Until Arden

Chapter 15

Arden

Ijoltuprightwhen Jax rushes through the door, wearing a smile. “We got him. Well...” He looks minutely disappointed for a split second. “We know where Holden is, and he’s safe and doing okay. Unfortunately Shane—”

Not needing to hear the rest, I jump to my feet.

Dash squeezes my hand, then releases me. “Go.”

I wish he could come with me, but I kiss him gently on the cheek, trying to avoid all the bruised areas. “We’ll keep you updated.”

I leave the room, feeling lighter as the numb sensation melts away. Talon meets us near the elevator and hands me my purse. “Janelle's husband left this for you, and for some reason Jax refused to carry this around.”

I smile, slipping the pink bag over my shoulder.

“I had more important matters to attend to,” Jax says, pressing the elevator call button.

Talon chuckles and claps me in the shoulder. “I'm glad they found Holden. I'll check in on Dash and be sure to give him a hard time while you're gone.”

I nod gratefully, then step onto the elevator with Jax. I can't wait to see Holden again. “So are we going to pick up my car?”

“I can just drive you straight there. Holden was brought into the pediatric emergency room, and a nurse there reported it to the police. The hospital has him isolated and under guard, but they’re not releasing any other specifics yet.”

My bottom lip trembles. “But he's okay? You're sure he's okay?”

“They said he’s doing well.” Jax runs a hand through his hair and leans into the corner of the elevator looking exhausted. “That's all the info I could get right now.”

We exit the hospital and Jax’s SUV is already parked at the curb. Jax opens the passenger side door for me, pausing to let me in before going around to the driver’s seat.

“Is there any word on Shane?” I realize I would have known this if I had let him finish speaking earlier, but I needed to hear that Holden was safe before I could handle anything else.

“Not yet. He took off, but we're trying to piece together his movements and figure out where he's holed up.”

It takes twenty minutes to reach the hospital, where Jax hands off his car to the valet and leads me toward the emergency room entrance. I rush up to the desk and ask about Holden, but the nurse tells us to take a seat.

“No, I need to see my son.” I pound the tip of my pointer finger into the counter.

“Arden.” Jax tugs at my shoulder. “Security measures. They’re not just going to let us waltz into the room.”

I understand, but it doesn’t ease my frustration.

The nurse stares us down while she moves to the back of the station and makes a call. “Someone will be up shortly to talk to you.”

I pace the room with my heart hammering in my throat. All I can think of is Holden alone in a hospital room.

A man in a uniform, who identifies himself as David, finally arrives and escorts us to a small room. “Who exactly are you looking for?”

Why aren’t they taking me to see him?“My son. Holden Winters. He’ll be three on July sixteenth. He has curly blond hair—”

David holds up a hand to stop me. “And what’s your name?”

“Arden Winters.” I shove my hand into my purse and pull out my wallet, showing him my ID because I’m positive that’s the next thing he’s going to ask, and I just want to see Holden.

“What about you, sir?”

Oh, my god.I stare up at the ceiling, begging for some patience, some restraint, something while Jax explains who he is and shows his own ID.

“Okay, Ms. Winters, I'm sure you're eager to see your son, but we do have a few questions first.”

I stare at him and take a deep breath, resisting the urge to rip out my hair.

“Would you mind telling us what happened today?”

My lips curl into a scowl, and I ball up my hands. “All I know is that I left for work this morning. Holden was with my boyfriend. On the way to daycare, my boyfriend lost control of his truck because someone messed with his brakes, and when he came to after the accident, Holden was gone.”

“Do you have any idea who would have taken your son from the scene of an accident?”

“My ex, Shane Rutherford. He just got out of prison a couple of months ago and started harassing me recently.” I push the heel of my hand against my forehead and close my eyes.

David looks toward Jax. “Are you the boyfriend?”