Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 117505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
“It does no one any good to kill her,” Justice said, an edge of uncertainty to his voice as though he were trying to convince himself. “No one with half a brain would kill her. If she’s been taken, she will be used to extort something from you, Drake. Money. Power. Protection.”
But one fact lay heavy over the group, one that Drake knew was front and center in their minds. Money was the only possibility because Drake would never protect or form a partnership with anyone who’d frightened Evangeline or put their hands on her. Taking her would be a suicide mission.
Silas was on his computer across the living room, punching in a series of commands. After a few moments, he called for Drake. He was pointing to the screen, which was split between six camera views.
“Here is when I left this morning and Evangeline was still in her apartment,” he said.
“If we catch anything, we can zoom in on whichever camera got her and follow her progress to the end of the block. I have cameras around the entire perimeter of the building as well as going both directions down the street.”
Drake watched in silence as Silas got into his car, and then they watched through an hour of no activity. No sign of Evangeline.
“There she is,” Silas said, zooming in on the camera outside her apartment in the hallway.
She was carrying only one small bag. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was pale, her face outlined in clear distress. They picked her up when she got off the elevator and strode briskly out of the building, where the street camera picked her up outside.
At the entrance of the building, she hesitated, looking in both directions down the street. Then she started right, walking toward the corner. Had she hailed a cab? If Silas could pick up any identifying information on the vehicle that picked her up, they could hunt the driver down and find out where he’d taken her.
Silas began cursing and Drake zeroed in on the footage.
She was almost to the end of the street when a dark sedan pulled up beside her and rocked to a halt, as if it had been going at a faster speed. Evangeline warily stepped back and began to circle around the vehicle when a man jumped out of the backseat and immediately went for her.
She fought wildly and Drake’s blood froze when the man hit her over the head with the butt of a pistol. She went limp and the man all but threw her in the backseat of the car before the vehicle roared away.
It all lasted a total of a few seconds, and yet each frame was playing in slow motion in Drake’s head. Every damn minute of Evangeline’s fright, her struggle and the man striking her before abducting her.
“Son of a bitch,” Maddox seethed. “Come on, Silas. Work your magic. I want that son of a bitch and I want him now.”
Drake lowered his head over Silas’s shoulder and in a cold voice said, “I don’t care what it takes, who you have to blow, what you have to hack into. Find out who the fuck took her. It’s been fucking hours and she’s still in his hands.”
“Give me five minutes,” Silas said, his gaze never leaving the monitor, his hands working quickly over the keyboard as he zoomed in on the car.
Drake closed his eyes, his stomach lurching. Fingers of dread curled around his insides, squeezing relentlessly. The icy coldness of the predator settled around him. He itched for the kill. Clawed at Drake’s insides, begging to be set free so he could spill the blood of the bastard who’d hurt Evangeline.
And his child.
God, let his child be okay. Let them both be okay. And then he did something he’d never thought he was capable of doing.
He prayed.
If only one can be saved, let it be Evangeline. I want them both, but God, there will be other children. There will never be another Evangeline.
“I’ve got him,” Silas said furiously. “Punk-ass motherfucking little bitch! It’s Charlie McDuff.”
The others let loose a torrent of vicious curses.
“McDuff?” Drake asked incredulously. “That fucking pansy-ass wannabe?” Then his eyes narrowed. “You think his father has a hand in this? I find it hard to believe he had the balls to pull this off by himself. He’s either extremely stupid or extremely desperate.”
Silas shook his head. “No way, man. His old man actually has a brain. He cut Charlie out of the family business a long time ago. He was too unstable and too short tempered. Not to mention dumb as a fucking brick. My money says he’s making a move to prove to Daddy and the rest of the world he’s the man. He’s desperate. He’ll probably want money and a position in your organization. When Brian cut him off, I mean he cut him off. Told him to get a fucking job because he wasn’t supporting his lazy ass anymore. Worse, Mommy didn’t intervene as she normally did. And he’s a complete mama’s boy. Usually when the old man got pissed, Mommy stepped in, soothed tempers and talked the old man into giving the ‘baby’ one more chance. Word is even she was pissed over his last fuckup and cut him loose same as Daddy did. So I’d say this was desperation. Well, stupid too, but he’s acting out of desperation.”