“We don’t have time for this,” she yelled. I’d never seen her this frantic before. “I need to go.” She was borderline hysterical. “Someone took Millie. She’s gone, Tristan. She’s gone.”
In an instant, the world stopped moving. Pain shot through my chest, sharp and fierce. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn someone had sliced my heart out.
And if this was how I felt, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Kate was going through. Doing my best to remain calm, even though I was a raging mess on the inside, I went through the motions of getting our car and driving to Izzy’s apartment.
Kate’s emotions were all over the place.
She went from uncontrollable sobbing to being eerily still then back to sobbing.
It was impossible to reach her, but that didn’t stop me from whispering comforting words and promises of getting our girl back. Because I would. Even if it was the last fucking thing I did; I’d get our girl back.
I kept repeating those words, maybe even more for me than for Kate, until we pulled up at Izzy’s. The car hadn’t even rolled to a full stop before Kate flung her door open and sprinted inside.
The sight of flashing police lights and various police officers scattered about was almost too much for my heart to take. It made this whole nightmare real.
“Shit,” I muttered, lifting my hand and rubbing it over my chest.
Who the hell would do this? And why?
Knowing we needed all the help I could get; I dialed Mac Tanaka’s number. When I told him our girl was taken, he’d simply asked for the address, then with a promise to be there soon, hung up.
My next call was to Rafe and Liam.
I didn’t even know what to tell them or what they could do. I just knew I needed them.
After we hung up, I made a call to one of the firm’s private investigators and then one more to the connection I had at the Department of Transportation.
We needed footage of this street as soon as possible.
Once that was done, my gaze sought out Kate. She was talking with someone who I assumed by the lack of uniform was a detective. My feet moved before my brain had time to issue the command.
A few quick strides and I was next to her, tucking her into my side. It was only then I spotted Izzy on the other side of Kate. Another curse rolled off my tongue. Whoever had done this wasn’t above using brute force.
With one eye already swollen shut and a deep purple bruise forming on the skin beneath it, it was clear Izzy had put up a fight.
The fear that’d wrapped around my spine earlier intensified. If the bastard had done that to her, what was Millie’s fate?
Images, horrible, horrible images flashed through my mind while the detective asked his questions. Kate and Izzy answered, both their voices trembling. Pure fucking torture, that’s what this was.
“Why are you here?” I bellowed. “Shouldn’t you be out there looking for her?”
The detective didn’t even flinch. “I understand your concern—”
“You don’t understand shit.” The sentence ripped through my lungs. “Unless it’s your baby girl who’s missing, don’t tell me you understand.”
His features softened slightly. He parted his lips, probably to feed us more bullshit about him understanding, but before a sound could escape, a hand landed on his shoulder.
“I got it from here, Simmons.” Mac gently pushed the other detective out of the way. His gaze shot to Izzy, his features hardening. “All right,” he said. “Tell me everything you can. No matter how insignificant you may think it is.”
Voice shaking and tears streaming down her face, Izzy explained how the pizza delivery guy barged into her apartment and started asking where Millie was. Not the little girl but Millie.
He knew her name.
Something niggled at the back of my mind. Like a blurry photo that wasn’t in focus. Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrated. It wasn’t until Mac asked something about Millie’s school that it hit me.
“There was a guy,” I all but shouted. “Millie called him Mr. Red. She’d said he was always there at school watching the kids.” As the words tumbled over my lips, guilt licked its way through my veins. “I didn’t think much of it because when I looked, I didn’t see anyone, and she didn’t mention it again.”
Shit. I should’ve paid closer attention, should’ve investigated. Instead, I simply filed it away. What if it was this guy? What if…
