“Why is Naomi here?” Wasp asked, his attention focused on me.
Nosy motherfucker. “I’m sure she’ll explain everything when she gets back.” We’d explain everything, because I was damn well going to be standing beside her for that conversation. “Did she say where she was going?”
Carly shook her head. “No. Sorry.”
“She can’t be far. I’m gonna go check around the block. I’ll be back.” Wasp was still watching me as I hurried out the building. I jogged to the pizza place a few doors down and peeked inside. She wasn’t there. I stuck my head in the teriyaki place on the corner. No luck. I tried the bistro across the street. Still no sign of her.
My phone vibrated against my leg. I pulled it out of my pocket to see Link’s name on the display, so I answered.
“Eagle.” He sounded gruff. Angry. “Get your ass back to the station. I just got a call from Naomi’s phone and I need you here.”
Before I could ask any questions, he hung up.
It struck me that he said he got a call from her phone, not Naomi. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I hauled ass back to the station to find out what was going on.
Carly and Trent were still in the common area. “They’re in Link’s office,” she said, her eyes filled with worry.
Hurrying back, I found Link, Wasp, Havoc, Morse, and Tap all huddled around a couple of laptops on Link’s desk. Link glanced up and gestured me over to join them.
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking back and forth between Morse and Tap’s screens.
“Brass has Naomi. We’re tracking her phone,” Link said.
It felt like the floor fell out from beneath me. I backed up and leaned against the wall for support. “What do you mean, ‘Brass has Naomi’?”
“The fucker snatched her off the street. Shit. I didn’t even know she was here.” His gaze hardened. “You knew, though. So, what the fuck was all that shit about your dream?”
Wasp and Havoc both looked at me, their eyes wide. We all cared about Naomi, and something big was going down. The tension was so fucking thick I could cut it with a knife.
Hands in the air, I surrendered. “I didn’t know she was here until after you called her. I went upstairs and found her waiting in my room.”
“We lost the signal,” Morse said. “He must have removed her SIM card and destroyed it.”
“Shit!” Link roared, throwing his head back. Then he pinned me with a glare. “What the fuck was she doing in your room?”
“Link,” Havoc warned, stepping between us.
Wasp was watching the entire exchange with an amused smile.
Link flashed Havoc a murderous look that had him taking a step back. “I need to hear what this motherfucker has to say.”
They all stared at me. As much as I didn’t want to tell him without Naomi, I had to. There was no getting out of this without coming clean. “She surprised me… came home to tell me she’s pregnant. And it’s mine.”
“You son-of-a-bitch!” Link leaped across the room and clocked me in the jaw. I’d been bracing for it, but the strength and momentum behind his hook still knocked me on my ass. I was no pushover, but Link was strong and fueled by anger. If this thing between us came to an exchange of real blows, I wasn’t sure which one of us would come out on top. We were too evenly matched.
But I had no desire to fight him. Link was my brother and I’d done him wrong. I deserved whatever retribution he dished out. Besides, I still didn’t understand why Brass had Naomi, and I needed details. Link had caught Brass stealing from the Copper Penny a few months ago and had beat his ass and kicked him to the curb. I couldn’t see Naomi going anywhere with that asshole.
“You done?” Havoc asked Link, once again stepping between us, giving me time to get back to my feet. “Because I don’t trust that motherfucker and we need to find his ass. This shit between you and Eagle can wait.”
Link gave me one last scathing look before turning his back to me. “Yeah. I’m done for now. Let’s find my sister. Wasp, get everyone here. Except Bull. Havoc, call him and make sure he still has eyes on Emily. Check on Julia, too.”
“Will someone please tell me what the fuck’s going on?” I asked.
Tap glanced up from his screen. “Brass is demanding a hundred thousand or he’s gonna kill her. Said he’ll call later with the drop point.”
“He’s holding her for ransom? Is he fucking crazy?”
“Worse,” Link replied. “Sounds like he’s using again.”
