Chapter 36 #2
Liam used the flashlight to guide their way, then found the closest switch to the door and flipped it on.
“Knox?” Luke called out.
“In the control room!” Knox answered.
Liam’s chest nearly caved in with relief at the sound of his buddy’s voice.
Knox’s back was to one of the columns, his arms looped around it and tied at the wrists. Blood dripped down the side of his face.
“Elaina. The bastard fucking took her.” Knox blinked a few times as blood hit his left eye. “He caught me by surprise and knocked me out.” He hung his head as if in shame while Luke cut him free.
Liam grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wet it, then returned to the room and offered it to Knox to dab at the blood. “Did Jared say anything? Did you see anything?”
“I heard him talking like you were all in the room. It was weird. But I wasn’t totally lucid yet.” He patted the towel to his forehead and sat. “I’m sorry, brother,” he said to Liam, somehow knowing Elaina going missing would hurt him the most.
He braced a hand to his shoulder. “This isn’t on you,” Liam said.
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” He went outside to grab Jessica and Emily.
“Knox is okay, but Elaina’s gone.” Jessica and Emily followed Liam into the house.
“We’ll find Elaina. Jared has to be taking her to wherever Hans is going.
” He had to stay strong even though he wanted to put his fist through a wall.
“Knox!” Jessica hurried to his side and hugged him.
Luke scanned the room with his usual thoroughness, holding his gaze toward the camera on the ceiling before looking across to Liam. “What if Jared was talking to us?”
“Like leaving us a message?” Liam gripped the back of his neck, the tension mounting.
“I’ll turn surveillance back on. Maybe he did leave a message on camera before he disabled them,” Jessica said, motioning for Luke to assist her with re-connecting the system.
Emily sat next to Knox and brought her forehead to her palm. As much as Liam wanted to comfort her, he couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t think beyond the details of getting Elaina back.
Jessica displayed the surveillance footage onto the drop-down screen on the wall, and Luke rewound the footage to before everything went black.
“There!” Jessica pointed to the screen. “Stop.”
Elaina wasn’t visible on screen, but Knox was on the floor behind where Jared stood.
“I’m sorry,” Jared began. “I don’t want to do this, but I don’t have a choice.
I have to deliver Elaina to these people.
” He looked toward the floor. “Once I get the money, I’ll slip the earrings into Elaina’s pocket so you can track her. ”
“What’s the time stamp on this?” Emily stood. “Can we intercept Jared’s vehicle before he hands her over to Elliott?”
Luke paused the footage and zoomed in on the screen to showcase the time. “An hour ago. He may have already dropped Elaina off, but I’ll alert the boys to be on the lookout.” He pressed play, and the sight of Jared had Liam’s stomach turning, yet again.
“I’ll make the call.” Knox left the room.
Jared stared up at the camera on the ceiling, standing almost where Liam stood now.
“I don’t want any harm to come to Elaina, or for our nation’s security to be compromised.
” He lightly shook his head. “But I needed the money.” His head bobbed with a few hard nods as if he were trying to convince himself his actions were justified.
“Emily, if you’re looking at this, the Lamond brothers were never sent to kill you, just to shake things up a bit. ”
Liam turned toward Emily at Jared’s mention of her name. Her eyes were shut. Her shoulders sloped with the weight of Jared’s words. The son of a bitch had traumatized a kid for his own personal gain, and Liam was going to fucking end him.
“And Patty . . . well, by now, you’ve probably figured out she’s innocent. You see, there’s no CIA asset in Argentina.”
Liam redirected his eyes to the screen. To the cowardly son of a bitch.
“Well, technically, there is an asset, but it’s me. I’ve been working for Carballo long before the DEA tried taking him down in Mexico.”
“And probably responsible for tipping off Carballo in Mexico and getting all of those agents killed,” Emily whispered, the sound of her heart breaking evident in her tone.
“Once Carballo gets his grip on you, he never lets go. And I’m tired of it.” Jared lowered his eyes again as if they were supposed to feel sorry for the murdering prick.
Liam took in a sharp breath, trying to fight the stabbing throb of pain in his chest.
Elaina was gone, and it was because of Jared.
“When I learned about Elaina, I thought I’d found my chance to get away from Carballo.
Use the money to just disappear.” He paused for a moment.
“Once I’m safe, I’m going to email you all the intel I’ve collected over the years on Carballo so he can finally be taken down.
” He held a palm in the air. “I know what you’re thinking, I could’ve handed the intel over and gotten free of Carballo—but you’re well aware of how he operates.
He’d know I was responsible and my parents and brothers would be killed.
I couldn’t take the risk.” He looked at his watch.
“I’ve got to go. Good luck.” The cameras went dark.
“Can we trust him?” Emily stood to face Liam.
“We need to put together a new plan now that we know the truth,” Luke answered.
Liam tossed his blazer and rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt to the elbows.
“What will you do?” Her eyes moved to the ink now exposed on Liam’s right arm.
“What we always do,” Luke replied when the words were stuck in Liam’s throat. The familiar air of confidence in his tone. “We’ll get her back.”