Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
He was right. I can’t protect her. I only thought I had what it takes.
“And what were you doing when the boss’s daughter left? How did you not see that?” The guard looks like he’s about to piss his pants, and I hope he does. It’s the least of what he deserves.
That’s not going to help Mia, though. I study the car, taking notes of the make and model. There’s a good shot of the tags, too.
“I want these tags run,” I bark. “And I want somebody who knows how to get into the DMV traffic cam feed to follow their progress. The car has to show up somewhere.” When all he does is stare at me, I pull the Glock from my waistband and hold it up for him to see. He gets the message. “Get moving. Now!”
“We’ve gotta find her.” Bruno puts his hands on my shoulders, squeezing tight. “Find her. I don’t care what it takes. Bring her back safe.”
I have no way of telling him this means more to me than just a job. I’m not doing this for him. I would burn the entire compound to the ground if it meant ensuring her safety.
I would kill the man standing in front of me if it came to that. Anything, so long as she’s safe.
“I’ll give you anything. Anything you want. The sky is the limit, no matter what. It’s yours. You understand?” He even shakes me. I’m not sure he’s completely in control of himself right now. I know the feeling.
“Anything?” I ask, just to be sure.
“Whatever you want, no matter what it is. Bring my daughter home.”
“I will.” Not that I wasn’t going to, but it can’t hurt to have a promise like that.
It’s that promise, along with everything I’ve come to love about Mia, that sends me sprinting across the lawn back to the house. I take the stairs to the basement, where the servers are located. I’ve never gotten well acquainted with Chris, one of the guys who keeps everything running smoothly, but we’re about to spend some time together.
As it turns out, he’s already on the job. “They called me from the guardhouse,” he barks when I enter. “I’m already in the DMV servers, tracing the progress of the vehicle.”
“You’re a fucking genius.” I look over his shoulder without bothering to ask if he minds. This isn’t the time for formalities. “Where did you pick them up?”
“About a mile down the road, at the intersection.” There they are, going through roughly an hour ago as night was beginning to fall. I can’t believe I let that much time pass without knowing she was gone. Too busy placating her father. “Then I have them a few minutes later at the next light.” He switches to a still from that feed.
Meanwhile, I try to call Mia again. Her phone is still off. Which one of them turned it off, though? I wouldn’t be surprised if she did to make sure she couldn’t be tracked, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he had something to do with it. He wouldn’t want her to be able to reach out for help, right?
Does she know yet? If he has even a scrap of decency left, he won’t make this too hard for her.
But I’ll never forget that look in his eyes. Outside the restaurant. The cold, seething hatred. The look of somebody who wants to taste blood. And there I was, telling myself it was all about her. How could I be so stupid? Because I wanted her so much it was hard to breathe, I assumed everybody did. I wrote him off. Who the hell do I think I am, bragging about being able to protect her? What a joke.
Chris grunts, drawing my attention away from where I’m signing into Mia’s messenger account. I might be able to reach him through that. But should I? It’s one thing to perform a hit and follow orders.
But I’ve never had to negotiate with a maniac. And if there’s one thing the Morelli family doesn’t do, it’s call the cops for help. I’m on my own.
“What is it?” I watch closely, and soon, it’s clear what Chris reacted to. “Where the fuck did they go?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out.” He checks back to their last location picked up by a camera, then follows the map to the next intersection. They never rolled through.
“Try east and west,” I suggest, though I’m sure he already figured that by now. I hate feeling useless. There has to be a way.
While he’s looking at that, I turn my attention to the app. This fucking asshole. The way he fucking wormed his way into her circle of friends. They were chatting in the car, too, according to the timestamps. I didn’t even know she was still in contact with him. Under other circumstances, that would infuriate me, but now, I can’t be bothered to hold it against her.