Chapter 30
Nick frowned as he pulled into the driveway and saw that only Arlo’s SUV was there. Ignoring the drenching rain, he threw his truck into park and raced for the closest side door.
Arlo was on the phone as he walked into the kitchen, the other man clearly dealing with something important. Nick pointed upstairs, mouthed Berkley’s name.
“Where’s her car?” he demanded, not caring that Arlo was on the phone.
Arlo frowned. “Ah, hold on… What?” he asked Nick.
“Berkley’s car isn’t out front,” he snapped before he raced up the stairs. Even as he ran, he called her phone again.
He’d called when he’d reached the street to let her know he was close and she hadn’t answered, but he’d assumed she was deep into her work.
When he stepped into the bedroom she’d been working in, everything funneled out around him as he spotted her phone and note on top of a dresser. Cold seeped into his bones as he read the quickly scribbled note.
Phone unlocked. Read my texts from the unknown number.
Someone kidnapped Kendall. I think they’ve hacked my phone.
Maybe even have cameras here. I couldn’t risk calling anyone or telling Arlo.
He would have tried to stop me. I have to get to her in time or they’ll kill her.
Call my sister, she’ll be able to send in backup. Tell them no sirens!
White-hot rage engulfed him as he read the messages, saw the pictures—and now Berkley was on her own against some monster.
Screw that. He saw the location pin, knew exactly where it was.
Arlo cursed behind him. “Nick, I’m sorry—”
“Not now.” He’d been aware of Arlo in the room, reading along with him, but he didn’t have time for this. Especially if there were cameras in the house.
Though he doubted it. He had security and cameras at the mansion. It was one of the first things he’d done, then after her Bronco had been vandalized he’d added a couple more cameras specifically for the driveway and road. No one had gotten inside.
Which made him wonder who the hell knew about the lynx coat mentioned in the texts.
He sprinted back downstairs. He hadn’t told anyone and he knew Berkley was professional enough to keep the coat to herself. Clover knew too, but she wouldn’t have told anyone.
Arlo should have seen her leaving on the cameras though and he’d deal with him later.
“Here, pull up the GPS program,” Nick said as Arlo slid into the truck with him. “The car she’s driving is listed as Black245Fleet.”
Arlo was silent as he pulled up the program that listed all vehicles under Nick’s construction company. Even though Nick was pissed that he hadn’t seen her leave, Arlo was here to keep her safe. He wouldn’t have expected her to sneak out.
“She’s almost to the Sanctuary Falls trail turnoff,” Arlo said quietly.
Nick simply nodded as he called Krystal but she didn’t answer so he called Micah next while he scrolled to the ID of the tracking device on the car Berkley was driving. All of his fleet vehicles had GPS installed.
“Hey, everything okay?” Micah asked by way of greeting.
“No.” He recapped everything that had happened, then said, “She’s got a half-hour head start on us. With this rain she won’t be there yet, but she’ll be close.”
Micah let out a string of curses. “I’m an hour away but I’m heading back now.”
“I’m sending you a screenshot of the number that called her. See if you can do anything with it… Krystal’s calling.” He hung up without waiting for a response.
“Hey, sorry about that, I was in an interview but was just about to call you and Berkley—”
“Berkley’s in trouble.” Again, he recapped what he knew as he broke multiple traffic laws.
By now he was on the two-lane highway that led to the nearest turnoff for the Sanctuary Falls hiking trail.
He glanced over as Arlo held up the tablet showing Berkley’s car wasn’t moving, but it was still turned on. They were close to her now.
“I’m on my way. And we won’t use sirens. Keep your phone on you. Are you armed?” Krystal asked.
“Yeah.” He kept a pistol in his truck, for the most part because he was at jobsites late into the evening.
“Be careful.” She disconnected before he could respond.
“Boss, look. Her car,” Arlo said.
He slowed, his windshield wipers doing their best to keep up with the barrage of rain pummeling them. He’d known they were close, couldn’t stop the nausea as he prepared for… No. Berkley had to be okay.
Turning on his emergency lights, he didn’t bother pulling off the side of the road as he threw the truck into park. Her car was halfway in a ditch, the front door and trunk open. And the keys were still in it, he realized, the ding, ding, ding alert that the door was open still going off.
He spotted a fur coat in the back seat, and nothing else.
“I think she went this way.” Arlo was by the tree line, pointing at impressions of boot prints already filling up with water.
So she hadn’t made it to the official parking lot. He wondered if she’d been run off the road or if the rain had forced her into a skid.
Didn’t matter, he was going after her.
He just prayed to a god he wasn’t sure existed that he wasn’t too late.