The following days were a blur, a flurry of activity, one moment quickly flashing to the next. The days were spent brainstorming, searching, trying to uncover where Millie might have taken Rowan. It was an all hands on deck situation, Bastien became even busier and entrusted a few other guards to help him locate the girl. Only problem was with the head start and Constantine’s blood money she could be just about anywhere in the world. They weren’t sure where to start, they knew they needed to be smart about it, careful not alert Millie to their search.
It seemed like every place they thought of led to ‘no too close’ or dead ends. They felt like they were simply chasing their tails, not knowing where to look. Just give us a trail, a lead we can follow, Liam would pray day in and day out.
They alerted a few major agencies they could trust, but made sure no alert was placed fearing she may leave again or worse if she knew they were searching for her. They needed to keep the element of surprise, they wanted to lull her into complacency. They hoped she would slip up, they monitored her family and social media pages, hopeful that she would be dumb enough to make a mistake. They relied on her getting cocky and do something that would be in their favor if they appeared to just let her go.
Their searching felt fruitless, they hit dead end after dead end, barely knowing where to search next. They pushed forward, not allowing any setbacks to stop them, Liam would go to the ends of the earth to find Rowan, Veronica was ready to be there by his side.
No matter how many times he tried to reassure her, she was still convinced deep down that it was her fault that Millie ran off with Rowan. She knew in her heart that if it wasn’t for her, Millie would never had taken Rowan away from Liam for a second time. Liam’s gentle embrace and reassuring words did nothing but make her feel worse for making him lose his daughter. Her heart constantly hurt, a dull ache settling in—guilt at causing him so much pain. She feared that no matter how long and hard they search their efforts would prove fruitless, that Liam had lost Rowan for good. She wouldn’t let her fear overtake her, she used her guilt to persevere.
The time went forward so quickly they felt like they were being moved in fast forward, time speeding by in a flash. The days turned into weeks, their lives so busy trying to track down Millie and Rowan. Fears of the results tucked to the back of their minds, nearly forgotten. When the office finally called after two and a half weeks, their short reprieve from fear was shattered. The walls they didn’t know they built up came crashing to the ground as the fear once again settled in. Each one fearing the results for completely different reasons.
Liam feared he wouldn’t be the father and he would have lost a second child, more precious memories gone forever. He feared his future was crashing down around him. He would be relegated the step-father, Drake taking the lead. Dread filled the pit of his belly, rising up like bile, burning through his hope. He worried what the child not being his heir would mean for his country, he had Rowan but Millie made it clear she’d never let her near Cordonia—let alone the crown. What would happen if the child his wife bear wasn’t the rightful heir to Cordonia? Would the crown look weak once again causing his country to fall?
Drake feared he would be pushed to the sidelines if the child was his. He feared being nothing more than a spectator in the life of his child, an afterthought, someone not to be considered or consulted. He already lost any chance with Veronica he feared he wouldn’t even have a chance to be a father. Would he spend his life forever hidden in the shadows of his child’s life? Would be be barely seen and never heard?
Veronica feared it would be Drake’s child. She worried that the child not being Liam’s would doom their marriage. Their relationship was already so damaged and frayed, she was terrified that her baby not being his would burn the remains to unrecognizable ash. Was her marriage about to meet its fiery death, crashing and burning to the ground?
Each one carrying their own hopes and fears, dreading the answers to come. Marching through the dark into the unknown, each hoping and praying their fears were unfounded.
