It’s no use. The unforgiving plastic of the zip tie bites into my skin, sending sharp, searing pain through the cuts from my last escape attempts. The restraints were fastened too tightly. There’s no give, and rubbing them on the concrete will only further damage my raw wrists.
Exhausted once more, I hang my head. At least I was smart enough to throw my dog tags on before I left Santa Monica. Reece will find me. When I don’t come home, he’ll know what to do.
Chapter 22
Reece
Dante slams his fist on the granite countertop. “What’s the plan? It’s been an entire fucking day!”
Aurora places three water bottles in the center of the kitchen island, twisting one open and setting it in front of me. “Should I call Ethan?”
Her words shake, and I flash the furious Italian a sharp glare.
I intertwine our fingers in an attempt to comfort her. “No, they’ll only freak out. It won’t do any good.”
She squeezes my hand and smiles gently before turning away.
I shift my attention back to the map on my laptop. Lucas’ dog tags pinpoint him inside an abandoned building in Skid Row, an area plagued by homelessness and drug use. The problem is, we don’t knowwherein the building he is.
If my partner were here and we were rescuing someone else, he’d be hacking into the security feed, but I doubt this place even has cameras.
Unlessit’s not what we think. Unless this seemingly worthless structure is a front… Holy fuck, that’d be perfect for a criminal. A drug and human trafficking hub right in the heartof the city’s most vulnerable. Kyle and his crew were seriously perverse.
“We need eyes inside the building,” I tell the twins. “Are you still in contact with a hacker?”
Desi glances up from his screen. “Text me the address.” He’s been the opposite of his seething brother—deathly calm.
A moment later, Aurora returns with a cheese-and-fruit platter; it’s likely to be ignored, but she has to stay busy. “Do you have Jackson’s old phone?”
“Yes, why?” My tone comes off clipped, and I mentally kick myself.
It’s not her fault my partner went missing while we were asleep, or playing on the beach, or screwing around. It’s not her fault I’m injured at the absolute worst time. She’s trying to help, doing her best to care for us.
“The Land Rover has an app with 360 surveillance and GPS.” She shrugs. “It may show something.”
“Good thinking, angel. You wanna get it for me? It’s in the safe in the security room.”
“We’re wasting time,” Dante grumbles once she’s out of earshot.
“We can’t go in there blind. He’s avoiding contact for a reason. There’s a hidden alert button in one of the links on his chain.” I lift my dog tags from my chest to show him. I don’t mention that it’s designed to prevent accidental activation, requiring it to be pressed and held for five seconds. More worry will only fuel his rage. “Communication could be risky. There might be others around, too many for us to eliminate.”
He connects the dots, however. “Or he could be injured…ordead.”
Desi’s head jerks up, eyes feral. “Don’t say that, Tay.”
Dante clasps his brother’s nape, much like Ethan does to Aurora and Jax. “Sorry, Des. I’m frustrated. We should have done something by now.”
“This isn’t New York,” I remind him.
“It sure as fuck isn’t.” He draws a calming breath, his nostrils flaring. “None of this shit would happen in New York—none.” He emphasizes his words with a wave of his hands. “That building would’ve been raided, and anyone who touched what was ours would be rotting in a morgue by now.”
“You’re the one who didn’t want to call this in,” I point out. “A raid is still possible.”
“You call this in, it’s out of our control, more time is wasted, and it becomes a hostage situation.”
“Thisisa hostage situation. He’s not missing by accident.” Hurried footsteps clatter down the hallway, and I lower my tone. “But I’m with you. We gather intel then move in under the cover of darkness.”
“Here you go!” She hands me the phone. “I’ve added the Wi-Fi. It’s updating.”
