Chapter 33 #2
Asher drags a hand over his jaw. “Okay, so we pulled the surrounding footage. He must’ve taken her out the back. There’s no clean angle of him, but we caught a shadow and movement behind your apartment a few minutes before you called.”
Fear tightens my chest. “Jesus.” But at least I wasn’t out for too long. He couldn’t have gotten too far away with her.
My fingers dig into the armrests. I can feel my pulse in my skull, hammering against the bruised bone.
“I just don’t know how he got through,” Asher mutters, shaking his head. “I have this place covered. Everybody who came in and out has been accounted for.” He looks as sick as I feel. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell him, my voice thick. “It’s mine.” I should have known. Should have seen him. Somebody with better vision would have.
For a second he says nothing. Then he goes back to the laptop, barking orders through his phone to the guys who are still outside.
“Coast Guard’s checking the shoreline,” Hudson says to me.” They’re alerting every boat owner on the east side.”
“And Jesse’s locked down the ferry,” West adds. “Nobody is leaving this island until we find her.”
I blink. “What about the guests?” There’ll be a line of cars trying to leave the island in about an hour.
“Autumn and Parker are telling the band to keep playing. They’re bringing out another case of champagne,” Francie says to me. “Don’t worry, nobody will be complaining about staying a little longer.”
There’s a knock on the door, the one that leads to the parking lot. Asher pulls it open, and stands back to let Brad, his second in command, walk through.
“You got any updates?” Asher asks him. I look over, hoping to hell they’ve found her.
“We’ve finished reviewing the footage for the last twenty-four hours,” Brad tells him.
“I’m airdropping it to you.” He hits something on his phone, then Asher’s laptop lights up.
Grainy footage appears on the screen. I’m too far away, and my eyes are too messed up to make out what it is, but Asher and Brad are mesmerized by it.
“Fuck,” Asher says. “This is from this morning.”
“Yep,” Brad agrees.
“He got here early,” Asher murmurs, leaning closer to the screen. “Six forty-five. That’s before security was doubled for the gala.”
“He hijacked a flower delivery van,” Brad confirms. “Plates are legit, but the driver isn’t. We ran facial recognition. It’s Darien.”
A sick weight settles in my gut. “He’s been here on Liberty all day?” I ask. Has he been watching her? Waiting for the right moment? How did he know she’d be in my apartment?
Brad nods. “We’re guessing he stashed the flowers, changed clothes, and waited. Kept out of camera range until nightfall. It wouldn’t be that hard to find out where Sadie’s been staying.”
My fingers clench against the armrest. “This is stupid. The guy’s inept, you said that.” I look at Asher.
He looks as sick as I feel. “I know. I guess maybe he learned a few things in prison. Or just got lucky.” He clears his throat.
“He used someone else’s ID,” Brad tells us. “A catering temp from the mainland didn’t show up today. Darien has the badge.”
“So where is he now?” I ask. “He couldn’t have gotten far. Not if we’ve closed the ferry down.”
“Unless he’s got a boat,” Hudson mutters.
Brad glances between us. “We tracked the van. It left the hotel thirty minutes ago.”
“With Sadie?” I ask him.
He lifts a brow. “We can’t see anybody else with him. But it’s a van, she could be in the back.”
He doesn’t say it but we all think it. She could be tied up. A prisoner. Panic rips through my chest like a live wire.
I stand again, too fast. The room pitches and rolls but I don’t care. My legs are shaking, and I have to fight to stay upright. “We need to find her. Now.”
“They can’t get far. There’s no way off the island that we don’t have eyes on,” Asher says, trying to reassure me.
“So he’ll be cornered,” I grunt. “And he’ll do something stupid.”
Like hurt the woman I love.
Brad’s phone buzzes. He taps the screen, then looks up. “We’ve got eyes on the van. It’s abandoned on Main Street. Engine’s still warm. My team is looking for them now.”
A sharp breath punches out of me. “Main Street? Then they’re on foot. He could have taken her anywhere.” But deep in my heart I know where he is. “Her shop. That’s where she is. I think he might be looking for a painting.”
“What painting?” Asher asks.
“She stole a painting from him. Some piece of art she found at a yard sale.” I give them the run down of what she told me.
“The one she had on her bedroom wall?” Romy asks, frowning. “Why the hell would he want that? Is it worth something?”
I shake my head. “No. That’s the weird thing. I got my assistant to look into it and it’s worth nothing. She put it away the other day. I helped her stash it at the back of the store room. She said she didn’t want it anymore.”
“Maybe it has sentimental value. You think she’ll let him have it?” Wyatt asks.
God, I hope she does. I don’t give a shit about the painting. I just need her to be okay.
“We need to go to Main Street,” I tell Asher. “Now.”
“You’re not going anywhere except to the damn hospital,” Hudson says to me. “You can barely walk.”
But I don’t give a damn. “I’m feeling better,” I lie. Though it’s amazing what adrenaline can do for a painful head. “Either somebody drives me or I’ll…” Fuck, I can’t drive myself. “I’ll call a cab.”
Skyler tries to hide her snort. “Good luck with that.”
Brad murmurs something in his earpiece. “Okay, we have footage of him taking her into the shop.” He clears his throat. “At gunpoint.”
The word smashes me in the ribs. Everybody in the room freezes.
My hand curls into a fist so tight my knuckles ache. “You’re sure?” My voice is hoarse. “They saw the gun on the footage?”
Brad nods, grim. “Handgun, right side. He’s holding it low, against her back. She looks… calm. But she knows it’s there.”
A cold sweat breaks across my skin. My vision tunnels.
I need to get to her. Before she does something stupid. Like fight him because she doesn’t think he’s dangerous.
But Asher’s already moving. “We’re going. Now. Brad, keep eyes on every exit. I want two teams, front and back.”
“I’m coming with,” I say again, standing before anybody can stop me.
“This is a really bad idea,” Hudson snaps at me. “Look at you. You’ve got a head injury, you’ve already thrown up twice, and if you pass out in the middle of Main Street it’s going to cause more problems than it solves.”
“I don’t care,” I growl. “She’s in that shop with a man who’s desperate enough to put his probation in jeopardy. I’m not sitting here while you all go without me.” I look at Asher. “You’d do the same.”
His jaw tightens. “Yeah. I would.” He looks at Brad, who nods once.
“Let’s move,” he says.
I follow them out, to the waiting dark SUVs that are already half-filled with more security personnel.
But all I can think about is Sadie.
Because she’s alone in that shop with a man holding her at gunpoint and nothing left to lose.