“And you believed him?” Ansel’s voice is lethal. “Well, now, she’s missing. You really fucked up!”
“They took her?” Damon asks incredulously. “I swear, I thought he just wanted information! He said he wanted to make you guys sweat. That’s all. I never thought— Where is she?”
“You tell us.” I’m in his face now. “Where would Trent take her?”
“I don’t know! He never told me his plans.”
Ansel shakes him. “You gave him everything he needed to kidnap her. Now you’re going to help us find her, or I swear to God, Damon, I will kill you myself.”
“Wait, wait!” Damon’s eyes are wild. “There was something. A property. I met Trent there once. It was a place off the grid where he handles problems. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”
I have to take a deep breath to calm myself. I’m holding myself back from punching him in the face. “Where?”
“Outside the city. An old industrial site. I don’t know the exact address.” Damon grabs his phone from his pocket and pulls up the approximate location. “He said nobody goes out there anymore.”
Ansel releases him, already pulling out his own phone. “You’d better not be lying!”
“I’m not!” Damon is sobbing now. “I never wanted her hurt. I just… I wanted you guys to suffer a little. To know what it felt like. I didn’t know he’d actually take her. Please, you have to believe me.”
“We don’t have to believe anything,” Ansel snarls. “But if this lead is good, you might—might—live through what’s coming for you.”
“I didn’t know. I swear.” Damon looks up at us, and for the first time in months, I see the person he used to be. Scared. Lost. Desperate for forgiveness he doesn’t deserve. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Ansel’s jaw tightens. For one second, I think he might hit him again. Instead, he steps back. “Your apology doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
“I know.” Damon’s voice is barely a whisper. “I know.”
We’re out the door before he can say anything else.
In the SUV, Ansel is already on the phone with the security team, giving them the location. Then he barks his orders. “Pull satellite imagery, property records, anything you can find.”
My phone buzzes. Ansel, Breck, and I are all copied on the message.
Adam:Found it. Abandoned warehouse complex. Registered to a shell company. Three buildings, mostly demolished. One structure still has power.
I pull up the coordinates and show Ansel.
“Okay.” His jaw is tight. “That’s where he took her.”
I call Breck.
“Tell me you found her.” His voice is raw.
“We have a location. Damon gave us a lead on one of Trent’s properties.”
“I’m coming!”
“No.” Ansel takes the phone. “Stay with her parents. If this goes wrong, if Trent contacts them, we need you there. Please, Breck. For Remy.”
“Bring her home,” Breck exhales. He wants to be with us, but I’m sure he knows Remy would want someone to be with her parents.
“We will,” Ansel promises.
“What if Damon was lying?” I stare at the tablet, which shows satellite images of the property. “What if this is a dead end?”
“Then we make him wish he’d never been born.” Ansel’s voice is flat. “But my gut says he’s telling the truth. He looked terrified.”
“Good.” My voice drops an octave. “He should be.”
