Married to the Jock (DWTJ series)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kent's POV

I pounded against the door of the house. All lights were off except for what looked like one in the kitchen but the cars were parked out front. 

"Ryan! Open the damn door or I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands!" If cops arrested me later then fine, as long as my daughter was in danger I was willing to do anything to make sure she was safe. 

Before I was able to pound against the door again it swung open and Ryan stood in front of me. 

"Kent? What are you doing here?" Ryan looked like he had just woken up, his hair was a mess and he was only in sweats and a stained, wrinkled t-shirt. 

"Where the hell is my daughter?" I yelled, reaching out and grabbing Ryan's throat, slamming him against the wall in the entry way of his house. 

"Kent calm down! I don't know what you're talking about!" My body tensed even more and the grip I had around Ryan's neck tightened so it was harder for him to breathe now. 

"If you don't tell me where Charlie took my daughter-"

"Charlie's at work!" Ryan yelled, trying to hit my hands away but I had him pinned against the wall. "He had a late shift at the office or something tonight!"

"Charlie just got wheeled out of my house with four stab wounds after trying to attack Sadie and my mother-in-law!" Ryan's eyes widened and his mouth hung open when I told him this news. 

"That's. . . that's not possible," He whispered and I realized Ryan really didn't have any idea what was going on. I loosened my grip and pushed away from Ryan. 

"Where would he take my daughter Ryan? Think," I paced back and forth while Ryan stood trembling, tears running down his cheeks. 

"He was doing so much better! He was in therapy and he was taking his pills every day, I swear it Kent, I swear he was," Ryan pleaded for me to believe him but at the moment Charlie was the least of my concerns. 

"I don't care about that sick bastard Ryan! Where is my daughter? Where the hell did he take my daughter?" I tried not to grab Ryan again and shake him until he told me, continuing to pace back and forth. I checked my phone but there were no messages. 

Ryan was quiet for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth while he bit his nails on one hand. 

"I might know," 

"Take me there, now," I grabbed Ryan's shirt and shoved him out the door. I snatched the keys to his BMW outside and tossed them to him. Thankfully Ryan didn't protest, he slid into the drivers seat and started the car right up. 

"Kent you have to believe me when I say he was healthy when we moved here," Ryan drove above the speed limit which I appreciated but it still wasn't fast enough. "We've been working on this for years with our counselor," 

"You never should have brought him this close to Sadie and I again," I grumbled, the pure hatred I felt for Charlie inside scared me. This guy has messed with me and the people I love too many times. 

"I don't understand. I watched him take his pills every morning, he couldn't have had another episode," Ryan hit the steering wheel, frustrated and tears began falling down his face again. "We're here," 

Ryan pulled up to a small warehouse that looked like it was an old paper company. The old sign was crumbling and half of it had already fallen onto the side walk. The glass doors to enter the building were dusty and hadn't been washed since well before the place was shut down, from what it looks like. 

"This way," Ryan opened one of the side doors and led me into the big, empty area. There were separate offices lining the right side of the building and trash was piled into a corner. "Charlie was going to turn this place into his new business, someday,"

I could hear the disappointment in Ryan's voice, the poor guy deserved a good guy to be with. Not a monster. 

"Emery!" I yelled, cupping my hands over my mouth. I hurried over to the doors of the offices and began kicking them open. Three out of the four were just empty offices but the last one was locked. 

"Ryan! Do you have a key for this door?" While Ryan rushed over to me I heard a muffled cry from behind my door. Tears threatened to pour as I thought about my daughter being frightened and without her dad there to save her. 

"She's in here! She's in here! Hurry up, open the door!" I yelled, ripping the keys from Ryan's hand and beginning to try each and every key. It only took two times before I got the right key and the door jiggled open. 

As I rushed into the room, relief washed over me as I saw my beautiful daughter sitting in the corner of the room, her hands and feet tied together with rope, a blind fold over her eyes and a rag covering her mouth. 

"Emery!" I fell to my knees in front of Emery and ripped the rag and blind fold off of her face. "My baby, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Emery's cheeks were stained from tears and her eyes were red from hours of crying. I got her untied as fast as possible and scooped her into my arms, holding her tighter than I ever had before. My own tears stained her shirt while I clutched my baby girl to my chest. 

"Daddy! I was so scared," She sobbed, her hands bawling up my shirt. 

"I will never let anything bad ever happen to you, ever," I kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth. 

"I've called the cops, they're on their way with Sadie," Ryan said, waving gently at Emery who hid, terrified, behind me. I don't blame her. I stood up slowly with Emery bundled in my arms. One of her shoes was missing and her clothes were torn and filthy. If I find out later Charlie had touched my daughter I'd be going to jail for murder. 

Ryan, Emery and I walked back out to where he had parked his car and within three minutes the cops were pulling up. Sadie jumped from the Sheriff's car, sprinting towards the two of us. 

"Emery! My baby!" Sadie called out. 

"Mommy!" Sadie embraced the two of us and I held my two girls as tightly and closely as I possibly could. 

"Sir, we are going to need to ask you a few questions," One of the officers approached Ryan, "will you come with us please,"

Ryan glanced towards me nervously but followed the officers into the cars. 

"We need to make sure she's healthy and everything's alright," The Sheriff announced while he walked up to Sadie, Emery and I, still hugging and crying. Sadie showered Emery's face with kisses all over and Emery was loving every moment. Her fear was subsiding slowly. 

"We can take you three to the hospital," We followed the officer to the police car and slid into the back, all three of us sitting in the back, afraid to ever be parted again.