26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
B althazar stepped out of the hospital, taking a deep breath to clear his lungs of the stale air he’d been breathing for the last hour and a half. North was stable and Tate didn’t seem likely to leave his side anytime soon. Not that he trusted the boy enough to leave him alone. Jesse had come with Alder and Danica, providing both security and three people Tate would have trouble slipping away from if North fell asleep and the drummer was even tempted.
Only Jesse knew any details, but that was enough. Danica and Alder had sensed the change in him when he and Balthazar returned to the room. They didn’t need to know more to understand that Tate couldn’t be let out of their sight.
Back at the hotel, Skull was covering security for the rest of the band, along with the five roadies and the three new security guards that had been brought in. Balthazar didn’t like leaving Connor and Annette under the protection of others, but he didn’t have a choice.
Vanessa was out there on her own. He’d called Josh and asked him to try to find her, but as expected, the man hadn’t had much luck. So he’d told him to meet him here, hoping for at least an update from the detective.
There was nothing.
Except a message from…Oakley?
Frowning, Balthazar clicked on it, confused when his phone restarted and random files began loading.
Josh stepped up to his side, his dark brown face reflecting Balthazar’s confusion. “What the hell did you do to your phone?”
Another file, this one a video. Balthazar tried to stop it. A message popped up.
“Do not shut off your phone. Let the files load. You now have the video used to blackmail Tate.”
The message was blinking. Balthazar tapped on it.
“Vanessa will be trying to track my phone. I cloned Ray’s so even if he destroys mine it won’t matter. You can track either of them. I’ve enabled the location abilities which you can now access. She’ll come alone if you let her. Don’t.”
Oakley’s concern made sense, but he didn’t really understand who Vanessa had been as a part of Force Reconnaissance in the Marines. She was capable of operating on her own, but she would use any resources available, including Balthazar. And Josh, who’d been the one to recommend her for the job.
Glancing over at Josh, Balthazar studied his phone, not sure he should touch anything. He understood, on a basic level, that modern phones were like small computers. Being in his thirties, he’d always considered himself fairly competent when it came to technology.
Oakley made him feel like a very old man who needed his great grandkid to explain what ‘The Twitter’ was. How the hell did you track someone’s phone?
“Let me call Vanessa. I’m just as lost as you are.” Josh took out his own phone. Hitting one of the few numbers he had on his list besides family, he brought the phone to his ear. “Yes, I’ll make it quick. Oakley gave Balthazar a way to find him.” He paused and sighed. “No, we’re not on our way, we’re still at the hospital and—yes, we’d absolutely be doing so if we knew how.” A nod and he held out his hand for Balthazar’s phone, swiping, then clicking on an app and opening the options. He clicked a few more times and a map appeared on the screen. “Oh fuck.”
“What?” Balthazar heard Vanessa repeat his words over the line.
Josh showed him the phone. “He’s at the hotel. He must have gotten a different room.” His brow furrowed. “Vanessa…can these location things tell us exactly what room his in?” He nodded slowly. “I didn’t think so. Yeah, we’ll meet you there.”
Walking with Josh to the van, which he’d left in the hospital parking lot, Balthazar looked over at the other man expectantly.
“We won’t be able to find the room with the phone.”
“So how do we find them?” Balthazar climbed in behind the wheel, waited until Josh was settled, then pulled out onto the street. “The hotel isn’t going to let us go through their guest list.”
“No, but they will let the detectives. I know there are reasons why you might have hesitated to involve them, but whatever those are aren’t worth putting Oakley’s life at risk.” Josh squeezed Balthazar’s shoulder when he nodded. “Care to tell me why the cops weren’t our first call?”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Balthazar came to a stop at a red light and rubbed a hand over his face. He hadn’t known Josh as long as some of the others in the crew, but the man had earned his respect in that short time. So he didn’t hesitate to tell him everything.
Josh let out a low whistle. “That makes sense. But the bands have access to some damn good lawyers and you have the video now.”
“For what good that will do. Either way, you’re right. We can’t handle this ourselves any longer.” He jerked his chin at Josh’s phone, which he was turning in his hand as though waiting for the go-ahead. “Call the detective and tell him everything.”
“I’ll tell him what he needs to know.” Josh gave him a dry smile. “Half the shit Vanessa and Oakley pulled isn’t legal. No need to make more work for the lawyers.”
Balthazar shook his head. “They’re on retainer for a reason.”
“Don’t I know it.”