Never let her go

Chapter 47

Theo POV

I was staring at the fucking building, wanting to run in there and tear it down to the ground.

The police and Liam’s men completely surrounded the place. They were wearing bulletproof vests and running around, talking on the walkie-talkies.

I wanted to scream at them and tell them to hurry the fuck up and get inside.

My whole family was here. They made us wait further away in case they were really inside and decided to resist the arrest by using weapons. Also, they were afraid we would barge in ourselves. And their fear wasn’t unjustified. Noah and I were on the verge of running inside.

When Liam told me that the police had a lead, I almost jumped out of my skin. If she is not inside, I have no fucking idea what I will do.

We were staring at the building and the commotion around it. We all had a mixture of feelings written on our faces. Hope, fear, sadness, rage - all of it.

I gripped Noah’s hand tighter. He was shaking.

I can’t believe Liam almost left us at home. He tried to convince us it wasn’t safe, but I told him I didn’t give a shit. I told him I would burn the fucking house down if he didn’t take Noah and me with them.

Peter started walking toward us. His face was stone cold.

“If any one of you crosses that yellow tape, I will arrest you.” Peter said sternly. “You will spend the night in jail, and you won’t be able to see your sister until tomorrow. Did I make myself clear?”

We nodded. Peter was smart. That was probably the only thing that could keep us away.

“I’m serious.” Peter said. “You shouldn’t even be here. This is against protocol in every single way. But I’m making an exemption because we’ve known each other for a very long time.”

“We know, Peter.” Liam said and I could hear nervousness in his voice. “Thank you for doing this.”

Peter nodded, glancing at each one of us.

“You stay here no matter what you see.” Peter said. “Or I’ll be throwing your asses in jail.”

He looked at me the longest before he turned back around, talking into his walkie-talkie.

I saw two ambulances pull up, and my stomach twisted.

I knew about the blood in the car. I knew she was hurt, but I didn’t know how bad it was.

Even if it was just a fucking papercut, I knew I'd kill them. She is my sister, and nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it.

Noah pulled me closer, and I could feel his erratic heartbeat.

Nate jumped out of one of the ambulances, looking around and stopping when he saw us. He ran toward us with a worried expression on his face.

“Is she here?” he asked as soon as he came close enough.

“Probably.” Liam nodded stiffly. “They are getting ready to go inside.”

He nodded, running back to the ambulance. I could see him giving orders to the staff that was with him. They started to prepare medical equipment, and the twisting in my stomach only intensified.

“They are going inside.” Dylan mumbled, making us look at the entrance to the building.

My heartbeat increased, and I could feel it in my throat. My grip on Noah’s hand was so tight that I was surprised that his bones didn’t break. But then again, he was gripping my hand as tightly as I was gripping his, and I didn’t feel shit. The only thing I could think about was finding her.

Minutes felt like hours. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my body with each passing beat. I was swallowing the bile constantly. Looking at my family, I could tell they were in the same boat as I was. Our fear radiated off of us, and the people around us could probably feel it.

Noah was a shaking mess. He was shaking so fucking hard that I wouldn’t be surprised if his bones rearranged themselves inside his body. I tried to comfort him, but I was as nervous as he was, and all I could do was tighten my grip on his hand even more than before.

I desperately tried to figure out what was going on, but we were too far away to see or hear anything going on inside.

It felt like an eternity passed before a police officer ran out of the building and waved the medical team over. I saw Nate grabbing a bag and running inside the building.

Someone was definitely inside, but was it her?

My heart was beating so fast that it just felt like it was vibrating inside my body.

The officer that came out of the building ran back inside behind Nate and his team.

I looked at my brothers and the rest of my family. We looked like a bunch of coiled springs waiting to go off. Maybe Peter will have to throw someone in jail tonight.

I knew it wouldn’t be me, though. I heard him loud and clear. I’m not leaving this fucking spot until he tells me to. I will glue my feet to the ground if I have to. Nothing will keep me away from being with my sister when we find her.

Another eternity passed before officers started coming out of the building. Peter was nowhere in sight, and I knew no one else would come to talk to us. I think the officers were afraid of Liam. I couldn’t blame them because he looked like he was going to explode any second now.

I focused on the door, waiting for Peter to come outside. I fucking needed him to tell me something.

There was movement, and I saw the red jacket of one of the doctors from the ambulance. He was looking behind himself, watching where he was stepping. He was pulling something.

A stretcher.

Someone was on it.

Someone small.

Someone covered in a blanket.

Someone who had an oxygen mask and a bandage on their head.

Someone whose face I couldn't see from where I was standing.

But it was someone whose Chucks I recognized.

The screams, gasps, and sobs around me confirmed I wasn’t the only one seeing this. I wasn’t hallucinating.

It was her.

It was Lucy. My Lucy.

Noah sobbed loudly, wrapping his hands around my neck.

I was watching as they pushed her inside the ambulance, reminding myself to stay here even though I wanted to run to her and never leave.

I didn’t even see Peter walking toward us. My eyes were glued on the white Chucks in the ambulance. I could see them from way over here, and it felt like I was looking at the only thing that could save me from this pain I was in.

And those Chucks really were my only salvation.

“We found her.” Peter said as he approached. “They are arrested, and we are bringing them to the station.”

“Is she okay?” Ezra asked, his voice trembling.

“Nate knows everything.” Peter said and I could hear anger in his voice. “He will inform you when you arrive at the hospital. I don’t want to give you the wrong information.”

I saw the door to the ambulance close, and I couldn’t see the Chucks anymore.

My heart clenched painfully, and I bolted toward the car.

“Peter.” my uncle said. “A word, please.”

Peter nodded, following my uncle further away to talk privately.

The ambulance siren turned on, and they started driving to the hospital.

Liam followed them in our car, and I couldn’t wait to see those Chucks again.