Running (baby daddy series #2) {COMPLETED}

| 12 | What to do?

Damien POV

  Time goes by, and we still have no trace of Paulina. Another day has passed, and the concern arises, the longer it takes. It is a fact that the longer the time passes when someone disappears, the less likely it is to find the person alive.

She's been missing for three days now. If it weren't for the kids around me, I'd break every piece of stuff I find. I'm very frustrated, and the kids are starting to notice that now. When we brought them back to my apartment, no one questioned it. They saw it alternatively as a fun outing.

  The children sometimes ask about their mother, and we answer the questions with the same answer as Brianna gave them. It is not a good idea to respond with anything else that can cause further concern and confusion. Caleb is the only one who can't let it go without repeatedly demanding to know what's going on.

  He knows that something is wrong within himself, and he will probably not let go of the problem either until he has the solution ahead of him. Which in this case would mean that Paulina was here with us, but she is not, and we do not know if she will be again.

  However, I cannot think or say that. Nothing helps that I bury myself in self-pity and selfish desires for a woman who was not even mine from the beginning. Right now, I'm not going to see her as the woman in my life, but as the mother of my children, they need her the most, and I'm going to give it to them.

  I just don't know how yet. Even from the beginning, when I entered a pubertal age and began to think about whether I wanted children in the future or not, I have always said that they should get what they want. Now that I can't give it to them, it pains me incredibly.

"Daddy, are you sad?"

  Fiona's sweet little head pokes inside my office, and she tilts her head to the side while studying me carefully. Just like her mother, Fiona cares about others and puts their needs first. I smile sadly at her, and she walks up to me. I pick her up and put her in my lap.

"No, daddy isn't sad, sweetheart. I'm missing someone, that's all." I answer her truthfully and caress her cheek with my index finger.

"Are you missing, mommy?"

"Yes, I miss your mother very much, and I wish that she was here with us."

"I miss her too. But she always tells me that all I have to do when we're apart is close my eyes and pretend that she's there. You can do that too!"

  Oh, my little girl, you are incredibly cute right now. I wish to tell her that it isn't that easy to do when you're a grown-up. But I also can't say that, and ruin the magic her mother has created by playing pretend. Instead, I nod my head and smile weakly at the little brunette sitting in my lap.

"Did you know that I loved your mother once upon a time?"

"You did?" she asks with her big blue doe eyes with a surprised expression that makes me chuckle lightly.

"Yes, that was before you were born, and your brothers were still swimming in your mommy's tummy. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, looking like the queen she is. I met her when she was out eating dinner with uncle Jaxon. She was going to work for me. I've never been happier to meet her." I say with a warm smile, feeling nostalgic.

"But... Don't you love mommy anymore?" she asks me with slight worry in her voice.

"I never stopped," I answer. "Your mother will always have my heart, and I love her more than words can say."

  Fiona smiles, and jumps down from my lap. When she reaches the door, she suddenly stops and turns towards me. Uncertain about what she's going to say, it seems. I wait patiently for her to open those small lips and talk to me.

"Are you going to marry mommy?"

"Maybe I will, love. Maybe I will." I answer with a chuckle.

  What I wasn't prepared for was the thing she did after that. She ran around the apartment, screaming that 'daddy is going to marry mommy' with delight. My eyes grew wide; I didn't mean it like that. Brody is looking at her and walks inside my office, chuckling.

"So, you've just told your daughter that you're going to marry Paulina? Gee, I wonder what the woman herself would say if she were here right now," he says with his signature smirk.

"I didn't mean it like that. Fi asked me if I wanted to marry her, and I said maybe." I sigh and rub my face.

"You can't say s**t like that to a kid without them taking it literally."

"And since when are you an expert?" I snort. "Since you're here, I guess that you want something."

"Your guess is correct; we found a lead on her whereabouts. One of our contacts told me that some shady looking guy was carrying her down towards the harbor."

"Then let's go!" I say and rise immediately, but he stops me by shaking his head.

"We can't go down there in daylight. No one knows who these people are and how many of them are there. It's too risky."

  I slam my fist into my desk, annoyed even though I know he's right. Brody is always the reasoning brother who keeps me down to earth. Right now, the only thing I can think about is Paulina and her possible injuries. We must get to her as soon as possible.

"When can we leave?"

"The workers leave at five o'clock, and we should wait at least two hours more after that just to be sure. If something's going on, we don't need any civilians there."

"Alright, make it happen."

  He nods his head and walks out of the room, leaving me behind to mutter. This is hard, all of it. Not just the situation we are in at the moment, but the whole picture. I still haven't told Paulina that I'm the father to all of her children, and now I worry that I'll never get the chance to do it.

  As soon as she's back and I have made sure that she's alright, then I will tell her. She deserves to know, and I should have told her years ago. So many times, I've had the opportunity to say to her, and I still didn't do it. I have missed almost five years of my son's lives, and it's entirely my fault.

  I won't put the burden on her, because it's mine and mine alone to carry. Not even once had she complained about being a single parent or asked for help. I haven't been in the picture at all regarding the boys, and I just recently got to meet my daughter, still she made it all alone.

  Paulina is a strong woman and a force to be reckoned with. I may be a mob boss, but hell, not even me would dare to fight against her. She's petite and looks like the most innocent creature in the world, trust me when I say that she can create hell on earth all on her own.

  Maybe that's what made me fall in love with her. She challenges me, makes me want to be better, and never backs down. A lot about her is the same things I possess, like the stubbornness, for example. We have always clicked well together and had fun.

    Despite our similarities, there are a lot of things that make us different too. In the end, however, it was not our differences that came between; it was my inability to tell her the truth and love her for who she is. If I had just been honest from the beginning and communicated with her, she might not have left me.

    We could have been on our fifth child by now. Instead, I sit here with all four children, and only one of them knows I'm her father. Not only am I being unfair to myself and Paulina, but I am also betraying our sons.

  Paulina's anger I can tolerate and understand, but the disappointment in the eyes of my boys... I do not think that I will manage to see and experience. How will they ever trust me after the truth comes out? Because it always does.

  It's finally at seven o'clock, and we're going to leave. Adrien stays behind to check the kids while the rest of us is going down to the docks. It wasn't hard to persuade the children to stay there, not after Adrien lured them with a movie and popcorn.

  Now we sit here in the car and gradually move closer to the assumed position Paulina is in. All possible scenarios and possibilities about what has happened are circulating in my head. Nothing is evident in such a circumstance.

  We arrive at the port, and there is not anyone there. In addition to the sound of the sloshing waves, it is silent. I hurry up to the big warehouse building and kick the door open. We stand there for a few seconds, listening. Suddenly we hear an ear-piercing scream, and I know immediately who it is.

"Paulina!" I scream in horror.

  All three of us run down the stairs to what looks to be a basement. It's dark and hard to see what's right in front of you. Brody pushes the light switch, and we can finally see. What I see breaks my heart. Before me on the floor is Paulina lying in a pool of her blood.

"Baby? Baby, no! Wake up, please. You're going to be alright, I promise." I say in an anxious voice and lifts her bridal style.

  Brody and Jaxon has stayed at the stairs. When they see the state Paulina is in, they look ready to murder someone. With quick steps, I walk upstairs again with my angel in my arms. Both her arms and legs are filled with different kinds of bruises. Some are black, others slightly blue-ish.

  I climb into the car with her still in my arms, refusing to let her go. Her eyelids are swollen, and she's bloody everywhere. The clothes are no longer on her body, which means that whoever did this probably raped her. Oh, my angel must have been in such pain... If only we got here sooner. Time to call Adrien.

"Adrien, are the kids asleep?"

"Yes, they are. Only half an hour into the movie, why do you ask?"

"We found her..."

"Oh, is she there? Can I talk to her?"

"There's no easy way to say this... All I can say is that you should be prepared for what you're about to see."

  I hang up the phone and continue to look at Paulina. She has a pulse, and she's not in any critical condition, at least not physically. I guess that all the things she had to endure during her stay in that godforsaken hell hole drained her and simply passed out.

  I can't be sure, though, and that's why Jaxon called our private doctor to meet us at my apartment. We only call him if someone in the crew gets shot or something similar, but we can't take Paulina to the hospital. She will not be able to answer all the questions. No, she's staying with us.

  We hurry inside, and Adrien gasps when he sees her. The doctor is already there, anxious when he looks her over in my arms. He indicates that I should put her on a bed, which I do. Her pale body against my dark covers makes her look sick. We walk out of there to let the doctor work his magic.

"Who did this to her?" Adrien sniffs into Jaxon's shoulder.

"I don't know..." I start. "But I intend to find out or die trying."