I pulled open the door of our building. “They’re going to find out the hard way that it’s not free to waste the fire department’s time with a false alarm.”
Pete followed me. “Serves ‘em right.”
Upstairs, inside the office, Marci rushed up. “You gotta help. He’s hurt.”
“What? Who?” I sprinted in the direction she pointed.
“Outside the bathrooms. That new man.”
I turned the corner into the hallway with Pete on my tail and saw him.
O’Connor lay sprawled on the floor. “Check him,” I called to Pete. I had a bigger question. Where was Peyton? The detective was supposed to be protecting her. With my heart in my throat, I raced back and flung open the door to the demo room.
Empty. My gut twisted up. The fake accident had been a diversion.
Think, dammit, think.“Has anybody seen Peyton?” I yelled into the office.
All I got back was a chorus of nos and shaking heads.
Back in the hallway, Pete had removed his shirt and placed the rolled-up clothing under O’Connor’s head. “He’s unconscious and?—”
“Just a minute.” I charged into the women’s bathroom. Peyton was the priority. Also empty. I tried the men’s room, still no luck. At the end of the hall around the corner, the fire exit had been forced open.
Fuck.She’d been taken. I returned to Pete. “Talk to me,” I said almost hyperventilating as I pulled out my phone.
“He’s been Tasered. I pulled out the barbs.” Thin wires lay in a pile to the side.
“But, the effect of a Taser should be only temporary,” I shouted, unable to tamp down my emotions. I needed him to tell us what had happened to Peyton.
“Let’s give the guys some space and let them tend to him,” Grace said to the gathering of her employees at the entrance to the hall.
Pete rolled O’Connor’s head to the side and pointed at a red spot on his neck. “This looks like an injection site. I think he’s been drugged.”
“Fuck.” I dialed Lucas.
He answered on the second ring. “Yes?”
I put it on speaker for Pete and restrained my voice. Peyton needed me to be at the top of my game. “Peyton’s been snatched.”
“Hold on… Jordy, target status?”
I wasn’t on their comm channel so I didn’t hear the reply.
Lucas commanded the group in his normal cool tone. “Zane tells me Peyton has been abducted. We continue on to the target and bag him… Okay, Zane, talk to me.”
“A guy came to the door asking for help with an accident on the street,” I started. “O’Connor was alone with Peyton, taking her statement. I told him we were going outside.” I then relayed the sequence of events with Pete outside and returning to find O’Connor here.
“Zane, give Pete your car keys,” Lucas commanded. “Pete, there’s a medkit in the back of the Cayenne. Bring it up and use the smelling salts in the kit on O’Connor. Zane you stay with him. We’ve got to have him tell us what happened.”
I handed my key fob over.
“Pete after that, get those accident actors,” Lucas said. “We need to interrogate them. I want to know who set them up to create the diversion and when.”
“Copy that,” Pete said, and ran off.
I felt terrible and voiced it. “I should have stayed.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Lucas said. “I would have made the same call. I bet they were prepared to face both of you if you had stayed. And with the element of surprise, you might be on the floor next to him.” That was slim consolation, knowing the danger my woman was in now. “Hanging up now. I’m one mike out from the target.”
