Fisting her hands, she closed her eyes and exhaled through her teeth. “Find.Them.”
“We’re working on it. Our team is going through all the cameras around the school, tracking where he went after he took them. There’s a BOLO out for the vehicle and an Amber Alert for thekids.”
She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “I need to check on the dogs. I have to stay busy or I’m going to gocrazy.”
“Do you wanthelp?”
“No.” Her answer was short, even to her. She took a breath. “Please findthem.”
He pressed a kiss again her temple. “I’ll keep youupdated.”
Nodding, she watched him go to his truck and lifted her hand in response to his wave, then followed his progress until he turned out of thedrive.
Too much time had been wasted dealing with the fire and answering questions from the police and the FBI. She doubled over, her forehead to her knees, when the sob tore through her. It was happening again. Only now was a thousand times worse. She’d promised them—promised Sarah—she’d keep them safe and that bastard had takenthem.
Were they scared? Was he hurting them? Not knowing was the worst kind of torture. She needed to find out where theywere.
Her rage was a palpable thing that she needed to get under control, but it seethed beneath her skin and flowed like lava through her veins. She could only hope she had enough control not to kill the guy before she could get the information sheneeded.
Heading into the kennel, she was assailed by barks, howls, and whines from the dogs she’d moved in after rounding them up outside. The noise would help drown out any screams that might otherwise be heard by the firefighters still working on the barn. Sprocket met her at the entrance and followed her to the storageroom.
A twinge of doubt unfurled as she paused with her hand on the knob. She squatted down and buried her face in Sprocket’s nape. Should she have told Chris about the guy? Let him take this asshole for official questioning? She shook her head. No. He’d lawyer up and her chance to get answers would begone.
Despite the inferno burning inside her and the tears she couldn’t stop pouring down her face, she was calm. She knew exactly what needed to bedone.
Anything to save herkids.
Giving Sprocket one last hug, she stood and opened the door. Using her foot to keep Sprocket out, she closed the door softly behind her. The guy was awake and glaring at her. She’d give him one chance. “Where are they? Please. They’re just little kids,” Deniseimplored.
“Fuckin’ seriously? You think some weak-ass tears are gonna get me to talk? You ain’t never seein’ those brats again. Fuckin’ bitch.” He tried to pull off an air of superiority. He thought because she was a woman and was crying, he had nothing to worryabout.
She laughed and walked to the small workbench, bending to pull out an old metal tool box she kept there. “You made a lot of mistakes today, Jeffrey.” She glanced at him and saw him flinch when she used hisname.
“I pilfered your wallet while I was searching you for weapons.” She flipped open the rusty clasp locks and lifted the lid. Rummaging through the contents, she kept her toneconversational.
“Of course, information is a kind of weapon. Cute kids, by theway.”
A low growl emanated from him. She pocketed a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, then hefted a ball peen hammer in her hand before turningaround.
“Lucky for you, I don’t consider kids to be a weapon.” She pointed the hammer at him and cocked her head. “Unlike somepeople.
“Your first mistake, Jeff, was taking my kids at all.” She walked behind him, trailing the fingers of her free hand up his arm and over his shoulder. “Then you set fire to my barn and shot one of mydogs.”
She continued around behind him, keeping her touch light, almost like a caress. “But your biggest mistake was thinking my tears are a sign of weakness.” From behind, she dug her fingers into the wound she'd half-heartedlybandaged.
He grunted and let out a low, teeth-clenched scream and his fists clenched andunclenched.
“But you see, my tears are kind of like a release valve on a pressure cooker.” She leaned forward so her mouth was close to his ear. “The rage needs somewhere to go,” she whispered. “I have to let it out somehow because you have to tell me things. Things I need to know. Things you need to be alive to tell me and if I don’t let the rage out somehow, I’m going to bash your fucking skull in before you tell me where my kids are.” She kissed his cheek before pulling back. “So don’t ever think my tears are a sign ofweakness.”
Denise rounded the front of the chair, the hammer in her hand. “That was your only chance for me to ask nicely. Every time you refuse to tell me where they are, I will hurtyou.”
Please just tell me where they are.She didn’t want to be back in this place. Threatening and seducing answers from a detainee. If he would just tell her they couldboth—
“Keep fucking crying, bitch,” Jeffreysaid.
The door on getting out of there easily slammed shut and a terrible calm descended through her. She inhaled, twirled the hammer in her hand, and swung it forcefully down onto his right wrist, eliciting a shrillscream.
Denise slid the hammer into the back pocket of her jeans. She leaned down and grasped his wrists, squeezing his forearm and forcing the broken bones together. He responded with a sobbinggrunt.
