Chapter 128

Grey’s POV

I drove around in search of Alicia and kept meeting a dead end. I kept getting frustrated, but my beta tried to calm me down. I was tired of the fruitless search.

“I think we should go to Bernadette’s house; if she has a hand in it, she would be caught unaware,” my beta advised.

I nodded, finding the helpful suggestion. I couldn’t resist the idea of finding Bernadette with Alicia; I hoped it would be the case.

“That’s a good idea,” I said and turned the car around.

I drove straight to Bernadette’s house, but we came down from the car.

“I need you to be alert and let me know if you find anything suspicious,” I told my beta.

“Always,” my beta replied

I knocked on the door, and one of the maids opened it.

“Is Bernadette home?” I asked

“No, Miss Bernadette went out for her hair appointment,” the maid replied

“Can I come in and wait for her?” I asked

The maid agreed and allowed my bets to come in with me. I noticed they kept staring, and after a while, they whispered into each other’s ear and left.

“Do you smell anything?” I asked

My beta shook his head, and I sighed; I couldn’t smell anything either.

Bernadette arrived an hour later and was shocked to see me inside her house.

“I must say I am shocked to see you in my house. To what do I owe this?” Bernadette asked

One of the maids rushed to collect the stuff she was carrying, and I could see the fear in their eyes.

“I was the one that requested to come to wait for you inside,” I explained

“I know, they wouldn’t dare invite a stranger into my eyes,” Bernadette replied

I scoffed at the pride emitting from her lips and shook my head.

“I need to talk to you,” I said

Bernadette stared at my beta, and I had to explain that he needed to be with me.

“Can your beta excuse us then?” Bernadette asked

“There would be no need for that; I want to offer you a good deal,” I began

“I’m listening; this sounds like it would be interesting,” Bernadette said with a smile.

“I know you are angry about a lot of things. I have been very unfair to you in the past, and I own up to it,” I said

“What are you trying to say?” Bernadette asked, looking impatient.

“I want to plead with you and ask that you help us with the search,” I said.

“Which search?” Bernadette replied

I looked at my beta, shocked at the response Bernadette gave to me. Bernadette seemed genuinely confused, and I almost believed her.

“We are still searching for Alicia,” I explained

Bernadette gasped and closed her mouth with her hands.

“I’m sorry, I figured you’d seen Alicia when I didn’t see you come back,” Bernadette said

The statement Bernadette made showed that she had no hand in Alicia’s kidnap.

“ I understand, but we need more hands on deck; we’ve not made any progress with the search,” I explained.

Bernadette agreed to help me with the search, and I left with my beta.

“I don’t think Bernadette is involved in this,” my beta said

“I don’t think so also; I think we are looking at the wrong place,” I explained

“Why did you ask her to help with the search?” My beta asked

“I don’t know, I just feel that it would be better to have more people search for Alicia,” I explained

It was getting dark, and I didn’t want to keep my beta away from home.

“I’ll drop you off at home,” I offered

“Okay, I’ll let you know if anything comes up at my side,” my beta replied, and I smiled

“Thank you,” I said

I drove to his house and dropped him off. I hadn’t heard from Nevada, and I was getting worried. I tried to call her, but she wasn’t picking up. I drove down to Nevada’s house while dialing her number.

The house was locked when I arrived, and there was nobody in the house. I didn’t know who to call or where to turn to.

I sat in the front yard of the house to wait for Nevada. I tried to call Nevada, and she still didn’t pick up. I was about to try looking around when her call came in.

“Where have you been, Nevada?” I asked

I was happy to hear her voice and knew she was safe. Many things had gone through my head, and I knew I was overthinking.

“At the office, I couldn’t bear to stay in that house knowing Alicia wasn’t there,” Nevada explained

I knew how hard it would be for Nevada; considering how close she was with Alicia, there was nothing I could say to help her feel better.

“I was scared; I went to your house and didn’t meet anyone. I tried calling your line and didn’t get any response; please don’t scare me like that again,” I explained

“I’m sorry,” Nevada apologized

“It’s fine; I was just worried about you,” I replied

I wanted to explain that I hadn’t made any progress but didn’t know how to begin. I knew Nevada wanted to hear something positive and felt terrible about it.

“Any news?” Grey blurted out.

I was quiet and tried to find a better way to say it, but it was a lot for me.

“Any news?” Nevada asked again.

“None yet, Nevada, but I don’t want you to dwell on that; let’s be positive for tomorrow,” I explained, finding it difficult to speak clearly.

Nevada hung up, and I sighed; I knew she was disappointed, and I didn’t blame her.

I was ashamed to call myself a protector when I couldn’t protect my daughter. I tried to call Nevada to explain that I was waiting at the house, but she didn’t pick it up.

Nevada was going through a lot, and it was hurting me; I remembered promising her that I’d make sure she never had a reason to cry, and this was happening.

I waited at the door, hoping she wouldn’t take long to show up; I was beginning to doze off when I saw the light of Nevada’s car.

Nevada came down from the car, and I was happy she didn’t try driving in her condition.

“What are you doing here?” Nevada asked, coming out of the car.

“I was waiting to see you,” I explained, staying on the spot.

“You didn’t say anything about being here,” Nevada muttered

I didn’t get to explain that I was waiting at the house.

“I was going to, but you hung up on me,” I explained

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were saying something. You could have called back,” Nevada stated

“I did call back, but you didn’t pick up,” I muttered

I understood how Nevada felt seeing me in the house suddenly without a warning.

“I’m sorry,” Nevada said, sounding tired.

I pulled Nevada in for a hug, and she sobbed silently. I felt terrible and was angry at myself for being unable to do anything about the situation.

“Let it out,” I muttered

Nevada sobbed for a while before inviting me into the house. I carried her in because I knew how weak and exhausted she must be.

Kelly and Fiona followed suit.

I carried Nevada into the room and placed her on the bed gently.

“Thank you,” Nevada muttered, hugging the pillows.

“I know how hard it must be for you, and I am sorry I am not able to ease your pain,” I apologized

Nevada muttered something I couldn’t hear, and I checked to see that she was asleep.

“I love you,” I whispered, kissing her forehead.

I lay on the bed feeling weak and tired; I could not close my eyes. I was trying to find a way to get the perpetrators to come forward.

Something about the way Alicia was kidnapped showed that the kidnappers weren’t quacks; they knew what they were doing and did it well.

“I’m sorry that you are going through all of this, Nevada; I know I have failed you as an alpha, and I promise to do whatever it takes to see you smile again,” I whispered,

I began strategizing and thinking of new ways to find Alicia when I slept off.

“Grey!” Nevada yelled

I opened my eyes slowly and saw Nevada shivering while staring at her phone.

“Are you okay? Did something happen?” I asked

“Look at this,” Nevada said, trembling as she handed the phone over to me.

I checked through the message and was shocked at its content. The person didn’t mention anything that could help but only informed Nevada that they knew where Alicia was.

“Who sent this to you?” I asked

“I don’t know. I tried calling the number, but it’s not going through,” Nevada explained

Grey looked through the phone again and was too shocked to say anything.

“We need to find this person; let me try calling with my phone,” Grey offered, and I nodded in agreement.

“Okay,” I said in agreement.