Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Adalyn's body felt heavy, her mind tired as she blinked her eyes open.
Almost immediately, they slid closed again, exhaustion pulling at her.
Slowly, her mind came alive, and the events of the past few days rose to the surface.
Her eyes snapped open once again, landing on the plain white wall in front of her.
Her brows drew together as she realized she was lying down, and she pushed herself to a sitting position, looking around. The dark green couch had been folded flat into a bed, and a light blanket was draped over her. Light from a lamp on the corner of the desk spilled a soft glow over the room.
She could feel a pair of eyes on her, and she turned her head, scanning for the source.
A small, dark-haired woman sat in the chair along the left wall, and it didn’t take but a few seconds for her to place her.
She recognized Hannah from the morning she had shown up at the salon after the break-in.
Hannah caught her movement and met her gaze with a soft smile. “Hey.”
Adalyn cleared her throat to rid it of the sleepy rasp. “Hi.”
“I brought your toothbrush and a change of clothes for you.”
Adalyn shot her a grateful look. She was thankful Hannah hadn’t immediately jumped in to ask how she was feeling. Hannah seemed to intuitively know that Adalyn would want to get back out and start scouring the streets again. “Thanks.”
Adalyn slid from the makeshift bed and reached for the bag Hannah held out. “Any news yet?” She couldn’t help the hopefulness in her voice.
Unfortunately, Hannah shook her head. “Not yet, but the guys are still chasing every lead. Last I heard, Aiden is still trying to figure out who is behind the auction.”
Guilt stopped Adalyn in her tracks, and she shot a wary look at Hannah. “I’m so sorry about having to use you…”
Hannah waved away her concern. “I’m happy to do anything to help. These guys know what they’re doing, and I know they’ll bring her home safe.”
Tears burned the back of Adalyn's throat at the conviction she heard in Hannah's voice. She knew Hannah had been through something horrifically traumatic, though she wasn’t sure of the details. For Hannah to speak so plainly both hurt Adalyn's heart and gave her a surge of hope.
Adalyn wanted to ask if Hannah was okay, but she saw the haunted look in her eyes. She knew Hannah wasn’t, and she extended her the same courtesy of not dredging up bad memories. Instead, Adalyn swallowed everything down and gave her a smile, as genuine as she could. “Thank you.”
“Don’t worry about the bed,” Hannah said. “I’ll have Luke take care of it later. I’ll let you get changed, and I’ll be right outside.”
Adalyn waited until Hannah left, the soft click of the door announcing her exit, and she sank down on the edge of the bed.
She dropped her head into her hands, shame and guilt welling up inside her at the memory of her recent altercation with Jaxon.
Her insides felt as if they’d been shredded.
She was still hurting over Jaclyn, but she’d let her anger get the best of her and said so many terrible things to him that she would never be able to take back.
She had no idea how to begin to bridge the gap between them.
Pushing the thought away for the moment, she moved behind the door and quickly stripped down, changing into the clothes that Hannah had brought.
Hannah had even had the foresight to throw in some deodorant, for which Adalyn was incredibly grateful.
Two minutes later, she felt cleaner, more awake, and she pulled the door open.
Hannah hovered on just the other side like a sentinel. “Good?”
As good as she could be. “Yep.”
In silence, they trudged to the bathroom, where Adalyn quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. She passed a window and noticed that it was pitch-black outside, the only light a faint yellow glow from a streetlamp. “What time is it?”
Hannah checked her phone as Adalyn stifled a yawn. “A little after one in the morning.”
So Adalyn had slept for about six hours then. “And they still haven’t heard anything?”
How long were they going to wait to announce the winner?
Her pulse doubled, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. She couldn’t live like this.
She threw another look out the dark window.
They’d checked the entire city over the past day and a half, it seemed, but she couldn’t tamp down the urge to run right back out there and search every crevice. She had to find her.
“Come on.” Hannah set a gentle hand between Adalyn's shoulder blades and propelled her forward. “Let’s check in with the guys.”
Adalyn allowed herself to be herded along, down a short hallway toward the lobby. Hannah stopped beside the door to the bullpen area and knocked. Seconds later, it swung open, and a large blond man Adalyn had never seen before filled the doorway. He stepped aside with a nod.
“Thanks, Mason.”
Hannah moved inside first, and Adalyn followed a few steps behind.
A few sets of eyes darted to her, then immediately moved away again.
Adalyn felt her cheeks heat under their scrutiny.
She was sure they were all watching her like a hawk from behind their screens, waiting for her to break down again.
Pulling her shoulders back and lifting her chin, she strode toward Knox, who hovered next to Aiden’s desk. She didn’t look around, though she knew Jaxon was close by; she could feel his presence as if he were an extension of her.
Aiden didn’t even look up as she approached, but Knox nodded at her.
“McDonald’s,” Aiden said loudly, making Adalyn jump. Everyone looked in his direction.
His fingers flew over the screen a few more times before he lifted his gaze.
“I just sent you guys the info. I was able to trace the IP address from the auction back to a McDonald’s off Miner Street.
It looks like this one”—he pointed to the screen—“was definitely done by a completely different person.”
Adalyn stared at him. “What does that mean?”
“It looks like someone piggybacked off the original auction website for ease. The perp knew he’d still have an audience, and it’s obviously time sensitive. He wants to—” He stopped himself midsentence. “I would guess he’s strapped for cash and needs this to happen quickly.”
“Is that good or bad?”
Aiden hesitated, and Adalyn's heart sank. “It’s good that we have an approximate location, but we don’t have the time or resources to check all the cameras. By the time we get our hands on the footage, there’s a good chance the exchange will already be underway.”
“So what now?” Adalyn fought to control the tremor in her voice.
He rubbed his eyes. “I keep pulling threads. Eventually one of them will lead us to the right person.”
Knox spoke up. “We’ve got eyes everywhere. The PD has been in contact with border patrol to make sure nothing slips through.”
“Good.” Adalyn couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Knox stood and gestured with his chin. “Come with me?”
It was really more of an order than a request, and Adalyn fell into step behind him, intent on ignoring Jaxon’s piercing gaze as long as possible. Her stomach twisted into a knot as they exited the bullpen area and turned left, then headed into the office at the end of the hallway.
Knox closed the door behind them partway, then took a seat in a chair in front of the desk.
He motioned for Adalyn to take the other, and she reluctantly slid into it.
She watched him uneasily as he stretched one hand across the desk and picked up a small rectangular piece of paper.
He shielded the contents from her view as he set it in his lap, face down.
“I need a favor from you.”
“Okay?” Adalyn bit her lip at his serious tone.
He stared at her, dark eyes assessing. “I wouldn’t ask this if I didn’t think you were strong enough to handle it.” Adalyn didn’t say a word—she couldn’t. Her breath caught in her chest as she waited for him to continue.
“You know Jaclyn better than anyone.” She nodded at the rhetorical statement. “Would you be able to look at the photograph and tell me if anything looks familiar?”
The image of Jaclyn's tear-stained face was seared into Adalyn's mind, and she momentarily closed her eyes against the pain it wrought. Forcing the tears away, she met Knox’s gaze and nodded. “I…” She cleared her throat and steeled herself. “Of course.”
He lifted the photograph he’d had concealed at his side and swallowed hard at the sight of it. Those dark eyes cut into her. “You good?”
Adalyn nodded, unable to speak, and took the photo from him with trembling hands. She cleared her throat. “What am I looking for?”
“Anything.” He sat back in his seat, giving her space. “Tell me if anything seems familiar. The floors, the walls, any distinguishing characteristics.”
Tears cutting tracks down Jaclyn's face, big gray eyes stared up at Adalyn imploringly. Jaclyn was still wearing the same outfit Adalyn had dressed her in on Thursday before she left for work. The sight brought tears to Adalyn's eyes. Was she being cared for? Was she safe?
Adalyn slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that she couldn’t hold back. Grief was a crushing weight, and her body folded in on itself. Bending at the waist, she let the pain pour out, dimly aware of a heavy palm on her back.
She hated whoever had done this. At that moment, she was ready to rip someone apart with her bare hands.
Cold fury replaced the crippling hurt. Crying wouldn’t bring Jaclyn back.
She needed to focus for her sake. She swore on everything holy that she would make sure the person responsible suffered when they found him.
Pulling herself together, she drew in a ragged breath and swiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her sweater.
Knox’s hand dropped away. “If you don’t—”
Adalyn held up a hand, cutting him off midsentence. It took her several moments to get her breathing under control and form words. Knox waited patiently. “I’m… I’ll be fine. Just give me a second.”
Forcing her gaze away from Jaclyn’s as she stared imploringly at the camera, Adalyn studied the background. Her eyes skated over the generic tan carpet, shabby and worn with use. A plain white wall stood in the background, devoid of pictures or mementos.
She focused on Jaclyn and the person holding her. Jaclyn sat on the ground, and a person’s hand clutched her shoulder—keeping her upright or in place, Adalyn wasn’t sure. She studied every line of that hand resting on Jaclyn’s shoulder, fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt.
Adalyn shook her head helplessly. “I just don’t know.”
“It’s okay. It was a long shot.”
Adalyn nodded, her eyes still glued to the picture. She knew Knox had been hoping for something, anything. There was nothing, literally nothing, of value in the photo. It could be anywhere in the world.
“We’ll keep looking. We’ll—”
A knock at the door cut him off. “Boss?” Adalyn's head swiveled toward the huge man Hannah had called Mason. He glanced at her, then back to Knox. “Confirmation came back.”
“Good.” Adalyn's gaze was drawn back to Knox, who wore an expression of guarded optimism. “Get everyone assembled. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Mason nodded and disappeared, leaving Adalyn alone with Knox again, who turned to her. “Sounds like the offer for Hannah’s bid was accepted.”
Adalyn's heart leaped with excitement. “So we’re going to get her back?”
“We will.” He held up a staying hand when Adalyn started to grin like a fool. “But we need to be extremely cautious. I want to make sure everything goes smoothly so your daughter isn’t in any danger.”
Adalyn nodded. “Absolutely. What do you need me to do?” Her leg bounced restlessly, the idea of seeing Jaclyn, holding her again ready to propel her out of her chair.
Knox eyed her critically. “My team needs to be wholly focused on this. Can you let them do that?”
Adalyn blinked and went still. He was asking her to… what? Stay away? “But…”
“I can’t imagine how hard this is for you,” he said gently. “But the last thing I want to do is jeopardize this. I want you to be strong for Jaclyn. I want you to be there for her when we bring her home.”
Adalyn's face fell as his words sank in. “But I can’t be there when you go get her.”
“No. I’m sorry.”
Adalyn understood—she did. But she hated it. She nodded, sniffing against the tears burning the bridge of her nose. It’d been too long since she’d held Jaclyn, and she didn’t want to wait one more second.
“Adalyn?” Knox’s voice was soft but firm, and she let out a little sigh.
“I understand. I won’t interfere.”
“Not interfering,” he corrected. “But you’re her mother. If the kidnapper sees you, all bets could be off. I’m not gonna lose this guy just when we have him where we want him.”
It was the first time he’d sworn in her presence, and his tone was fierce.
Adalyn looked into the hard planes of his face and saw the commanding military man he must have once been.
His eyes bespoke a power and assuredness she’d only seen rivaled by one other man—Jaxon.
In that moment, she put her whole trust into them.
“Bring her back to me.”
“We will.” Knox’s expression softened just the tiniest bit as he stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta go get my guys prepped.”
He was halfway to the door before Adalyn could formulate anything else. “Knox?”
He paused and turned back to her. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
He tipped his chin. “Thank me tomorrow.”
With that, he was gone.