Grayson slides next to me. “He was shot but managed to get the ladies downstairs, away from the blast. He saved their lives.”
“Some quick thinking. Will he be okay?”
“Time will tell.”
My fists clench. First, I need to find my wife. Then, I’ll take out the bastards who blew up her fucking baby shower. I take a deep breath to hold back the tsunami of emotions looming. Should I give in to them, I’ll drown.
“We’ll find her.” Grayson reaches out a firm hand and places it on my shoulder. “Tell me. What happened after I left?”
I toss my head in the direction of the cop. “That idiot kept me from riding in the back of the ambulance with Callie. If not for him, I’d be with her.”
Perhaps the ambulance had an accident, she’s at another hospital, or God knows what.
“Gray, hun? Get me a computer.” Isabella peeks out from behind her curtain, hopping on her good leg while holding her gown closed in the back.
“God dammit. Get into bed, Izzy.” He lifts her, places her on the sheets, and opens her computer bag.
Once she’s powered on, logged in, and connected, he turns to me. “Izzy can find anything, anywhere.”
Bloody hell, I’d almost forgot. Of course, she can. A genius, she works for Patten’s IT division. I stuff more pillows behind her back while Gray scowls and covers her legs with another blanket.
“Stay put. Don’t leave the bed again.” He’s all bark because eyes soften when they rest on her face.
Their love reminds me of what I’m missing. I need to find my wife.
The young officer moves into the lobby, now yelling into his radio. “She’s not here. No, it wasn’t Mrs. James. Well, they were wrong. Yes sir, I’m sure, sir, as is her husband standing right here. Want to talk to him?”
He storms past the nurses’ station and approaches Izzy’s bay. “They’re sending over two of our best detectives. I’m sorry. I thought-”
“Not your fault. Just help me locate her.” I’m pissed but not stupid. Later, I’ll see to it the rookie finds another line of work.
Right now, I need his cooperation. “Did you get the name of the ambulance? Does anyone have videos?”
Isabella shouts out from behind the curtain. “Lucky, come quick. I got something from a helicopter feed. There she is.”
Her laptop plays a birds-eye view from almost an hour ago. Callie’s stretcher folds and two men place her in the back of an ambulance. When I try to follow, the paramedic and me get into an altercation.
That’s bodyguard-speak for I punched him.Then, the cop shouts, points his gun, and I raise my arms. Meanwhile, the vehicle jumps the curb and peels away.
Isabella zooms in on the license plate and types it into Patten Securities’ search engine. “Ah, fuck. The ambulance was stolen about an hour ago, the driver injured.”
“Where is he? The driver?”
She does some more typing. “He’s here, in this hospital.”
I rush to the front desk and shout over my shoulder at Gray. “What’s his name again?”
Izzy shouts back, “Derrick Peters.”
The cop joins us, flashes his badge, and gets us a room number. On the fourth floor, a small guy in his twenties opens one good eye. He scoots up in his bed and turns his battered face to the cop. “Did you find the bastards who did this?”
“Not yet. Can we ask you a couple questions?” Officer Perez clears his throat and drops his pen as he takes out his notepad.
“I already told the police everything. I was responding to those women who got hurt in the gas explosion. I was almost there but had to slow at a light. That’s when these two dark-haired dudes held a gun to my head and hijacked my ride. I was tied up and gagged but saw them put a woman in the vehicle. Right after, they tossed me into the street. After that, I don’t recall much.”
“Did you see which way they headed?”The clock is ticking.Every moment these guys have her, is another percent chance I won’t get her back.
“South on Seventh Ave.”
