Chapter 7
Worley
The flight to Colorado wasn’t too bad. Surprisingly, it was mostly quiet, especially with seven Vikings on board.
Well, six Vikings and one lawyer. Mack kept an arm around Nanny and held her hand the entire flight.
Evelyn McLeod is an emotional mess. I sat across from them, watching Nick fidget in his seat in front of me.
I’ve never seen him out of sorts like this before.
Jack and Jay whispered behind me. Ciara sat behind Mack and Nanny, going through files in her briefcase.
It's nice when your lawyer comes with their own private plane. Sure beats a helicopter ride.
Lily stayed behind to be with Logan and Everly.
It was all Mack could do to convince Maci to stay and help Lily.
Those kids were raised well and are easy to look after.
Neither has ever been in any major trouble.
Lily could have handled them by herself.
Mack just wanted his youngest daughter to be safe at home.
One look at Nana and Granddad silenced all of Maci’s protests.
Her grandparents needed her, and that was enough to keep her in Tennessee.
It's nearly two in the morning when we pull into the parking lot of Aspen Health Resort. The rehab center looks more like a mountain retreat than a medical facility. It’s about twenty miles outside of town and thankfully, not on top of a mountain like the photos online suggest.
The parking lot doesn’t have the lighting I’d expect. The front of the building has lights only at the corners and on the porch by the front door. The lights from the windows are dim. Hopefully, Doctor Spears is still here.
There’s one black SUV in the visitor parking lot. Ciara had two SUVs similar to this one waiting for us at the airport. The woman is highly organized. Surprisingly, four men get out of the other vehicle as we do and walk toward us.
“If they’re coming to tell us we’re not getting in, I’m busting the door down,” Nanny threatens. Oh, she’ll have lots of help with that.
“They’re the team my brother sent.” Nick shakes hands with the first man. “Jude, thanks for coming.”
“Nick, good to see you.” Jude pats Nick’s upper arm a couple of times. “There’s no way we wouldn’t help.” He looks past Nick to the rest of us. “Hate the reason we’re all here, though.”
“We’re glad to help.” The man on Jude’s left gives Nick a firm nod.
The man in the back nods, too, but says nothing. He’s paying more attention to our surroundings than to us.
The taller man on Jude’s right huffs. “It’s not like we could argue. Sherlock would mess our lives up in thirty seconds if we don’t do as he says.”
Nick shakes his head. His shoulders drop on a deep sigh.
“Sherlock?” Mack asks.
Nick looks over his shoulder at our Prez. “My brother, Oscar, is their IT guy.”
Two computer geeks in one family. That explains things. I guess it does anyway. If his brother is anything like Nick, all it takes is a few clicks of a keyboard to mess someone’s life up. I’ve seen him do it several times.
Jude steps forward and offers Mack his hand. “Mr. McLeod, I’m Jude Harrington.” He tilts his head back slightly, motioning to the men behind him. “This is Chief, Scotch, and Smoke. You have all the resources of Slone Security behind you until we find your daughter.”
Mack takes his hand and keeps his other arm around Nanny. “It’s just Mack or Jacob. None of us stands on formality. Thanks for coming.”
Smoke, the man in the back, taps Jude’s shoulder.
“I’m going to circle the building. See how far I can get before their security stops me.
” He pulls a black knit cap from his coat pocket, puts it on, and slips into the shadows.
As if he’s one with his surroundings, Smoke quietly disappears around the side of the building.
“I suggest we get the ladies inside.” It has to be below freezing out here. I don’t mind talking, but not at 2 AM in a parking lot in the cold.
“Yes, that would be great.” Ciara pulls her coat tight around her and leads the way up the stairs to the front door.
“Scotch, check the camera around the building. Smoke has the perimeter,” Jude orders. “Chief, you’re with me.”
Chief falls in line behind Jude. There’s a seriousness in his eyes, and he takes orders easily.
He’s ex-military. I’d bet my life on it.
Our ex-military brothers have the same look at times.
These men aren’t what I expected from a security company.
They’re definitely not mall cops. Just what kind of company does Nick’s brother work for?
Ciara rings the security system’s doorbell. It’s not as fancy as the ones Nick installed around club property. No one answers, so she pushes the button several more times. I reach over her shoulder and pound my fist on the door. We’re getting inside one way or another.
“Worley, give them a minute.” Mack’s eyes remain on the door. Oh, trust me. He’s ready to burst his way inside.
Stepping back, movement to the right catches my eye.
Chief stands slightly to Jude’s right with what appears to be a flare gun pointed at the porch floor.
Something tells me that’s not a regular flare gun.
His eyes are locked on the front door. And there’s our one way or another way in.
A quick glance around confirms no one else has noticed.
Again, what kind of security company is this?
Hey, if they get us through the door and help find Harley, I don’t care how they do it.
Before someone literally bursts through the door, the lights in the front lobby come on. Doctor Hanson unhappily unlocks the door. Nanny, Mack, and Ciara push their way inside without giving the doctor time to greet us.
“Where is she? Tell me you found her.” Nanny’s all up in the doctor’s face.
“Easy, love.” Mack wraps an arm around her waist, but doesn’t pull his wife back.
“Doctor Hanson, is Harley McLeod here?” Ciara asks.
Doctor Hanson drops his head and steps back out of reach. “Not yet. The police got a tip, but it wasn’t her.”
“Okay.” Our feisty little lawyer jabs her finger at the doctor.
“We’re going through with the legal matters against your facility.
I want a conference room, now. I want Doctor Spears there, as I stated hours ago.
I also want to see Doctor McCain and every person at Aspen Health Resort who knows Harley and Mr. Edwards. ”
Whoa. I lock eyes with Mack. Usually, we’d step in and handle things. This woman is a wrecking ball and doesn’t need help. Mack slightly dips his chin. Yeah, we’ll let Ciara take charge for now and be her muscle if she needs it.
“It’s the middle of the night. You all should go to a hotel and come back in the morning,” Doctor Hanson suggests.
“Not happening.” Nanny pushes forward and pokes him in the chest. “I want my daughter. I’m not leaving until I have her.”
Doctor Hanson backs away some more. “She’s not here. The police are looking for her.”
Scotches knocks on the door. Chief lets him and Smoke in.
“They have cameras on the corners of the building.” Scotch shakes his head. “They’re not bad, but they aren’t very efficient.”
“Security is a no-go. No one approached me, and I circled the entire facility,” Smoke reports.
Jude steps between the women and the doctor. “Doctor Hanson, we need that conference room and your two colleagues, now. My team wants a video call.”
“There’s nothing we can do. The police are handling everything. Come back tomorrow,” Doctor Hanson pleads.
Jude takes a deep breath. “Sherlock.”
A second later, the room goes dark.