He was right and he was qualified.More than that, Cam didn’t trust him to stay in the car.Better to have him in sight.“Fine, though just because there are no bodies doesn’t mean the place hasn’t been rigged.We go in slow.”
“I know what explosives look like, Agent Byrne.”
Yeah, he definitely wouldn’t have stayed in the car.“All right, let’s go then.”He radioed for the tactical team stationed a block away, and five minutes later, they were through the fence and converging on the structure.With their flashlights, they checked each doorway and threshold for explosives before stepping through or over.All clear.But there was evidence someone had been here.
Tread marks across the dusty floor where someone had walked.Bigger swaths of dust cleared where someone had been dragged.The lingering hot metal smell of a neglected radiator heater recently cranked.The stale, pungent odor of convenience-store coffee.
As they neared one of the back rooms, Garrett froze, inhaling deep.“Lette’s been here.”
Cam breathed in and detected two things—the same citrusy soap he’d noticed earlier on Garrett, likely from the hotel, and blood.Garrett moved to rush forward, and Cam grabbed him by the arm, hauling him back.“We need to clear the area first.”
The other agents crept past them, doing their checks.At the call of “Clear,” Garrett wrenched himself free and darted into the room.Cam followed, stopping behind where he knelt in the far corner.
It wasn’t as much blood as Cam had feared—God knows he’d seen worse—but it was still enough to be worrisome.Collected in one general area.Lette had an injury on her person somewhere.
Garrett, however, wasn’t focused on the blood.He was staring down at an object in his hand.“She was definitely here.”Still crouched, he rotated and lifted his hand, palm open.In it was a high school class ring on a chain.“It’s Nic’s.”
The one Nic had told Cam about—the ring he’d given to Garrett, and Garrett had given to Lette.Cam folded Garrett’s fingers around the ring and rested his other hand on Garrett’s shoulder, as much to comfort himself as the major.
“We have to find her,” Garrett croaked, and Cam nodded.
Once he could swallow around the lump in his throat, Cam took his phone out and rang Lauren.“They were here,” he told her.“But they’re gone now.We need to widen the search area.He’s probably headed south, maybe west, away from us in any event.Pull up traffic cams, ATMs, any source of surveillance.Let’s see if we can spot a car leaving this area with passengers meeting their description.Lette is likely injured.”
“On it,” Lauren replied.
“Cam,” Aidan said, coming on the line.“We’ve got a bigger problem.”
He squeezed Garrett’s shoulder, then stepped away, not wanting to shake him up any more than he already was.“How the fuck can it be bigger?”he asked, voice lowered.
“I have alerts on Nic’s bank accounts.”
“You what?Why?”
“Moore’s orders.”
Fuck, had Nic been right not to trust the AD?“What the hell?Why’s he keeping tabs on us?”
“Cam!”Aidan clipped, more boss tone than he’d ever used with him.And also with an undercurrent Cam had heard before when Jamie was in danger.“It doesn’t matter right now.What does matter is that Nic withdrew a large sum of money an hour ago.”
“How?It’s way after hours.”
“Not if you used to fuck the bank manager.”
Cam gritted his teeth, trying and failing to block out the reminder of Nic’s past conquests.Never mind that one of his other lovers was also in the room with Cam.One who was straightening up from his crouch, glancing Cam’s way, and definitely cluing in to the fact that something else was amiss.
“How large?”Cam asked.
“Enough to pay off his father’s debts.”
“Fucking hell.”
Ransom demand; it had to be.And after the pile-on Nic had had to endure this afternoon, Cam wasn’t surprised he’d finally decided to take matters into his own hands, especially with his sister’s life at stake.“Where’s he headed with it?”
“Cam, are you sure you want to do this?”
“You’re tracking his accounts for fuck’s sake.Just check the GPS on his truck and keep me posted.I’m headed back now.”
“He may not forgive you,” Aidan warned.
