She didn’t need to fear the unknowns of Jax going into a dangerous situation. He would do it if it meant getting Gabby back safe. They’d only met with Shawn’s sister once, but that didn’t matter. Everyone needed someone willing to fight for their rescue. The kind of person who knew the ninety-nine would be fine while they went and retrieved the one.
The chief scratched his jaw, his attention on the monitor. “I’m sure we can locate this woman. Make the exchange.” He turned to them. “This department can take it from here. That is, if you’re prepared to hand over this drive they’re referencing.”
Kenna could see that he thought they might argue with that idea, unwilling to give him what they had. She shrugged. “We can bring it to the meeting.”
Jax said, “It’s too valuable to be carrying around with us, don’t you think?”
The chief stared at them. He couldn’t possibly believe they would just hand over everything they had. After the way the police had bungled the investigation into Shawn Terrance’s death, Kenna wasn’t willing to leave Gabby’s fate in their hands.
“I guess if she’s paying you to find her brother’s killer, you’ll have to stick it out to the end,” the sergeant said. “Otherwise, you might not get your money.”
Kenna looked at him. “Who says we charge anything?”
His brow crinkled for a second, and he looked over her shoulder. She glanced back and saw two men and a woman enter, all of them in business suits. The man at the front spotted her, and his eyes flared. His gaze moved to Jax, and his demeanor tightened.
Uh-oh.
They looked like lawyers, though.
“Can we help you folks?” the chief asked.
“Yes.” The tight man in front nodded. “We’re here to report the theft of company property from NextGen Innovations.”
The other two stopped behind him, flanking him like it was necessary for him to go everywhere with his entourage. NextGen had its team of high-priced lawyers.
“Where is Gabby Terrance?” Kenna folded her arms above her baby bump.
The man glanced at her. “Considering you’re the one responsible for the theft of our property, I’m going to refrain from answering that.”
The flash drive. That had to be what they were here for.
Kenna said, “I’d love to know what you think I did.”
He huffed, moving around her so he could go stand by the chief. “Could we speak to you privately, Chief?”
“Even if you had nothing to do with Shawn Terrance’s death,” Jax said, “his sister has been kidnapped. Her life is in danger, and the person responsible wants your tech. You can’t pretend you don’t care what happens to that drive.”
Kenna said, “Sounds to me like we’re on the same team.”
Assuming she and Jax weren’t about to get arrested.
The lawyer guy looked at her like she was on the slide under his microscope. “I’m interested in you handing over our tech. But I have nothing to do with a private citizen and the trouble she seems to have gotten herself into.”
Was he really going to pretend they weren’t responsible? What if they weren’t?
And if they really weren’t, then who had kidnapped Gabby?
Chapter Nine
Oliver Jaxton pulled the car onto the bridge hours after night had fallen. He was alone in the car. Alone on the bridge…until he saw the other vehicle. People over by the railing. The bridge was the old trestle kind that rumbled under the tires.
For the last few hours, they’d gone over and over contingencies. He and Kenna and Zeyla—once they’d tracked her down and she’d shown up at the police station. The cops and their “team,” who would be working this.
Seemed more like hanging Jax out to dry, but he wasn’t going to argue. At least he could control the outcomes when it was him on point. To an extent, anyway. Operations like this never went the way they were planned. So when they finally got the time and location for the exchange—the flash drive for Gabby Terrance—he’d had them give him the particulars of the location but advised them to stick to “if A, then B” scenarios.
He stopped about twenty feet from the SUV parked in the middle of the bridge facing him. Headlights blinding. Jax angled his car to the right so he could get a look at the people.
More than one man, dressed in dark clothing. Faces covered by masks.
