Chapter 201 I Love Her Too

Chapter 201 I Love Her Too
Amber rushed forward the moment Alex entered the hospital corridor. His face was taut, his phone still in his hand — he had been on with the police since the incident, his voice clipped, his tone urgent.

Amber’s tears spilled freely as she clutched his arm. “Alex… Brie’s being kidnapped. One minute Sienna almost killed Brie, and the next she was taken.” Her voice broke, her sobs shaking her. Shawn wrapped his arms around her, his shoulders tense. “The police are trying to find who kidnapped Brie, but they haven’t gotten any leads.”

Alex’s jaw tightened, his eyes dark with fury and fear. He nodded as his gaze met Jeff.

“I came as soon as I heard,” Jeff said. His voice was tinged with pain, his shoulders equally tense, but his presence quiet but firm. He placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder, squeezing it. Their eyes met, a silent exchange of solidarity which was followed by the presence of two police officers. Their voices were calm but serious. “Mr. Reed, we’re working on finding Miss Sterling.”

Alex nodded sharply, his hands clenched at his sides. “Of course. Any leads?”

“So far, none. We have searched the city’s cameras in search of the description of the vehicle provided, but so far we’ve got no leads.”

“And Sienna?”

“She claimed to have acted alone.”

Alex frowned. He didn’t like the sound of this. “And the cameras around the scene?”

“Broken,” one of the officers said.

“How convenient.” Alex’s jaw clenched. “So. You’ve got nothing!”

“We can understand how you feel, Sir. Rest assured, we are working earnestly. We’ll be on our way now.”

Alex closed his eyes. His heart ached as he thought about Brie. She would be so scared. Amber was crying in the corner. “Sienna couldn’t have acted alone. She’s definitely working with someone.”

“That’s very true. Not to mention that she never liked Brie. But she’s not speaking.” Jeff spoke. His worry obvious.

“I’m so scared. Brie can’t handle any kind of stress. I just hope whoever is behind this doesn’t hurt her or the baby.”

Alex stopped, his eyes narrowing. “Brie is pregnant?”

Amber’s lips trembled, tears trembling down her face. “She just found out at the hospital today.”

The words hit Alex like a blow. He sucked in a sharp breath, his chest tightening. His mind reeled — Brie, carrying his child, caught in this chaos. His hands shook slightly.

Amber’s sobs deepened. “She was so excited today when we met. She even showed me the result. We were going to go shopping for baby things. She was planning to surprise you. And now…”

Her voice dissolved into tears.

A doctor approached, his expression grave but hopeful. “Are you here for the patient? He is awake.”

Alex moved instantly, following after the doctor. Jeff, Shawn, and Amber stayed close. As soon as Alex entered the room, Lewis tried to sit up. His voice was weak.

“Sir…” His voice was weak, strained. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect Miss Sterling well.”

Alex leaned forward, his voice firm but gentle. “You did everything you could. You saved her life. I’m grateful for that.”

Lewis shook his head faintly. “I was too weak. There was someone…I recognized him with the dragon tattoo on his hands. He was part of the surveillance team Brad Knox had sent to monitor Miss Sterling back then.

Late that night, in Alex’s penthouse, the living room was taut with tension. Alex, Jeff, Shawn, Amber, and a few police officers alongside a group of IT team and trackers were perched in the living room. They were connected to the Sterling brothers, who had swung into action with the information Lewis provided.

The police had initially gone to Brad’s residence, but his alibi checked out, and they didn’t have any proof to pin anything on him. So, now they were back to square one. They had just stopped by at Alex’s house when they realized that they were actively working to find the kidnappers.

Sweat beaded Alex’s forehead as every minute with Brie not found made him panic. He wouldn’t stop pacing.

Jeff, standing nearby, placed a hand on Alex’s arm, squeezing slowly as though to give strength. “She’ll be fine.”

Alex turned on him, his eyes blazing. “Easy for you to say. My fiancée and my child are in danger.”

Jeff’s voice rose, his tone raw. “Do you think I don’t understand? I love her too.”

Alex’s eyes snapped to him, sharp and piercing.

Jeff’s gaze held steady, his voice trembling but honest. “I love her. But I also understand that she loves you, and I cannot do anything about that. It was my mistake for losing Brie—for not loving her the way she deserved. But I will stand by you to find her. And if Brad has a hand in this, he will pay for trying to hurt her — and my little niece or nephew.”

Alex’s breath caught, his fury tempered by the raw honesty in his brother’s words. He nodded once, curtly.

As minutes passed, Amber busied herself making coffee for everyone. She was losing her mind and needed something to distract her. After a while, she excused herself to the kitchen and slipped to the ground, crying. Shawn, noticing her mood, followed her, crouching beside her as he tried to make her feel better, promising her Brie was going to be fine.

The Sterling brothers were finally able to track the black vehicle heading for an airstrip after collaborating with the expert IT team Alex had on his side, making them get results in record time. They had hacked into security systems that had initially been hacked into, wiping traces of the vehicle. However, they had left a trail in the system back end, allowing experts to follow that trail and undo what had been done; it wasn’t easy. It took over an hour before they were able to restore the missing data, and then they started tracking the vehicle.

Adam swung into action, working on the ground while sending a team of experts who were very good at defense and martial arts, with Xander and Caleb, to go after Brie.

Hours later, Alex’s phone buzzed. Adam’s voice came through, urgent. “We have eyes on Brad’s men. One of his jets landed on an island.”

Alex froze. “And Brie?”

Adam’s tone was grim. “The men are currently working on confirming Brie’s position.”

Alex’s voice was sharp as he turned to the next in command in his security detail. “Get the jet ready.”

Two hours in the air, Alex’s phone buzzed. Adam’s voice came through, urgent but relieved. “We have her. She’s shaken, but not hurt. They are on their way back.”

Alex’s breath left him in a rush, his chest tightening with relief. He paused, his voice softening. “Thank you.”

Adam’s voice was firm. “We’ll see you soon.”