Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
“Lou’s on a date, TJ. Don’t be an asshole,” Kenzie replied. “Look, I know it sucks to be rejected, but I don’t think this rejection is going to stick. I think if you’re patient…”
He did not need another lecture. “The place where Lou is meeting her date is closed.”
“They probably went somewhere else then,” Kenzie argued. “I just think you should give her some space. I do think she loves you, but you can’t push it.”
“I have a feeling, Kenz. Activate her tracer or hand me over to Kala. Something is wrong.”
“Fine,” she said with a huff. “Give me a minute.”
He tried to see inside, but those blinds were doing their job. He could have sworn he saw some movement, but he couldn’t be sure. All he knew was his gut was telling him something was off here. Yes, businesses closed, but Lou would have texted Kala, and if Kala knew something, Kenzie did, too.
“Hey, what’s going on?” That slightly deeper voice was Kala. “Kenz is pulling the locator. I gave you the address Lou gave me. It doesn’t check out?”
“It’s closed.”
Kala hesitated. “Okay, then something’s wrong because she didn’t text me that her plans had changed. Hold on. Kenzie says her locator shows she’s there. Wait. What do you mean? Try it again.”
He started moving back to the car. “What’s happening?”
“We’ve got some kind of delay,” Kala explained. “The last time her locator pinged was ten minutes ago. There might be a problem with the satellite. Don’t panic.”
He wasn’t panicking. He felt a cool, calm come over him. Lou was in trouble. He didn’t get to panic. She needed him, so he would do whatever it took.
If this was all some crazy misunderstanding where she forgot to let her team know where she was, then he could take it out on her pretty ass tonight at the club. But for now, all that mattered was finding her and getting her to the office safely.
Then he would get to the bottom of all this mess. He wasn’t going to let Lou get hurt.
“I’m waiting on the locator,” he said to his mom through the open window.
Liam looked up from his paper. “Have you called her?”
“Twice, and she didn’t answer,” he replied. “I thought she was being stubborn, but now I wonder.”
His mom nodded, her expression calm as well. “Who do you want me to call? Ian or Zach?”
The fact that she was giving him the choice meant she trusted his instincts. “The twins will let their dad know. Call Zach. Tell him to take over the CCTV cams and look for Lou’s car. It’s not on the street, so it’s probably in one of the lots around this area.”
“Hey, I think we have a problem,” Kala said over the line.
Fuck. “Hit me.”
“The locator isn’t working, and I can’t ping her cell either,” Kala admitted. “I can show her going into that building, but as of ten minutes ago, she disappears. Everyone else’s locator is working.”
And that wasn’t a satellite problem. Someone had nullified her locator device. If they’d simply cut it out, he would know where they’d tossed it.
The thought of someone cutting up Lou threatened his calm.
“My mom is with me. She’s talking to Zach,” he began. “Uncle Liam’s here, too.”
And then he heard it.
“Help! Help me!”
It was in the distance, but he knew Lou’s voice. He took off. There was a building between them. He sprinted, his whole being focused on making it to her.
He rounded the corner, his heart pounding in his chest.
Just in time to see a limo pull away. He ran down the alley, but he knew he was too late.
“Damn me. I can’t get a shot from here.” Liam was beside him, a gun in his hand. “We have to follow them.”
Lou was in that limo, and he’d failed her.
TJ heard a honk and he realized his mom was behind them, and she’d brought the Jeep.
“Get in,” his mom ordered.
Liam opened the back door. “You take the front, kid. This could get messy. Thank the saints my own sweet Daisy has never been kidnapped.”
“Give it time.” He got in the car.
The chase was on.
Chapter Ten
Lou eased the shoes off her feet. If she got another chance to run, she was going to take it. She’d learned her lesson. “Are you MI6?”
Her captor sat back, looking like he was born to ride in a limo. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Can I get you a drink? I’ve got a whole bar in here. Excellent Scotch.”
“It’s like ten in the morning.”
“He doesn’t go by things like time or societal norms,” the woman driving said.
“Mantén los ojos en el camino y yo me encargaré de la dama,” her captor said in perfect Spanish.
Keep your eyes on the road and I’ll take care of the lady.
Lucky for her, it was one of the languages she was pretty good with.