Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cannon
I’ve never seen my girl so animated in the time I’ve known her. She flits around the library like I’ve taken her to an amusement park, bouncing on her toes in the aisles. And we visit nearly every aisle because she doesn’t want to miss a single genre or topic. Fiction and non-fiction.
I stay right beside her the entire time, letting her pile her selections in my arms. I don’t care if we’re there for ten hours. Whatever it takes to keep that smile on her face.
As soon as we’re back at the SUV, I settle her books in the back seat and help her into the front passenger seat. I buckle her in and round to the other side.
Eloise is still giggling and clapping her hands together as I start the car. Before I put it in reverse, my phone buzzes. The caller ID on the dashboard indicates Blade is calling, so I connect. “What’s up?”
“Cannon. Are you still at the library?”
I stiffen. I don’t like the tone of his voice. In fact, I immediately make sure the doors are locked and look around in a three-sixty. “Yes. We just got back in the SUV.”
“Sorry to tell you this, but we think Larkin is in Seattle.”
Eloise gasps, her excitement instantly ending.
I reach over and take her hand. “How? I checked with Mace before we left the apartment. He said Larkin was seen leaving his house this morning in Virginia.”
“Yeah, and he’s kicking himself right now.
So is Tank. Apparently, Larkin played us.
He was sharper than we gave him credit for.
It would seem he discovered the camera Tank installed to surveil his front door.
He installed his own camera next to it, recorded himself coming and going for twenty-four hours, and then managed to put his video on repeat, overriding ours. ”
“Fuck,” I growl.
“Yes. Believe me. There’s a lot of that going on around here.”
“How did Mace figure it out?”
“About twenty minutes ago, he realized that Larkin was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, then he went back and found the spot where the feed started over. This is the second day. So, we have to assume Larkin flew in yesterday.”
I glance at my watch. “Shit. If he checked the schedule at the school, he must be there now, expecting Eloise to get out in thirty minutes.”
“Exactly. I’ve got people on their way now. You should head back here.”
I wince. The last thing I want is for anyone to deal with Larkin instead of me. Today is that man’s last day on Earth, and I’ll be the one to watch him take his last breath. No one else.
When I look toward Eloise, she’s shaking, but her spine is rigid as she sits tall. “Go to the school,” she demands.
I shake my head. “No, angel. I won’t put you in harm’s way.”
She points toward the street. “You don’t have time to take me home first. Besides, I’ll be able to identify him.
If he’s sitting in the parking lot waiting for me to come out of class, I’ll know it’s him from the car.
Your men don’t know him like I do. They’ve only seen pictures and grainy images from a distance.
You can’t risk him getting away. This is your only chance. ”
I’m surprised she’s so adamant about this. So brave and strong.
Blade speaks again. “She’s got a point, Cannon.”
“Fuck.” I put the car in reverse while glancing at Eloise. “You will not get out of this SUV for any reason, understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Fuck,” I mutter again. I don’t like this.
Not at all. My skin is crawling with apprehension.
This fucker stole four years of my Little girl’s life.
He’s evil personified. Lord knows how many other women he’s trafficked other than Eloise.
Since her abduction or before it. We have to stop him. I have to stop him.
I glance over my shoulder. “When I get to the light, climb into the back seat, angel.” I try to keep my voice steady. I don’t want to freak her out any more than necessary.
“Okay.”
I come to a complete stop at the next intersection. “Now, Little one.”
She unbuckles with shaky fingers and scrambles into the back. Without being told, she buckles in behind me.
“Good girl.” I look at her in the rearview mirror. “You are the most important thing in my life, Eloise. Do you know that?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Please do as I say, so I don’t have to worry more than I already am.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Do you see the bag tucked under my seat? Reach under and pull it out.”
She bends forward and hauls it into her lap.
“Good girl. Open it up.”
I hear the zipper, and a moment later, she gasps. “There’s a gun in here, Daddy.”
“Yes, and I never want you to touch weapons, Little one. Not until I’ve had a chance to train you to use them. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I’m going to make an exception this time for one reason. It’s not loaded.”
“Okay.”
“Take it out and set it on the seat next to you.”
I can see she’s trembling as she does so from the rearview mirror.
“I promise it’s not loaded, angel. The ammunition is in the bag. We’re not going to load it, though.”
“What good is it to you in an emergency if it’s not loaded?”
I stop impatiently at the next intersection. “I have three other weapons in this car, angel. They are loaded. That’s in my go bag in an extreme emergency.”
She nods. “Okay.”
“See the black case that looks like a small eyeglass case?”
She holds it up.
“Yes. That’s the one. Open it. There are two sets of discreet earpieces in there.”
“I see them.”
“Good. Put one in your ear. Left or right. Whichever you prefer.”
She struggles with it but manages. I’ve already pulled mine out of my front pocket and put it in at the last stoplight. I can already hear Blade barking orders.
“Can you hear Blade, Angel?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Blade speaks next. “Good. Eloise, do you recognize my voice?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay. There’s going to be a lot of talking on here. I’ll be talking to you from the office. But you’ll also hear from everyone else who will be at the study center. I want you to stay in the SUV at all times. The earpiece is a precaution in case one of us needs to talk to you.”
“Okay.”
I clear my throat. “It works the other way, too, angel. If something happens to scare you, let us know. The entire team will be able to hear you.”
“Okay.”
“Pick up the gun. Hold it in your lap.”
“She has a gun?” This voice is Mace’s.
“It’s not loaded,” I inform everyone.
“Ah, good thinking. No one else will know that,” Tank replies.
“Exactly,” I agree. I glance at Eloise. “You hold that in your hand. Don’t let go of it. In the event things don’t go as planned, you lift that in the air and make anyone who approaches you believe you can and will shoot them.”
She nods. “I will, Cannon.” Her voice is all business. She’s looking me in the eyes in the reflection. She understands the gravity of the situation.
“I’m almost there,” I tell the team.
“Good,” Blade says. “Ghost is in the parking lot already. He’s in the second row to the right of the entrance. Blue Accord. Twenty twelve.”
“Got it.” We keep several nondescript vehicles in the garage in case we ever need to blend in.
“Rachell, you in position?” Blade asks.
I flinch. “Rachell?”
“She’s in the building. She’ll come out with the rest of the students as if she’s exiting from classes. She’s wearing jeans and a navy hoodie. Tank is inside, too.”
This is new. Rachell never works outside the office.
It’s not that she’s not qualified. The woman is as qualified to do field work as any man at Black Blade Protection.
She’s former Army and trained to take down any man twice her size, but field work is not her thing.
She’s got a damn important role staffing the front desk.
Mostly because she can spot trouble from a mile away.
Her professional look includes pencil skirts, blouses, and heels.
It keeps anyone who comes in from recognizing potential danger.
“No one can see into the SUV,” I tell Eloise. “Look around as I pull into the lot. I’m going to hang back a few rows. I don’t want my black SUV to tip Larkin off.”
“Class gets out in five minutes,” Ghost announces. “I’m going to get out of my car and pretend to stretch my legs while waiting for someone. I have a camera under the bill of my baseball cap. I’ll casually glance around. See if anyone is also waiting in one of these cars.”
“The unfortunate part is that Larkin has to suspect someone might be on to him. He knows Eloise didn’t leave that cabin on her own,” Blade explains.
I growl. “He might also think someone unrelated to Eloise is surveilling him.”
“Also true,” Blade acknowledges. “He must have an enemy list a mile long, and Eloise has been missing for over six months. He’s going to be skittish, though. He overrode the feed in an effort to keep us from knowing he was after her, whether or not we actually exist.”
Blade is right. Larkin can’t be sure we’re on to him. He’s just guessing. Anyone could be watching him. “He could suspect any number of people installed that camera. He doesn’t want them to know he’s out of town.”
Eloise sighs heavily.
I glance at her again.
She sits up taller and meets my gaze in the rearview. “I’m fine,” she mouths.
I twist around and reach a hand out to her. When she sets her fingers in my palm, I squeeze and mouth, “I love you.”
She smiles and returns the silent words.
Ghost interrupts our quiet communication. “There is only one car in the lot with someone waiting. It’s a man, but he’s wearing a baseball cap low over his eyes. I can’t see his face.”
“Which car?” I ask.
“Red Corolla.”
I immediately spot it. I also note the plates are from Nevada. “It’s a rental.”
“Yeah,” Ghost agrees.
“Mace, can you run the plates?” I rattle off the letters and numbers.
“On it,” Mace responds.
“I feel so exposed just sitting here,” Eloise mutters.
“No one can see in, angel,” I promise her. “The only window that’s not tinted is the windshield.”
“Fuck,” Ghost shouts. “He’s made us.”