Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
I punched a dent in the metal, and though it hurt like bitch, I didn’t give a fuck about the pain in my hand, not when the ache in my head and heart threatened to take over.
Whiskey called Fox to let him know what we found, then handed me the phone.
“Tell me you have something,” I pleaded, my voice ragged.
“Deviant pulled up any cameras that might have caught something near her apartment, work, and every traffic cam in town. And before you ask, anywhere else he could think of. He’s cycling all the images through a facial recognition program.”
That would take time we didn’t have, but I didn’t have a different solution.
“Also dug into her boss at the floral shop.”
I wanted to argue that it was pointless, but what the fuck did I know? People were often not what they seemed.
“He’s harmless,” Fox confirmed, making me feel a little better about my judgment of his character. “Wait. Got a text from Deviant. Says to check my email.”
I waited impatiently for what seemed like a fucking eternity until Fox finally spoke again.
“Harvey mentioned a distributor?” he asked.
“Yeah, all the extra deliveries were from the same company.”
“The same guy,” Fox informed me. “Deviant looked into the files for In Bloom, but the information wasn’t about the company. It’s all about Rhiannon. When she’s working, her delivery schedule, her favorite colors and plants.”
“What the fuck!” I roared. “Where is the motherfucker?”
“Lives in Cross Plains, but he wouldn't be stupid enough to take her to his home.”
“You willing to risk her life on that?” I snarled.
Fox’s voice sounded far away when he barked orders for a couple of brothers to check out the bastard’s house and a few other places. Then it was clear again when he spoke to me.
“Got them checking a storage unit and the company warehouse.”
I chewed over all the information for a few minutes, then a theory sprang to life. “Somewhere with a big garden,” I muttered. “He’d want to show her that he has everything she wants. Believes he can convince her to stay.”
Maverick’s voice suddenly came on the line. “You mentioned that the botanical garden is one of her favorite places, right? Doesn’t it have an on-site caretaker with a cottage somewhere on the grounds?”
Holy shit.
The gardens were closed today, which meant whoever took Rhiannon would only need to get around one person if he took her there.
“You’re a fucking genius, Mav.”
I hung up and tossed the phone back to Whiskey.
“I think he took her to the botanical garden. Bet if we called, the on-site caretaker will be missing.”
“I’ll go talk to the manager,” Stone offered. “I’ll suggest real nicely that he meet you there with keys so we don’t have to break in.”
“Helpful, but not necessary,” Phoenix grunted.
“I don’t give a fuck how we get in there,” I barked. “Just make sure the cops aren’t alerted and your guns are loaded.”
12
RHIANNON
Even before my first date with Dean, the botanical garden was one of my favorite places. I’d been there so many times that I was familiar enough to recognize that was where I was when I stared out the window only five feet in front of me. But it didn’t matter how close I was since I was lying on a narrow bed with my hands tied to the headboard.
The floral scents filling my nostrils did nothing to stop me from freaking out. It had been early evening when I’d pulled into the parking lot at the grocery store. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed since then, but it had to have been way more than I was comfortable with since I was pretty sure it was late morning now. Maybe even early afternoon from what I could see of the sun’s placement in the sky through the window. Which meant I’d been unconscious for almost an entire day.
My pulse jumped, and I reminded myself that Dean should be back in town by now. It was a good thing he was so protective because I had a feeling my life depended on him missing me enough to come looking right away. The botanical garden was closed to the public today, so nobody was just going to stumble across me. He was my only hope of being found before whoever took me came back.
The door swung open almost as though my thoughts had drawn the bad guy back to me. It wasn’t until the door shut behind him that I could take in the features of the man moving closer to me. There was something familiar about the tall, lanky blonde, but I couldn’t quite place where I’d seen him before.
“You’re finally up,” he chirped, setting the tray on the bedside table to my left.
“Yes,” I whispered, staring at the sprig of flowers in a small vase next to a covered plate of food.