Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 135955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“Man, that is not his car.” I stop, unable to go on when the timestamp on the video reads an hour ago. Which means Rowan activated her distress signal after they were taken.
Ford, Ace, and Talon box me in, their own rage blistering the space.
“Profile,” Robbie orders, his steely eyes moving through us.
“The fucker isn’t unhinged; he’s a maniac.” Ace takes the words out of my mouth
“Clearly, but he’s just put the nails in his own coffin. Assault and battery, abduction with a deadly weapon… all on video. He’s guaranteed himself three hots and a cot in lock-up.”
“Attempted murder,” I grate out, balling my fists.
Max and Finn hit the room, hearing my words and stopping dead. “Murder?”
“Anything happens to Jewls or my kids, he’ll beg for lock-up.”
“We got nothing downstairs. Three staff members worked with clients the whole day. Rowan checked in but left them to handle the business. None of them knew she was living up here. She kept it confidential from everyone but her inner circle of friends,” Max relays.
“A madman breaks in, abducts two women at gunpoint, and they heard nothing?” Disgust rolls through my gut.
“Old building, solid brick walls separating the two spaces,” he goes on.
“The jewelry.”
I swing my eyes from the screen to Ford, understanding his conclusion.
“Outside of a few dozen tickets in his lifetime, Johns is clean. If he beat his women before Rowan, no one reported it. Good-looking guy, great job with management in his sights, and turns on the charm when needed. Once he alibied out, we only had gut-driven suspicion. The hired assailant was a loose end he didn’t count on. Thought he was untouchable until his motion was denied.”
“The man on that video is desperate, and the jewelry is our only link,” Talon explains the rest.
I’m on the move to the closet. I spot a small safe in the back corner surrounded by wooden shoe shelves.
The safe is discreet, blending into the shelving with no dial or descriptive features. On the side, there is an electronic keyboard that’s still engaged.
“The safe hasn’t been opened.”
“If he was watching her, he had to know she was living here,” Ford says.
“Can we assume he was watching her?”
“They’re ready to close up the salon for the day.” Jay’s scared voice floats through the room. “What happened to them?”
“Baby, call your dad. I’m taking you to him,” Ace instructs.
I peer over my shoulder to catch her eyes slicing to him in a spirited blaze. “Baby,” she sasses, “I’m not going anywhere. These are my friends. Tell me what happened to them.”
Ace squares his shoulders, ready for a fight. A fight he will not win. “Harley—”
She mirrors his stance and throws her hands in the air. “No, no, no Harley’ing me. Achilles, I love you. I’m marrying you in less than two weeks. But if you try to shield me from this, I will THROTTLE you, and not in a good way!”
Any other time, I’d have to duck to hide my amusement. Right now, I want to kill the man who has my entire life in his beat-up, piece of shit truck, driving to God knows where.
“And for your information, I called my dad. He’s on the way. So is Hal and a team. Tell me what we’re facing.”
He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck in defeat. “Let’s talk in the stairwell.”
She looks to all of us, her eyes flicking between Ford and me a few times before she drops her tough façade. Understanding washes over her, and she bites her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. “You will find them. You’re heroes.”
Her words ring in my ears as Ace gently ushers her to the stairs. I drop to a squat, trying to find a coherent thought.
“I’m headed to her house,” I announce.
“You think the fucker would be stupid enough to go there?” Talon questions.
“Don’t know, bro, but don’t think he clued in she’s living here. I’m not standing around waiting for brass.”
“You are the brass,” Finn points out.
“Not right now.” My tone is stone cold. Badge or not, I’m on a mission.
“Let’s ride.” Talon and Ford move out the door, leaving me with Max, Robbie, and Finn sharing a conversation through their eyes.
“You got something to say?” I bite out.
“Yeah, I’m with you.”
This wasn’t what I expected from Finn, but his resolute determination is all I need to know that he’s on board.
“You find him, leave him breathing, so I get my chance to show him what a real beating feels like,” Max adds. “We’ll stay back, run point until James gets here.”
I tip my chin in appreciation, taking off with Finn. We pass Harley and Ace on the stairs. He has her against the wall, her hands curled with his pressing to his chest. Her complexion is drained of all color. She catches my forearm as we pass.