𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 | 𝟏𝟖+

50

Faith's cries pierce through the night. Groggily, I roll over, "Damien, can you get her?" I mumble. "I'm tired."

But there's no response, no movement from Damien's side of the bed. Frowning, I sit up, reaching out to tap him. My hand meets nothing but cold, empty sheets.

Instantly, I'm wide awake. "Damien?" I call out, my voice filled with panic.

Silence. Faith's cries continue, but there's no other sound in the room and no sign of Damien anywhere. I grab my phone from the nightstand, checking the time.

1:47 AM. Where the hell is he?

I scramble out of bed, scooping Faith up from her bassinet and cradling her against my chest. "Shh, it's okay," I coo, bouncing her gently even as my own anxiety skyrockets. "Mama's here, Mama's got you."

While I try to soothe Faith, I dial Damien's number one-handed. It goes straight to voicemail, his deep, rumbling voice telling me to leave a message.

"Damien, where the fuck are you?" I hiss after the beep, failing to keep the fear out of my voice. "I wake up in the middle of the night and you're just gone? Call me back, now!"

I end the call, tossing my phone on the bed as I pace the room, my mind racing. Did something happen? Did he get called away for some emergency? No, he would have told me. He wouldn't just leave me and Faith without a word...right? He's alive...right?

Faith is still fussing, picking up on my agitation. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself for her sake.

"Okay, let's go find Grandpa," I murmur, grabbing a blanket to wrap around us. "Maybe he knows where Daddy went, huh?"

I head out of the guest house, making the short trek to the main house with Faith snug against my chest. When I reach Luis's bedroom door, I knock loudly, not caring about how late it is. No response. Growing more frantic by the second, I just barge in, flicking on the light.

Luis jumps awake, blinking at me in confusion. "Catherine? What happened?"

"I can't find Damien," I blurt out, my voice shaking. "I woke up and he was just gone, and his phone is going straight to voicemail, and I'm freaking the fuck out, Luis!"

Instantly, Luis is alert, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Okay, okay," he says. "Let me check his tracker, see where he is."

I pace anxiously as Luis pulls out his phone, tapping away at the screen. After a moment, "He's at his mansion."

"What?" I stop short, my brow furrowing. "Why would he be there in the middle of the night, without telling me?"

Luis shakes his head. "I don't know, kid. But I'm sure there's an explanation. You know Damien, he wouldn't just run off on you and the baby."

I take a breath, trying to cling to that reassurance. Luis is right, Damien loves us. He wouldn't abandon us. But I need to know for sure.

"Can you keep Faith here with you?" I ask, already handing my drowsy daughter over. "I need to go find him."

Luis takes Faith without hesitation, cradling her in his big, tattooed arms. "Of course, kid. You go do what you gotta do. I've got the little angel."

"Thank you," I whisper, pressing a quick kiss to Faith's head before I rush out the door.

I race to the armory, my mind spinning with worst-case scenarios. I grab my pistol. Then I snatch up Luis's car keys.

I peel out of the compound in record time, the tires squealing against the pavement as I push the pedal to the floor.