A few seconds after they took them, I called Nick. He was on his way, he told me.” I remembered Nick speeding off in his car. I lifted my face to the sky and prayed that he had managed to find them.

“Gavin went after them. Sophia called 911 as soon as I managed to get loose. They had them tied up in the kitchen,” Grace managed to explain and continued to cry. “We couldn’t do anything,” she lamented, and Dominic took her hand.

“We’re going to find them,” he promised, looking at me.

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