Oh God, no. Crying inside, I show no weakness. “Get a new graphic artist, boss. The touchup is lame. A sixth-grader could do better.”
The punch to my stomach is the worst yet but focusing on the blinding physical pain is better than the hurt in my heart.
Dean is dead and it’s all my fault.
Chapter 19
Dean
As the abduction replays over and over in my head, I pacethe police department’s war room.
After the blast, I regained awareness and aimed between my feet, but had no clean shot. Next, armed men pulled Sky out the window. While I scrambled to stand, they tossed her in the back seat and drove away. Choosing to save our sorry asses, rather than the woman who needed help most, the SWAT team pulled us from the flaming mess. We barely reached a safe distance before the gas tank exploded. A few minutes later, we cleared the wreckage, butmy woman was gone.
Back in the present, my heavy lids lift. “I can’t believe there’s no trace of her.”
O’Brien, looking more tired than I feel, hands me another coffee. “We did everything we could.”
“No. When those bastards raced up the pavement, I should’ve run toward the armored truck, not away from it.”
Pursing his lips, the FBI agent swirls the brown sludge. “We’ve been over this. Yours was the right call for such a fucked up situation.”
“Should anything happen to her…” My knuckles still raw, I punch the wall and make a new hole next to the last one.
“Sure hope you know how to spackle.” Clucking his tongue, Colin walks back to the temporary cube and leaves me alone.
Nothing else to do, I Facetime Drac. “It’s been over nine hours. Haven’t you found anything?”
Tucked away in his Manhattan apartment, my brother glances up from his keyboard and sighs. “Asking me every five minutes doesn’t make me faster. Like I said before, I believe the abductors transferred your woman to another vehicle. Maybe a rental or a stolen car. Who knows? Go away and let me work.”
Dammit. I shut down the meeting and call Adrian. “What’s your ETA?”
“We’re outside. Coming in now.” He hangs up, a burner phone rings and the whole room goes quiet.
Holy crap. This is it.After the technician clicks a button and nods, I say hello.
“I want my daughter back.” Tommy’s voice sounds through the tinny speaker.
Then, a text message pings, I hit download, and groan at the jpg. Chin to chest,covered in bruises,my beautiful Sky sits tied to a chair in nothingbut underwear.
“You motherfucker.” When anger wells up inside me,Colin presses mute andshoots me a fierce scowl.
“If you want her back, calm the fuck down.”
Nodding, I pull my shit together, swallow hard, and press the green icon. “Charlie doesn’t want to come home and I can’t make her.”
“Unfortunate.” O’Malley pauses. "So, I guess you do not want the nuclear devices’ whereabouts?”
Fists clenched, I pitch my voice to sound nonchalant. “Listen. The experts say the nukes are so old, they’re worth diddly-squat. Why not let the Feds have them. Your kid will be so tickled, she’ll fly into Daddy’s arms.”
“I would need some assurances from your friends in the US government.”
Colin catches my gaze, and once he nods his consent, I continue. “They’re willing to negotiate. So, where are they?”
“Make sure your brothers drive safely, and their wives, too. The world’s a dangerous place.”
“Agreed. All the more reason to make your daughter aware of what you did to her best friend.”
A minute of silence follows. “I would prefer you didn’t.”
